WeightWatchers vs Keto Diet
WeightWatchers vs. Keto diet
Losing weight can be tough—we’re here to make it easier. In this article, we'll compare the keto diet with the WeightWatchers® weight loss program. We'll examine the types of foods consumed, potential health risks, and how easy it is to incorporate both options into your daily routine.
Have you heard about “keto” on social media? Maybe you’ve seen influencers replace bread with capsicums, tomatoes, lettuce or even cheese. Others put butter in coffee, referring to the change as “keto”. It seems to be all the rage, yet often social media does not tell the entire story.
Does keto work for weight loss?
The keto diet involves eating a diet that's very low in carbohydrates and moderate in protein, so that 70 to 80 per cent of your total energy intake comes from fat. But does the keto diet help people lose weight? It all comes down to that extremely low carb intake and what happens in your body when you lose weight. Normally your body turns carbohydrates into glucose, which it then uses for energy. But when you don’t eat enough carbohydrates, your body has to adapt. “It stops using glucose for energy and starts using fat instead,” says registered dietitian Amy Goodson. With no glucose, your body first uses up any glycogen (glucose that’s been stored in your muscles and liver) and then, when that’s depleted, the body ultimately turns to fat for energy. Your liver breaks down fat into a type of acid called ketones, which enter into your bloodstream and act as a source of energy. When your body primarily runs on ketones, you’re said to be in the state of ketosis.
And it’s being in ketosis and burning up fat for energy that’s seemingly the key to weight loss with the keto diet. For example, a small 2019 study found that 12 weeks of a ketogenic diet led to an average of 10kg weight loss in women and an average of 17kg weight loss in men (all participants were living with obesity). The people on the diet also reported less emotional eating. In another meta-analysis, people with diabetes who went on a keto diet decreased their BMI by an average of about three points, reduced their waist circumference by an average of about 9cm, and lost an average of around 8.6kg
The need to stay in ketosis is why keto is not a high-protein eating plan. Your body can convert some of protein’s amino acids into glucose, says Goodson. Therefore, eating too much protein can prevent you from entering into ketosis or kick you out of it, impacting how much weight you’ll lose.
Some people claim that the keto diet works well for weight loss but find it hard to sustain long-term. Foods high in saturated fat come with known health risks including increased risk of heart disease. If you have pre-existing liver or kidney conditions, heart disease or diabetes, you should seek the advice of a doctor before undertaking any significant changes to your diet.
Key differences between WeightWatchers and keto
Ketogenic diet | ||
| What can I eat on this plan? | Nothing is off limits! WeightWatchers is built on our proven Points system, which converts calories (aka kilojoules), saturated fat, added sugar, fibre and, protein into one easy-to-use number. You'll get a customised Points Budget to “spend” on any foods you choose. Simply track your food in the app—as long as you stay within your budget, you’ll lose weight. You'll also get a list of nutrient-dense ZeroPoint foods requiring no tracking or measuring. Of course, balanced, healthy eating behaviours are still recommended. | You must eliminate most foods and beverages that contain carbohydrates: bread, cereal, rice, pasta, beans, fruit, starchy vegetables, milk, and alcohol. The keto diet limits you to only 20 to 40 grams of carbs per day. That's like having one slice of bread and a piece of fruit, or a half-cup rice or pasta, as your only carb-containing food for the entire day. |
| Liveability | The WeightWatchers programs have been developed based on principles of nutrition and behaviour-change science to build sustainable healthy habits around food, physical activity, and mindset. The easy-to-use app features include; "What To Eat" providing eating out and cooking inspo and expert advice. The barcode scanner means you can find the Points in any packaged food quickly. And the "My Progress" feature allows you to see which habits are getting you the results you want—and what you might need to improve. | The keto diet is a highly restrictive food plan that puts your body into a state of physiologic ketosis. Much of the initial weight loss is due to water loss, which is immediately reversed when carbs are reintroduced into your diet. |
| Health risk & science | Study after study shows the power of the WeightWatchers program to help you lose weight and stay on track. In fact, there are over 125 studies published on WeightWatchers, including more than 35 independent clinical trials that prove our efficacy. | There could be potential health risks for people with certain medical conditions following the ketogenic diet, which has not been well studied in a variety of settings or with high risk populations. |
| Social support |
WeightWatchers provides both in-person and virtual workshops, round-the-clock live coaching, customer service support, and Connect—an exclusive social network connecting members for continuous motivation and inspiration whenever it's needed. |
What should you consider when choosing between WeightWatchers and the keto diet?
Keto and WeightWatchers are drastically different eating patterns. Keto focuses on restricting carbohydrates and, by default, removes entire food groups from your diet. WeightWatchers, on the other hand, says that no food is off limits, prioritises an eating pattern in line with the Australian Dietary Guidelines, and allows for a gradual, but sustainable, way to lose weight and maintain weight loss.
Ultimately, the weight-loss plan you choose should take several factors into consideration, such as your lifestyle (do you travel a lot or love to socialise with friends and family over meals?), food preferences, health history—and even your personality. “Asking yourself what type of diet you prefer is helpful for finding an eating plan you’ll enjoy and sustain,” says Cederquist. What you don’t have to do is follow something because it’s trendy or because your coworker or friend said it worked for them. This is about you and your weight health journey.