What’s new with the WW Plan in September of 2023 for weight loss? Read on to learn about meeting changes, weight loss medication options including GLP-1s, the ending of Weight Watchers foods, and more.
- Weight Watchers CEO Sima Sistani Announces Company Growth and Program Changes
- Weight Watchers Becomes Digital Forward
- Weight Watchers Food Products and Kitchen Supplies Will Not Be Available
- Medication for Weight Loss – Including GLP-1s Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro
- Will Lifetime Membership Change?
- WW Program Changes for 2023
- Weight Watchers Program for Diabetes
- WW App Changes
- Is Oprah Still with Weight Watchers?
- Weight Watchers Review – My 100 Pound Weight Loss Before and After
Weight Watchers CEO Sima Sistani Announces Company Growth and Program Changes
Sima Sistani, WW International CEO, joined the CNBC show ‘Closing Bell Overtime’ to talk about weight loss drugs, WW’s digital platforms and company’s growth.
Weight Watchers Becomes Digital Forward
Since 2019, Weight Watchers has moved to a model where most of their meetings are online. Earlier in 2023, the company announced that they were closing many in-person meetings.
Sima Sistani, WW CEO, says that the company is moving to a “digital forward” approach. While members don’t know exactly what this means, they speculate that the company will move to very few (or no) in-person meetings or workshops.
For the first time in reporting history, the company shows that Quarter 2 revenue was higher than Quarter 1, which indicates that their new approaches are successful.
While there are unhappy members who prefer in-person meetings, WW believes that they are keeping up with customer demand. (Note: Click here for my top recommendations for Weight Watchers alternatives if you feel like WW is no longer right for you.)
Weight Watchers Food Products and Kitchen Supplies Will Not Be Available
WW is closing the e-commerce and consumer products, which includes snack bars, chips, oatmeal, popcorn, and kitchen gadgets.
Members are encouraged to stock up on their favorites, and there are deep discounts, coupon codes, buy 2 get 1 free and other specials as WW closes out inventory. Get a free gift when you spend over $60 and use coupon code LIKEAPRO.
Medication for Weight Loss – Including GLP-1s Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro
Weight Watchers has partnered with the prescription drug company Sequence to offer an optional weight loss medication program. The program is an additional $99 a month, plus the cost of medication. Medications may or may not be covered by insurance.
While GLP-1s have shortages plus supply and demand issues, the program offers other medication options for those who qualify.
The WW weight loss medication program is still in its infancy and relatively small (36,000+ members), compared to the foundational Weightwatchers behavior change points plan, which has over 4.1 million members.
Sistani says that this addition to the WW platform recognizes the biology behind overweight and obesity and destigmatizes the challenge of overweight.
Will Lifetime Membership Change?
While the company has not made a formal announcement, many Lifetime Members are concerned that the Lifetime program will end if in-person workshops are closed. The current program allows Lifetime members who maintain at their goal weight to attend meetings and use the WW app free of charge, but it requires a monthly in-person weigh-in to maintain that status.
WW Program Changes for 2023
The WW plan is not expected to change in 2023. Because the program typically changes every two years, watch for plan changes in November of 2024.
Click here for a free printable zero point foods list for the Weight Watchers 2023 and 2024 plan.
Weight Watchers Program for Diabetes
In addition to a food and points program that is specific to diabetic members, WW has a new partnership with Abbott for CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitoring). Diabetic members can get their current glucose level and Time-in-Range for the day right in the WeightWatchers app, based on their latest FreeStyle Libre systems scan.
Currently, the CGM option for WW is only available for diabetic members. Click here to read our review of CGMs for weight loss for non-diabetics.
WW App Changes
A subset of current members are beta testing app changes, which are expected to roll out to all members sometime this fall. One of the changes may be the end end of the WW Blue Dot tracker.
How do you feel about the WW program changes and updates? Share about it in the comments below.
Is Oprah Still with Weight Watchers?
Yes, Oprah is still a WW ambassador, and in fact has recently lost additional weight. Winfrey credits her partnership and involvement in WW for the transformation, saying she dedicated herself to a reset with her eating habits last year.
Weight Watchers Review – My 100 Pound Weight Loss Before and After
I’ve lost over 100 pounds with WW and have been maintaining it for almost 20 years. I love the points system because it makes weight loss a fun game rather than a dreaded chore.
Tracking has always been a big part of my continued success. Read more of my 100 pound weight loss story and see more before and after photos here.
More Weight Watchers Help for You
Top 7 Weight Loss Trends for 2023 and 2024
The Holy Mess 3 Day Meal Plan – FREE meal plan to break a plateau. Almost zero points! As featured in Woman’s World magazine.
The Holy Mess 3 Day Plant-Based Meal Plan – FREE meal plan that is whole foods, plant-based, oil free. Includes WW points.
Weight Watchers Chicken Artichoke Soup Recipe
Sorry, me again. I forgot to mention the Ozempic drug. The doctor prescribed it to me for diabetes and for weight loss. It works for both because it greatly slows down the digestion of food. This means you stay fuller for much longer, and have far less hunger, which makes you eat less, and when you eat less, you weigh less. It works the same way for the diabetes, because the food is getting digested so slowly, it helps to avoid sugar spikes. I took it for about 4 months and lost 35 lbs on top of the 10 lbs loss I was stuck at. However, I had a scary emergency, where my body went into shock in the space of half an hour, and the doctor told me not to take it anymore. Why that scenario happened, is a bit of a mystery, but I had hiked in Roosevelt National Park the day before at a temperature of 100F, and there was no shade. I struggled back to the car, and revived a lot after drinking a can of regular coke (I must have been a bit dehydrated at this point, and my blood sugar was probably very low). I continued to feel a bit nauseous from the heat, so I only ate a tiny bit of coleslaw, 3 pickle slices and some lettuce for lunch. In the evening I still wasn’t hungry, and I thought, well, if I eat less, I will weigh less, and sure enough I’d lost 2 lbs by the next morning. I was thrilled, but suddenly, I started to feel very weird and had no idea what was about to happen. My face was bright red, almost purple, my eye had gone bloodshot, my BP was normal but my pulse was fast. I began to feel slightly sick to my stomach and didn’t know if I was about to have a heart attack or what! So I called my husband and he had me at the hospital within 10 minutes, where I had to go in in a wheelchair. 20 mins later, after some gastric problems, my BP had fallen to 40 something over 30 something, and nurses were putting in IVs etc. They gave me 4L of fluids, plus potassium because that had got very low with the whole electrolyte imbalance that had occurred. Neither the doctor nor I really know why the whole thing happened, but it was a new experience for me, and the medication strength was a fairly new strength for me. Please do get advice from your doctor before taking Ozempic if you find it tempting to try, yes it worked well, but we maybe don’t know the long term side effects yet because it’s a relatively new drug. Days later, our local hospital closed part-time due to staff shortages, but I’m very thankful to the Lord that it was open the day I needed it. I had to be transferred to another hospital 40 mins away, due to the closure, but I don’t know if I would have made it there had my hospital already closed. I went from a functioning human being to being in shock in only 30 mins, and I hope to never reapeat it. A nurse asked about my situation and when I told her the BP of 40+ over 30+, she said, So you’re lucky to be here! So, I won’t be trying that again in a hurry, it was actually quite a frightening experience.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Hello everyone! I live in Canada where I believe some of these changes have taken place already. I’ve not been to in-person workshops for years, the nearest ones had closed, the next two, were either 1 hr 40 mins or 2 hr 30 mins. I certainly respect that many of you have created in-person friendships with other members who’ve been present at your meetings. Looking at the big picture from the lens of on-line workshops, many members have shared the benefits they’ve found from doing them. There is no obligation to have your camera on, so if you are having a bad hair day, or you are in tears with frustration at that wretched metal box laughing at you, from the bathroom floor, no one can see you. A number of people have definitely been crying on camera too, myself included, the leaders really do encourage participants to switch on their cameras if they can, however, some are at work and are just listening into the workshop while at work. One helpful aspect, is that you can completely choose which workshops you want to attend across the entire country, so if you don’t feel a certain leader’s wavelength is the same as yours, you can leave the meeting and jump onto a different one. With in person workshops, if you feel the coach is not a strong leader, you don’t have many alternatives. About 8 years ago, I had an in person coach like that, she was kind and motherly but had only lost 20 lbs. I’m not minimizing that loss by any means, that was all she needed to lose, but for myself, then 80 lbs overweight and eventually 100 lbs overweight, I felt she probably hadn’t experienced the level of discomfort, embarrassment and burden that many in the room would have experienced. Therefore, it seemed like her struggles were smaller. Many participants have said they are freer to talk in the on-line workshops, whether it’s because many of them are in very familiar surroundings (their home) I don’t know. The community has been very inspiring, one couple, had lost a combined weight of more than 300 lbs! From the point of view that things are changing, yes they are. Jill Nidetch began with just a few friends, but now that there are over 4 million members, the company has to operate like a business or it would fail. Yes, the management of WW may seem far away and unreachable, but you will find the coaches really do develop a keen interest in your own personal journey. I need accountability myself and probably would do better if I made it happen. At the meetings, participants used to be encouraged to share their weigh-ins in a private chat with the co-coach, but that doesn’t happen so much now. It was evident that some people felt they were under a lot of pressure to maintain their goal weight, otherwise they’d have to pay. Personally, in peri-menopause, due to fluid retention, my weight could go up literally 8 lbs in 2 days, so that wasn’t very helpful. So give this new ride a try, remember that not much growth happens if we don’t climb out of our comfort zones! All the best to you all with your journeys!
Please don’t stop in person meetings. I have made friends with so many people and the support that a meeting gives you can not compare to virtual. This country needs to stop thinking about the new generation of technology and get back to basics. If there is no opportunity for virtual meetings then youll have no choice but to go to a WW in person meeting. As long as you cater to this generation the more we lose our social interaction.
I SO agree! Not everyone is for digital, if covid didn’t teach us anything else, doing things by yourself and cutting ourselves off from the outside world isn’t a good thing. I too have made many friends at my meetings, losing that is just another step in the chain of giving people mental illnesses
Wow! What a change. So sad that a program that has worked for so long is going this route. Similar to Red Mountain Weight Loss which I just did only worked with people who had degrees in nutrition. This is a sad time for WWi
I agree with all the comments! I started WW back in my teens. It worked then and it’s working now (doing it the same way). I’m in my 60s now. Life happens through the years and my weight would go up and down. WW is the one thing that really works. Based on the news, and announcements, I’m really disappointed in WW. I’m not sure now what I’ll end up doing. One thing is for sure, I’ll continue on my own doing what I’ve learned from WW (the REAL WW way).
I’ve tried doing weight watchers on-line and wasn’t successful. I lost weight when I started going to meetings. I get encouragement and ideas from the leader and other members. I’m very upset about the decision to close in-person meetings.
AS far as I am concerned WW has been on the decline since going to zero-point food programs. That is when I came to the conclusion that WW did not care about their clients and that whoever was running the organization had no clue about how to lose weight. Did they not think that by using the phrase ZERO POINTS FOODS that people who have a weight issue would not abuse these foods? Now adding Medication to the mix is the last straw for me. I have been a member of WW on and off since 1970. I have lost and gained many pounds during this time but after my digital contract is finished, I am done.
WW has turned into another money-making company preying on people that are in a very vulnerable state of mind. What is needed is what Jean Nidetch offered in the original WW program. Easy to follow diet, encouragement, and meetings with people that have the same problems. Is this an easy approach? No, but it has worked for many years! All without medication.
I agree with you wholeheartedly! WW is not the same and as far as I’m concerned it has not changed for the better.
Weight Watchers should be so ashamed of themselves, just listened to the CEO’s announcement, what a crock!!! I have been a weight watcher for over 50 years and if Jean Nidetch knew about this , she would be rolling in her grave. Weight watchers is a lifestyle plan and it needs to be addressed with weekly or monthly weigh ins and help with a ww leader, not with medication. I cannot believe they would stoop so low to prescribe meds when people with REAL diabetes need the meds, not someone that is losing weight the proper way. They could talk until they are blue in the face on this new plan but I am sure anyone with half a brain can figure out its not about the person who needs to lose weight or maintain, its about the almighty dollar, just like a lot of things in this world. I am sure you can tell that I am disgusted with this new approach and if they cut off all of us lifetime members, it is going to give weight watchers a very bad name. We need to go back to the proper way of weigh ins in locations that are close to our own city, not having to go out of town to feel good about weighing in.
I pray the in person workshops don’t go away. I’ve made so many friends and we meet there every week and have for 10 years.
You do a great job, Sarah, trying to keep us encouraged. But I’ve been a lifetime member since the early 80’s. I’m 75 years old, and I feel we lost Weight Watchers a long time ago. In this current article, they stated: “For the first time in reporting history, the company shows that Quarter 2 revenue was higher than Quarter 1, which indicates that their new approaches are successful.” They said it themselves: their revenue is how they measure success. I didn’t have the heart to read any further.
You have given me my encouragement to be my better self. WW has become a money hungry business and not what it was intended to be. Shame on them. Eating habits and NOT drugs are what it stood for. Thank you Martha for being the one who has kept me going on a positive journey. I have many personal ups and downs. You have helped me to feel normal. Bless you always.
I agree with a lot of others. I removed in May, and now it looks like I will be canceling again for the thousandth time. Be doing ww since it was 13, my mom sent me there and of course being young you loss, now I don’t and I feel wasting my money. As for the medication, a big WHY. Is that necessary, more money in someone’s pocket. WW has changed for the worse. Drop the blue dots, bad idea. And yes there are plenty of apps out there that are better. For me, I think it is a habit that I keep returning. I honestly think that WW was the best so many years ago when I started. Not happy.
I’m concerned about the Lifetime membership plan. I have been lifetime since 2000 and proud of my accomplishment. But my motivation is the fact that I have to weigh in once-a-month to maintain that status. It may seem small to some but that is my motivation to stay on track. If there is a charge (substantial) for maintaining Lifetime, I think Weight Watchers will lose many of their members, not to mention the members that have joined Weight Watchers because we believed in their program. It will be like any other program out there,
I totally agree. I did not join Weight Watchers to join a zoo meeting. I, too, am lifetime and need the in-person workshop to maintain. I feel they no longer care about us. Been a member over 14 years. So sad and mad!!!
Agree totally
I am lucky so far that my ww has in person meetings close to home but most in person meetings are closed. I know wnough now that if thwy xlosed my ww meeting place i woyld quut and just do it on my own.my sister from another state just saw me after i lost 70 lbs and she wanted to join in her city but no in person meetings. Ww is a for profit business and that comes first. I dont like that they encourage the drug approach.this is anorher for profit only approach
So what should I do? I was going to join a WW meeting group in about a week. Seems to me I could do just as well following you if I knew how many points to assign myself. Should I just go ahead abd join an on line group since it is going that way anyway?
Are there alternatives for weigh ins other than in person meetings?
Hi Bonnie, Check out this post which gives options for in-person meetings and weigh-ins – https://theholymess.com/quitting-weight-watchers-alternatives/
Shame on WW’s. I joined weight watchers for the weekly meeting and weigh in. There is so much that members get from attending a meeting. Friendships are made and we find support in one another’s journey.
I subscribe to the app and attend the weekly meeting and weigh in if weight watchers closes down my meetings and no longer sees their worth I will discontinue my membership/subscription.
They are not the only game in town! There is another app that has a scanner which the WW app has and I use daily. There are plenty of other venues online to get recipes from so that aspect of the app will easily be replaced.
I will take my business elsewhere and i’d bet I am not the only like minded.
The focus of weight watchers seems to be to ignore its grass roots and move towards pharmaceuticals.
So very disappointed to see all the studios shut down and leaders and their staff without jobs.
WE should be ashamed and embarrassed by their current path and those driving this company into the ground should be fired.
You said everything I wanted to say. I am very disappointed with the direction Weight Watchers is going. Jean Neiditch would be so upset to see what they have done with her program. I can’t stand that CEO they have. She’s so out of touch with members. I am going to be quitting Weight Watchers too. It’s a very disappointing program now. They will be going under, I don’t care what that CEO says. They want people to pay $99 a month plus cost of that medication. That’s crazy. Because of WW and the the Hollywood elites hogging the Diabetes medication, diabetics like myself can’t get the medication and it has driven up the price making it totally unaffordable for us. I hate what they’ve done to a program that was once the best.
You can get the same inspiring support in a virtual workshop. The coaches are actually better trained. The same people in the workshop every week. Don’t quit. You need to try Angelica M virtual meetings. You won’t be sorry. We are a family.
No I don’t believe you can get the same inspiration and help. I’ve tried the virtual workshops and they aren’t the same. When churches stopped meeting due to Covid I also had the virtual experience. Virtual meetings are like licking the photo of the food instead of getting to eat it. There’s nothing like the human connection to help you keep going. I’m done with WW if this is their plan.
I am deeply concerned about the loss of in-person meetings. I do so much better with in person. I do not believe I get much out of the digital meetings. Leaders do not connect with the people. People do not support each other. I also do better on my computer. -larger screen an easier to type on than the teeny tiny phone screen. But you don’t seem to support THAT part of your digital program
I totally agree with this comment! WW has always been in person and should never stop offering it to members. The company was founded by Jean Nidetch and her in person meetings is want should never ever change. I don’t care who is the owner of the company. This company should respect this aspect of Weight Watchers/WW!