Turns out (big surprise) that Weight Watchers is exceedingly proprietorial about their stuff – so much so that I believe that they hire folks just to scan the internet and see who is ripping them off. I had a link in my blogroll for a while that would take you to a free point calculator – but it is gone now. I considered taking every mention of the organization off my site to fly under radar – but I think there may be a way to share info without getting a big lawyer stick waved in my face…
Once we lost the free online calculator – we were a little lost, but then… we found the SECRET formula for point calculation at healthyweightforum.org (see below). Luckily, I have taught 8th grade Algebra (good thing because I don’t remember any of my college calculus…) and I was not daunted by the formula. It is really as basic as plugging the numbers into the formula – as long as fiber never exceeds 4 grams. If you are smart (like my boyfriend) – you can even use an excel spreadsheet to do the calculations for you. I won’t provide it for you, but you can call me if you need help!
Here is the secret excerpt:
The Weight Watchers Points Formula
The actual Weight Watchers Points formula used in the Weight Watchers Points calculator is currently under strict US Patent laws. The formula is shown below::
Where:
p = Points
c = Calories
f = Fat Grams
r = Dietary fiber Grams
(Note: min{r, 4} equals the number of grams of dietary fiber or 4, whichever is smaller. In other words, only the first 4 grams of fiber “count.”)
Some examples of Weight Watchers Points assigned to foods are shown in the following table, using a Weight Watchers Points calculator would yield a similar result:
| Food | Calories | Fat (g) | Carbohydrates (g) | Fibre (g) | Weight Watchers Points |
| Medium Fries | 450 | 22 | 57 | 5 | 10 |
| Quarter Pounder with cheese | 430 | 30 | 38 | 2 | 13 |
| Cheeseburger | 330 | 14 | 35 | 2 | 7 |
| Big Mac | 590 | 34 | 47 | 3 | 14 |
| Corn on the Cob | 140 | 2 | 34 | 2 | 3 |
| Low-fat Grilled Chicken Pasta | 873 | 8.9 | 134.3 | 10.3 | 17 |
| Low-fat Asian Chicken Salad | 714 | 9 | 121 | 9.6 | 14 |
| Low-fat Brownie Sundae | 326 | 3.2 | 72 | 4.6 | 6 |
I have lost seven pounds as of last week (I only weigh myself when I go to the chiropractor’s) and I can fit into my favorite pair of jeans. I still have to hold my breath to get the zipper up, so another seven to go. My boyfriend on the other hand, has lost at least twice that, and delights in letting his pants fall to the ground as he walks across the parking lot.
Basically I eat a very plain breakfast (1/4 cup Scottish style oatmeal cooked in 1 1/2 cups water = 2 points). I have an apple or other fruit for a snack (=1 point). A reasonable lunch (slice of turkey, mustard, vegenaise and a whole tomato sliced – cooked open face on sourdough = 5 points or 7 points with a slice of swiss), a 1-point fruit popscicle for my afternoon pick-me-up, and then basically a regular dinner for 10 points. That usually looks like a piece of meat, fish or tofu the size of my palm (=6 points), the same amount of rice (1 cup = 4 points) and twice as much steamed veggies (=0 points). I drink iced Earl Grey in the morning and water the rest of the day.
My week starts with a Monday – so the stricter I am during the week – the more I have left of my weekly 35 flex points on the weekend. Leaves me room for slices of 4-point medium slices at Pizza Hut or even an 8-point ice cream Drumstick. One-quarter of a bar of organic dark chocolate = 1 point and is just the thing when I come in under 20 points a day. It helps that I’ve been running 3-5 times a week. When I run for 1/2 hour (which I always do when I am on my own) I eat 23 points. When I run for 1 hour (which my boyfriend prefers) I can eat 26 points.
