How to Calculate Weight Watchers Points on the New Points Plus Plan

Achieving a healthy weight is important to your health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that if current health trends continue, by the year 2050 the amount of people with diabetes could double or even triple. Many of these cases will be Type 2 diabetes. This type of diabetes results from poor diet leading to obesity. Weight Watchers is an eating plan prescribing a healthier lifestyle through making better food choices. At the end of 2010, Weight Watchers unveiled a new plan, Points Plus. This plan is not based on calorie content of your food choices, but on carbohydrates, fat, protein and fiber.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator

Instructions

1. 

   Most fruits and vegetables contain zero points in Points Plus.

   Locate the nutritional information for the food you want to calculate the points for. It is usually located on the back of the product's box. If you are eating a fresh fruit or vegetable, good news, most fruits and vegetables have zero points on the new Points Plus plan. Starchy vegetables, like potatoes, come with point values that will still need to be calculated.

2. Find the nutritional information for unprocessed food, for example, potatoes, at a nutritional website, like Nutrition Data. You can also locate nutritional information for most restaurants and processed foods at the companies' websites.

3. 

   A calculator will help with these equations.

   Calculate the points by using this mathematical formula:

   Points Plus = protein/10.94 + carbohydrates/9.17 + fat/3.89 - fiber/12.49.

   You will take the grams of protein in your food listed on the nutritional label and divide it by 10.94 on your calculator. To that you will add the grams of carbohydrates divided by 9.17, add fat grams divided by 3.89, then subtract fiber divided by 12.49.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep a food diary to help you keep track of your points.

• Check with your physician before starting any weight loss plan.

References

• Nutrition Data: Nutrition Facts, Calories in Food, Labels, Nutritional Information and Analysis
• Diet Blog: Eat Right, Get Healthy
• NY Daily News: Weight Watchers New Points Plus Weight Loss System Has dieters Losing Their Minds
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Diabetes Public Health Resource