 |
|
|
about usAnnouncing the Launch of Weight Watchers Online for Men
Battling the Bulge Not Just a Female Issue -- Men Do it Differently |
NEW YORK, NY – March 29, 2007 – Current research shows that about 70% of men are overweight, and about 30% of men are obese1. Yet, a dramatically low number of men – only about 28 percent2 – are engaged in weight loss.
One of the problems behind this disparity is that very little male-oriented obesity research exists in the medical community. Fortunately, Weight Watchers has more than 40 years of experience helping both men and women lose weight, and has now applied that knowledge in updating its Internet offerings for men.
Weight Watchers announces this week that Weight Watchers Online, which provides the interactive resources to follow the plan step-by-step online, and Weight Watchers eTools, the Internet weight-loss companion to meetings, are now customized for men. Both products are designed to help men overcome the daily challenges of losing weight that are unique to them.
While the fundamental principles of weight loss are the same for both men and women — eat less, move more — men gain weight, lose weight and approach weight loss differently than women.
“Men and women are biologically and emotionally different, and multiple variables factor into how each loses weight,” says Karen Miller-Kovach, Chief Scientific Officer for Weight Watchers International, and author of “She Loses, He Loses: The Truth About Men, Women, and Weight Loss,” an illuminating look at how both genders approach weight loss, set to hit shelves this April. “Although there are differences, two primary motivators of weight loss are shared between men and women alike: appearance and health.” Weight Watchers Customizes Internet Offerings for Men
“Men are familiar with the Weight Watchers brand and know that the plan works,” said Alexandra Aleskovsky, General Manager of WeightWatchers.com. “Men have been losing weight with Weight Watchers for over 40 years, and hundreds of thousands are on plan right now. Weight Watchers can help so many more men get in shape by offering our Internet products in ways that are more directly relevant to them, which is why we customized our offerings for men.”
Weight Watchers Online for Men is an interactive, engaging and robust Internet product where men can follow the Weight Watchers plan and get food and fitness ideas and other content and resources specifically for guys. It provides a comprehensive approach to weight management based on the latest scientific thinking.
For men who attend meetings, Weight Watchers eTools for Men enhances their weekly meeting experience with a customized Internet environment that helps make it even easier to follow the plan and see progress.
Each product offers a suite of weight-management tools that is served up in an Internet environment customized for men, where imagery is distinctly masculine, navigation is tailored to suit men’s preferences, and topics of special interest to men are covered, such as the healthiest fast food choices, the best barbecue tools and how to get that athlete’s body. Key features of both products include:
|
|
- Online tools to track daily food intake and exercise
- Information on over 29,000 food options
- Meal ideas for foods that men actually want to eat – beer, pizza and red meat cheat sheets so guys can see how to eat the foods they love while staying on plan
- Made-for-men workouts that target key muscle groups, exercise advice for all fitness levels, and more than 60 exercise demo videos
- Tips from real guys who have been successful
Guys’ Unique Approach to Weight Loss
Because men gain weight, lose weight and diet differently than women, Weight Watchers addresses the differences men have with women in body image, physiology and mindset. Weight Watchers speaks directly to men and will help them with the resources and knowledge they need to achieve their weight-loss goals.
Among the most illuminating truths from Weight Watchers research findings are the differences in the attitudes and behaviors men and women have about weight loss.
Weight-Loss Gender Differences Chart
| Weight Loss Factor | Women | Men | | Level of Accuracy Around Estimating Weight Status
| Quick to realize she's overweight
| Consistently underestimate amount of weight he needs to lose
| | Weight Loss Vernacular
| "Diet"
| "Get in shape"
| | History of dieting
| Lots: much experience with a variety of approaches
| Not much: highly confident he will have success with no long history of diet failure
| | Level of Knowledge about Dieting
| Generally knowledgeable about nutrition; attuned to diet and weight-loss news
| Lack basic knowledge about science of food and weight loss
| | Exercise
| Beneficial to weight loss, but avoidable | Expected component of weight-loss success
| | Overall Approach to Weight Loss
| Quick to initiate, but prone to start and stop (yo-yo dieting) | Serious, disciplined, structured
|
Now Weight Watchers just got even better for men with online offerings just for guys designed to help men overcome the daily challenges of losing weight that are unique to them. Details are available at http://www.weightwatchers.com/BetterforMen.
|
|
About WeightWatchers.com: WeightWatchers.com is the Web’s leading subscription-based weight-loss site and the official Web site for Weight Watchers. It serves up details of the company’s popular weight-loss plan and offers original health, food and fitness content, a vibrant community, and a multitude of paid and free weight-loss tools, all centered on the primary mission of Weight Watchers: helping people lose weight. The site features two personalized, Web-based subscription products: Weight Watchers Online, which delivers the information and resources you need to do Weight Watchers via the Internet, and Weight Watchers eTools, the Internet companion for meetings. Highlights of the products include an integrated, multi-feature food diary with a database of over 29,000 foods and their corresponding POINTS® values; a sophisticated recipe search of over 1,300 original, healthy recipes; customizable meal ideas; a restaurant guide; and a personal weight tracker. Editor’s Note: To subscribe to Weight Watchers Online or to find the nearest Weight Watchers meeting location, readers can visit http://www.WeightWatchers.com or call 1-800-651-6000.
Courtesy trials of Weight Watchers Online are available to members of the press upon request. Please contact Lolita Verny at WeightWatchers.com via email at Lolita.verny@weightwatchers.com1 Ogden, CL, et. al., Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999-2004, JAMA. 2006 Apr 5 ; 295 (13) : 1549-55
2 Methods for voluntary weight loss and control. NIH Technol Assess Conf Statement. 1992, March 30–Apr 1. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health, Office of Medical Applications of Research. |
|
|
|
|
|
|