Americans have a complicated relationship with diets, and obesity is a global epidemic rapidly becoming the single most preventable cause of costly chronic diseases. To talk about the difficulties of weight loss and how to overcome them, our host Kristen Berman talks to Julie O’Brien, behavioral scientist and former head of Applied Behavioral Science at WW. There are a ton of diets and weight loss programs out there, so does Weight Watchers actually work? What strategies have they developed to track new habits and break old ones? Tune in and learn Weight Watchers tactics to encourage people to eat better and stay motivated in the very difficult path of losing weight. 

Jump straight into:

(00:50) - How Weight Watchers fights Americans’ complicated relationship with diets: The best way to introduce new habits and break existing ones. 

(05:17) - Thinking about balance, moderation, and expectations: How to teach people awareness and build an identity around healthy habits. 

(08:51) - Micro-habit changes and making-one time decisions: What triggers people to join WW and how do they keep motivation? 

(15:52) - Some factors that make people stay longer on a diet: The highs and lows, and the challenge of tracking the path of weight loss.

(21:11) - Set goals successfully and take action!: Figuring out your barriers and making a plan to overcome them.

(24:07) - How does the WW point system work?: A simpler way to interpret a nutrition label to help you eat better. 

Episode resources

Additional reading and citations

Connect with Julie through LinkedIn

WW

Thank you for listening to The Science of Change. Reach out to Kristen through LinkedIn and visit The Irrational Labs website for more information on behavioral science. 

This show is presented by SetSail (follow on LinkedIn) and produced by Kristen Berman and Studio Pod Media. The executive producer is Rachael Roberts. All episodes are written by Jack Bueher. Music and editing provided by nodalab.