Weight Watcher's new ad campaign is based on the idea that WW is not a diet. I guarantee, it is in fact a diet.

Low Down:

There are two programs you could try, the points system and the core foods program. The points system is by far the most popular. Here's the basic idea:

You are given a number of points, individualized depending on your weight, age and exercise level.
You look up the foods you eat online or in the book you're given upon signing up to find out the points value.

You can eat ANYTHING you want as long as you stay within your points.

Pros:
Everybody likes to think they can eat whatever they want to--no foods are off limits.
The meetings you attend are informative and motivational--so is the weigh in!
WW has an amazing amount of resources available online and through books.
The plan basically teaches you portion control--something we all need.

Cons:
Everyone gets that sneaky voice in the back of their head saying: I'll eat these donuts now, use up the majority of my points and then starve myself the rest of the day--not healthy!
The idea that you can eat anything you want, within your points, and still lose weight is misleading.
The points system is a fancy way to calorie count. And aren't we beyond calorie counting by now?

My Take:
I've done WW online and by attending meetings. I've found some success but, inevitably, the scale doesn't go in the direction I want and I stop going to the meetings--mostly because I'm embarrassed by my lack of weight loss. Also, after the first few weeks of initial weight loss, I've followed the points system to the tee and lost very little to no weight. I find that just counting points isn't enough for me, I need the right amount of carbs and protein to lose weight consistently.