REPORT

Comparison of Weight Loss Companies (Weight Watchers vs Slimming World)

An assessment on the most suitable diet plan for Fitness Mania’s health and fitness programme

CONTENTS

Terms of Reference   page 3

Procedures    page 3-9

Findings     page 10

Conclusion    page 11

Recommendations   page 11

Index     page 12

Bibliography    page 13-14

Appendices    page 15-16

Comparison of Weight Loss Companies (Weight Watchers vs Slimming World)

Terms of Reference

Sally White, fitness guru at Fitness Mania requested a report on which weight loss company, Weight Watchers or Slimming World was most effective, so that she could implement the diet into her clients health and fitness programme. Sally is looking to find out which company is most cost effective, easy to follow, what benefits and support they offer and ultimately the results and people’s experiences.

Procedures

• Interview

An interview was carried out with Cathy Russell on the 6 December 2018. Cathy has been a member of both Weight Watchers and Slimming World. Cathy shared her experience:

“Weight Watchers and Slimming World both have great support groups. Personally, I find Slimming World easier to follow. Slimming World has a ‘free food’ list which includes a range of vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, fish, some carbs, dairy and drinks. You can have as many free foods as you like, any food/drink that is not on the list you can have but you must stay within your daily allowance of syns, which is between 5 and 15. Whereas the Weight Watchers diet plan you need to count/weigh everything you eat with their points system, I find this not so easy to use and follow. Portion sizes are a lot smaller. Another thing I like about Slimming World is that once you reach your target weight you don’t have to pay, as long as you stay within 3 pounds of your target weight (over or under).”

Cathy shared the following books that she received when she started Slimming World:

• Love food love food optimising – Information on foods and syns, including recipes
• Love life love body magic – Information on body magic and having an active life
• Love friendship love your Slimming World group – success stories and advice

See image of books in Appendix A

• Online Reviews

Trustpilot Reviews

• Weight Watchers UK

Image sourced from: https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/weightwatchers.com/uk

• Slimming World

Image sourced from:

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.slimmingworld.co.uk

Weight Watchers UK have received a lot more reviews (207) than Slimming World (18). The above diagrams show that Weight Watchers have received a lot more excellent (42% more) and great (13% more) reviews than Slimming World. However, due to the huge difference in the amount of reviews I decided to look back at the last 10 reviews for each company so that the results were more accurate and fair.

The last 10 review ratings for each company are shown below:

See Appendix B for the chart on the above table

The last 10 reviews show that Weight Watchers and Slimming World have recently received roughly the same ratings. Both companies are showing more poor/bad results than excellent/great results!

Slimming World’s negative reviews were around the online membership and unhelpful consultants.

Weight Watchers negative reviews were about signing up and then not being able to cancel the membership for a year.

• How easy is the diet plan to follow?

Both companies have support groups, websites and apps where you can access various helpful information which makes the diet plans easy to follow.

Slimming World review on how easy the diet plan is to follow:

Image sourced from: https://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/diets-1061/losing-weight-619/585707-slimming-world-extra-easy.html

Weight Watchers comment on how easy the diet plan is to follow:

Image sourced from: https://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition/a58249/i-spent-a-month-on-weight-watchers/

• Weight Watchers and Slimming World Websites

• How each weight loss programme works?

Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers works by a ‘SmartPoints’ counting system. Each food has its own SmartPoints value which depends on calories, saturated fat, sugar, and protein. When a member joins Weight Watchers they are given a personalised SmartPoints budget which is worked out by the persons current weight, height, gender, and age. It will be made up of a daily allowance and a weekly allowance for extras, such as going out. You can become a member and follow the plan digitally and studio where you can follow the plan online and attend the support groups. You can also just attend the support groups.

Image sourced from: https://www.google.co.uk

Slimming World

Slimming World works by ‘Syns’ and a ‘free foods’ plan. You are allowed to eat as many ‘free foods’ as you like on the Slimming World’s diet plan. Any food that is not ‘free foods’ are counted by syns, each food has a different amount of syns allocated to it. You are allowed between 5 and 20 syns per day. Slimming World focuses on a diet for the long haul, something you can stick to and won’t want to give up on within a week. You can either be a member that attends meetings with other members, or you can follow the plan online.

Image sourced from: https://www.google.co.uk

• Success Stories

Weight Watchers and Slimming World both have a huge amount of success stories that you can read online.

Slimming World:

Image sourced from: https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/our-members/success-search.aspx?

Weight Watchers:

Image sourced from: https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/success-stories

• Membership Cost

• Exercise

Weight Watchers

• WW (Weight Watchers) Workouts are available on their US website
• Articles and exercise guides available on their UK website

Slimming World

• Programme called ‘body magic’. The programme allows each member to build their exercise plan up gradually.

• Benefits

• Recipes

Weight Watchers

• Recipe books (see image below)
• Online recipes
• Free 7-day menu (online)
• Recipe of the week (online)
• Find a recipe (online)
• Recipe videos (online)

Image sourced from: https://www.weightwatchersshop.co.uk/cookbooks-guides-magazines-1?cat=224

Slimming World

• Recipe books (see image below)
• Seasonal recipes (online)
• Breakfast recipes (online)
• Lunch recipes (online)
• Dinner recipes (online)
• Starters recipes (online)
• Dessert recipes (online)
• Cathy Russell shared a book (Love food love food optimising) that you receive when you become a member, which includes recipes. See Appendix A for image

Image sourced from: https://www.theworks.co.uk/p/healthy-eating-books/slimming-worlds-best-ever-recipes/9780091928223?CAWELAID=720011340002618644&CATARGETID=720011340002497956&cadevice=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn53pydah3wIVyeR3Ch1EgQsUEAQYASABEgLFkPD_BwE&q=slimming%20world

Findings

• Weight Watchers is cheaper (£7.05 a month less) than Slimming World when you pay monthly, but more expensive (1.30 per week more) than Slimming World if you would like to pay weekly

• The last 10 Trustpilot reviews for each company equalled to a similar amount of reviews for each star rating. See Appendix B for the graph.
• Both companies have comments/reviews that they are easy to follow
• Both diet plans work in a similar way in that you have to count points (SmartPoints/Syns) on food. However, Slimming World has ‘free foods’ so you do not need to count your food as much as you would on Weight Watchers diet plan
• Weight Watchers have exercise guides available. Slimming World have an exercise programme
• The benefits that each diet plan offers are very similar
• Both companies offer a lot of recipes. Slimming World offer more online

Conclusion

To conclude, I think Weight Watchers prefer their members to pay monthly, which is why their monthly membership cost is significantly cheaper than the weekly cost. According to the negative reviews on Trustpilot, I think Weight Watchers offer great deals for membership when you sign up monthly for a few months, although when you go to cancel members are finding out that they can’t cancel until after a year. I think members are finding this very frustrating. Whereas, Slimming World cost much the same for weekly group membership and monthly online membership, which allows the customer to not feel pressurised into signing up monthly. Overall, I think Slimming World is the most cost effective.

Both companies have received positive reviews that they are easy to follow. They also have apps and websites full of useful information, as well as support groups. From Cathy Russell’s experience, I think Slimming World is showing to be slightly easier to follow. I think the main reason is because you do not need to count absolutely everything you eat and your portion sizes are not restricted.

I think Weight Watchers and Slimming both have fantastic benefits, which many are the same for each. However, I think Slimming World have the following extra benefits:

• Body magic programme
• Not having to pay when you reach your target weight and stay within 3 pounds of it
• Unlimited ‘free food’
• Offer more online recipes

Both companies have received some negative reviews recently which they need to work on. Overall, I think members are happy, the success stories prove that both diet plans can get you the result you want.

Recommendations

The following is suggested:

• Sally White trials the Slimming World diet plan with her clients for three months. The client is able to choose either the weekly or monthly membership. After the three months, Sally is to review the diet plan by checking her clients results and asking her clients for feedback via a questionnaire

See Appendix C for the suggested questionnaire

Index

A

articles, 8

B

benefits, 3, 10, 11

Benefits, 8, 13

books, 3, 9, 14

C

Cathy, 3, 9, 11

cost effective, 3, 11

D

diet plan, 1, 3, 5, 6, 10, 11, 13, 16

E

easy to follow, 3, 5, 10, 11, 16

exercise, 8, 10, 13

Exercise, 8, 13

experiences, 3

F

free food, 3, 8, 11

H

health and fitness programme, 1, 3, 16

I

interview, 3

M

magazine, 8

Membership, 8, 13

R

recipes, 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14

results, 3, 4, 11

reviews, 4, 10, 11

Reviews, 3, 13

S

Slimming World, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 16

SmartPoints, 6, 10

success stories, 3, 7, 8, 11

support, 3, 5, 6, 8, 11, 16

support groups, 3, 5, 6, 11, 16

syns, 3, 6

T

target weight, 3, 8, 11

Trustpilot, 3, 10, 11, 13

W

Weight Watchers, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14

Bibliography

• Website links

Trustpilot Reviews

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/weightwatchers.com/uk

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.slimmingworld.co.uk

How easy is the diet plan to follow?

https://www.netmums.com/coffeehouse/diets-1061/losing-weight-619/585707-slimming-world-extra-easy.html

https://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition/a58249/i-spent-a-month-on-weight-watchers/

How it works

https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/how-it-works/smartpoints

http://pinchofnom.com/how-slimming-world-works-a-pinch-of-advice/

https://www.netmums.com/life/slimming-world-diet

Success Stories

https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/our-members/success-search.aspx?

https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/success-stories

Membership Cost

https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/joining-online/what-to-expect.aspx

https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/meetings-pay-weekly

Exercise

https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/ww-workouts

https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/article/mums-guide-finding-time-exercise

https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/article/find-what-moves-you

https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/getting-active/getting-active.aspx

https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/health/how-sw-works/body-magic.aspx

Benefits

https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/how-it-works

https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/register/

Recipes

https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/healthy-eating/food-optimising.aspx

https://www.weightwatchers.com/uk/recipes

Cook book images

https://www.weightwatchersshop.co.uk/cookbooks-guides-magazines-1?cat=224

https://www.theworks.co.uk/p/healthy-eating-books/slimming-worlds-best-ever-recipes/9780091928223?CAWELAID=720011340002618644&CATARGETID=720011340002497956&cadevice=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn53pydah3wIVyeR3Ch1EgQsUEAQYASABEgLFkPD_BwE&q=slimming%20world

Weight Watchers and Slimming World’s Logos

https://www.google.co.uk

• Books

Love food love food optimising

Love friendship love your Slimming World group

Love life love body magic

All the above books are by Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE HonMUniv FRSA

Slimming World’s Founder and Chairman

Appendices

Appendix A

Appendix B

Appendix C

Fitness Mania

101 Salt Lane
Cambridge

CB100 3EE

Fitness Mania’s Slimming World Diet Plan Questionnaire

Fitness Mania strives to give their clients the best health and fitness programme. Following the recent three month trial of the Slimming World diet plan, Sally White would like you to provide feedback on how you have found the diet plan. The questionnaire should take approximately 5 minutes to complete. Upon receipt of the questionnaire, you will receive 1 month’s free membership with Fitness Mania.

1. Did you find the Slimming World diet plan easy to follow?

Yes ☐

No ☐

2. How much weight did you lose on the Slimming World diet plan?

0-2 pounds ☐

3-4 pounds ☐

5-6 pounds ☐

7 pounds + ☐

3. Did you attend the Slimming World support groups?

Yes ☐

No ☐

If yes, how supportive did you find the consultant and other members?

4. Would you recommend the Slimming World diet plan?

Yes ☐

No ☐

5. Any additional comments on the Slimming World diet plan:

Thank you very much for sparing your time to complete the questionnaire. We hugely appreciate your feedback.

END OF REPORT

Victoria Russell-Hopkinson

17/12/2018

Fitness Mania, 101 Salt Lane, Cambridge CB100 3EE