Today, WW, announces the global launch of its groundbreaking new PersonalPoints Programme: a revolutionary, truly individualised and livable path to sustainable weight management and healthy living.
Driven by cutting-edge nutrition and behaviour change science as well as consumer research, the new programme makes losing weight and reaching wellness goals simpler and more attainable, all while helping members continue to live their best, fullest lives.
WW PersonalPoints has been proven to deliver clinically significant weight loss; decreases in hunger and food cravings; increases in physical activity and healthy habit formation; as well as improvements in overall well-being and quality of life. And as always with any WW programme, no foods are off-limits.
Studies have proven that individualised programmes work,, and this new programme is more personalised than ever; in fact, it’s the first time in the company’s history where no two plans are alike, making it easier for members to achieve their goals and sustain them over time.
WW PersonalPoints delivers a trifecta of game-changing new elements that work together to yield weight and wellness benefits, including:
- Individualised plans, custom-built for each member: Upon sign-up, members complete the new PersonalPoints Engine, WW’s proprietary assessment that merges a member’s food and activity preferences with WW’s nutritional algorithm to generate an individualised weight loss and wellness plan. Each member has a unique PersonalPoints Budget with food and activity targets and their very own ZeroPointTM foods list, based on the foods they say they love and can’t live without – such as avocado, a new ZeroPoint food option – to help them stay full and feel satisfied. ZeroPoint foods – nutritional powerhouses that members reach for often and do not need to be weighed, measured or tracked – form the foundation for a healthy pattern of eating, as recommended by national and international guidelines.
- The most advanced food algorithm to date: For the first time since 2015, WW has updated its awarding-winning Points® system to account for added sugar, unsaturated fat and fibre in addition to other nutrients. WW’s team of registered dietitians and nutrition scientists developed the rigorously tested food algorithm to reflect the latest in healthy eating recommendations, boiling down a food’s most important nutritional factors into a single number to make healthy eating simple. Whereas Points values on the previous system were based on four components – calories, protein, sugar, and saturated fat – the PersonalPoints value is even smarter. The new, cutting-edge food algorithm is now based on six components, adding fibre for a greater focus on fullness and unsaturated fat to nudge members toward heart-healthy fats, as well as replacing sugar with added sugar to better distinguish food with added sugar versus natural sugar. And with sophisticated data science capabilities, WW has been able to accurately predict nutritional information that may not be currently available on the food label, so that members can make informed food choices that support overall healthy eating.
- The ability to earn PersonalPoints for healthy behaviours: Now for the first time, members can earn Points® for practicing healthy behaviours to help turbo-charge a healthy habit loop. Behavioural science is clear on this: when people receive positive reinforcement for doing something, they are more likely to repeat it, and repetition creates habits. Members can grow their PersonalPoints Budget by: eating non-starchy vegetables (like carrots, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach), reaching a daily water goal, and moving more.
“While we all experience life events that can cause disruptions in our routine, we do not share the same experience.
Everyone’s truth is unique. Everyone’s life is unique. That’s why it’s important to have a weight loss programme that is just as unique as you,” said Mindy Grossman, President and CEO at WW.
“PersonalPoints is individualised in a way that has never been done before – built around your favourite foods, your metabolism and your goals – so you can still embrace and savor all of life’s moments. We give you the tools to build powerful habits – without restrictions, but with results.”
The last thing anyone wants to do is miss out on a single moment, let alone pause their life to get healthier; people want to enjoy the things they love and have missed, no restrictions and no deprivation. And we know that is especially true today.
“We are in the grip of an obesity crisis in the UK and it is imperative that we find a way to help people adopt a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable for the long-term.
PersonalPoints is our biggest and most promising innovation yet, offering members the flexibility to eat the foods they love and make healthy eating a part of their everyday lives.
Designed specifically for each individual, no two plans are alike so members can truly live their best life with no restrictions and no deprivation, while still losing weight.
We also feel encouraged that our new food programme has been clinically proven to decrease hunger and food craving, whilst helping people to increase their physical activity helping them form healthy habits for real life,” said Anna Hill, General Manager of WW UK.
“Our new programme will completely shift the way people think about a weight and wellness journey, helping people realise from the start: ‘I still can – and I will – enjoy my life while losing weight,’” said Gary Foster, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at WW and author of The Shift: 7 Powerful Mindset Changes for Lasting Weight Loss.
“We have purposefully created a scientifically-advanced programme that puts our members front-and-centre so they can find satisfaction in adopting habits that are livable, realistic, and – importantly – sustainable.”
“During the six-month clinical trial of the WW PersonalPoints Programme, participants experienced clinically significant results as it pertains to their weight and overall health and wellness,” said Sherry Pagoto, PhD, licensed clinical psychologist, professor at University of Connecticut, and lead researcher on the clinical trial of the new programme.
“Not only did we see clinically significant weight loss during this time, but we also saw notable improvements in overall quality of life and well-being, decreased hunger and food cravings, and improvements in physical activity and an automaticity of healthy habits.”
In addition to proven weight loss, participants also showed a number of other health and wellness benefits, such as, on average:
- Significant increases in intake of health-promoting foods. This includes a 55.4 percent increase in daily frequency of fruit consumption and 60.6 percent increase in daily frequency of vegetable consumption. An increased intake of fruits and vegetables is well-aligned with the dietary pattern recommended by the USDA.
- An increase in moderate physical activity by 27 minutes per day and decrease in sitting time by 83 minutes per day. Physical activity not only supports greater weight loss and maintenance, but research has shown it may also be the single best predictor of weight maintenance; in fact, increased physical activity coupled with a healthier pattern of eating leads to 20 percent greater weight loss than changing eating habits alone.,,
- A 52.9 percent average increase in automaticity of healthy habits. Participants began to engage in healthy habits without thinking about it, helping to make these habits part of their daily lives.
To personalise the new programme even further, PersonalPoints can be tailored to meet the needs of people living with diabetes. Consistent with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) guidelines, this plan helps those living with diabetes establish a healthier pattern of eating, guiding them toward foods that are less likely to impact blood sugar levels (e.g., lean protein, high fibre legumes and healthy fats).
With decades of experience in behaviour change, WW inspires millions of people around the world to adopt healthy habits for real life, thereby allowing people to live while losing.
The new PersonalPoints Programme is delivered and amplified through the award-winning WW app as well as the in-person and virtual workshop experience, all of which provide the tools, information and inspiration to help people achieve their goals across food, activity, mindset and sleep.
And when people need one-on-one support or guidance, they can chat 24/7 with a WW expert Coach—a real, live human—right in the WW app.
For more information, please visit www.ww.com/uk.