296. Why You're Not Losing Weight on Weight Watchers (And Keep Gaining It Back!)

We know how frustrating it is to do everything “right” on Weight Watchers—sticking to your points, choosing zero-point foods—only to step on the scale and see zero progress. If you’ve been caught in the cycle of losing a few pounds, gaining it back, and wondering what you’re doing wrong, you’re not alone.

In this episode, we’re breaking down why Weight Watchers seems to work at first… then stops. We’ll uncover the hidden hormonal reasons your body is resisting weight loss, why zero-point foods aren’t really “free,” and how following outdated advice could be making your insulin levels—and your weight—go up.

If you’ve been blaming yourself and thinking you just need to try harder, this conversation will shift your perspective. We’ll explain the real science behind sustainable weight loss, especially after 50, and why continuing to rely on point systems could leave you stuck and discouraged for years to come.

Listen in to finally understand why what worked before isn’t working now—and what you can do to break the cycle for good.

Click here to watch the full video now!

Resources From This Episode

>> Insulin Resistance Diet Blueprint - https://www.zivli.com/blueprint?el=podcast

>> Free Low Insulin Food Guide - https://www.zivli.com/ultimatefoodguide?el=podcast

>> Join the Zivli Program Waitlist - https://www.zivli.com/join?el=podcast

>> Test Your Insulin at Home - https://www.zivli.com/testing?el=podcast

Have a question? Email us at: support@zivli.com

Transcript

Hey there and welcome back to the Reshape Your Health Podcast. host Dr. Morgan Nolte. Today’s episode comes from a recent YouTube video, so if the audio sounds different, it’s because we pulled it from a video, not my normal podcast mic set-up. 

We’ll link to the video version in the show notes for each of these episodes because the videos will have some helpful graphics in case you’re more of a visual learner. 

I hope you enjoy today’s episode and gain massive insight into why Weight Watchers fails so many for long-term results. Now let’s get started!

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In this video, I’m answering a question you might be wondering: Why does Weight Watchers work at first but then stop—and why is it so hard to keep the weight off?

I came across a Reddit post recently that perfectly illustrates this issue. The user writes: "I started the plan with 23 points last week. 

I have yet to lose anything! I stay within my daily points, and eat my weeklies as well. For 0 point foods I eat fish, lean ground turkey, greens, legumes, bananas, strawberries, blueberries." 

If you’ve tried Weight Watchers before, or are doing it now, you might recognize this frustration, right? You stay under your points, yet the scale doesn’t budge. 

In this video, I’ll explain why this user isn’t losing weight, and why this happens to so many others who try Weight Watchers. 

We’ll explore why you often end up regaining the weight you lose on Weight Watchers, only to repeat the cycle again and again, hoping that this time you’ll be more consistent, or accurate with your tracking. 

I’m Dr. Morgan Nolte, founder of Zivli where we help you lose weight, keep it off, and get healthy with a low insulin and inflammation lifestyle

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If you’re new here, make sure to hit that subscribe button and notification bell so you never miss out on tips that help you live a healthier, happier life.

Now, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. It’s not you, it’s the Weight Watchers plan. 

Weight Watchers may be a more affordable option—or even free through your workplace—but ask yourself: when in life does the cheapest option actually give you the best results?

Think about it like this. Would you expect the same performance of a new car compared to a used car from 1990 that has 100,000 miles on it? Probably not, right? 

Weight Watchers is like that old beater car that just keeps getting a fresh coat of paint every time they update their points system and diet rules. 

The same principle applies here. Sometimes, the least expensive option isn’t the best option. That’s what’s happening when you try Weight Watchers again, expecting different results. 

I have some personal experience with Weight Watchers. Growing up, I watched my mom try the plan several times. 

One day, I vividly remember her not eating all day to save her points for a slice of French silk pie from Perkins. 

As a kid, I knew something was off, this couldn’t be healthy. She struggled with weight most of her life until she finally switched to a lifestyle focused on reducing insulin and inflammation. 

She was able to lose 20 pounds in 20 weeks, without changing how she was exercising, and keep it off for years now. 

A low insulin and inflammation lifestyle is the only way to lose weight, keep it off, and improve your health—especially after age 50 when your hormones start to change. 

Weight watchers may have worked for you in the past, but that was then, and this is now. Don’t you agree that Einstein was right when he said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity?

So, let’s start with the basics, what exactly is Weight Watchers? It’s a point-based system where foods are assigned a certain number of points, and the goal is to stay within your daily and weekly points allowance. 

In theory, it helps people make healthier choices while allowing a bit of flexibility to eat foods they enjoy. 

But here’s the issue: The plan has evolved over the years, and with each change, it has simplified the process more and more. Originally, the program was focused on calorie counting and low-fat foods. 

Over time, it shifted to tracking points to try and help users make healthier choices. For many, the main draw is that it provides an alternative to calorie counting. 

23 points a day sounds a lot easier than tracking 1,600 calories. However, the body doesn’t recognize points—it recognizes energy, nutrients, and hormones.

But the problem is their programming isn’t based on up-to-date weight loss research. Foods that are low in points should be high, and sometimes vice-versa.

Simplifying something like weight loss isn’t always a good thing. Sure, it makes the process feel easier, but you lose a lot of nuance, accuracy, and ultimately effectiveness. 

It’s like trying to drive a car using a faulty GPS. It might seem easier, but you won’t reach your destination as smoothly or as effectively.

One of the biggest misconceptions about Weight Watchers is their “zero-point foods.” Sounds great, right? A list of foods that you can eat without worrying about how many points they cost. 

But here’s the truth: no food is actually zero points. Weight Watchers has over 350 foods that they classify as zero points—things like fish, legumes, fruits, and even oats. 

But here’s where it goes wrong: many of these zero-point foods are high in carbohydrates, which raise blood sugar and cause insulin to spike. And when insulin is high, your body can’t burn fat for energy. 

Type 1 diabetes is the perfect example of the role insulin plays in your ability to gain weight. This is a jarring picture but proves the point. On the left is the girl before she was treated with insulin. 

On the right is after. You can see she’s gained a significant amount of weight after starting insulin injections. 

Before scientists discovered injectable insulin as a treatment for type 1 diabetes, it used to be called the wasting disease. People with type 1 diabetes don’t make their own insulin. 

A classic sign of type 1 diabetes is insatiable hunger and thirst, leading to dangerously high blood sugar levels. 

One of insulin’s roles is to move the sugar from your food into your cells to be used for energy or stored for later use. But if you don’t have insulin, the nutrients can’t get into the cells. 

The energy is there, but it can’t get in. It’s like the cell is locked, so the cell thinks it’s starving and sends messaging to the brain to eat more and drink more. 

Insulin is the hormone most directly responsible for weight gain. And if your insulin levels are high, that may be one reason you’re not losing weight. 

And unfortunately as many people experience on Weight Watchers, this diet plan often encourages people to eat in a way that keeps insulin levels elevated. 

If you’ve ever used a continuous glucose monitor, you know that fruits like bananas and apples, or even oats and corn, can significantly raise blood sugar. 

Yet, Weight Watchers brands these foods as "free," encouraging people to eat them without considering the impact they may have on insulin levels. 

I used the Carb Manager App to see what the macronutrient breakdown of some zero points foods were and here were the results. 

Remember, foods high in carbs spike blood sugar and insulin, making weight loss harder. Insulin must be low to burn body fat. 

A medium-sized apple has 19 grams of net carbs, 4 grams of fiber, but no fat or protein. Sure the fiber is good for you, but it’s not going to do a ton to slow the blood sugar response of the rest of the sugar in the fruit. 

A medium-sized banana has 24 grams of net carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 1 gram of protein and no fat. 

A medium-sized corn on the cob has 19 grams of net carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein, no fat. 

Lastly, ½ cup of quick-cooking oats has 23 grams of net carbs, 4 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fat. 

I’m  not saying these foods can’t be part of your diet. They absolutely can be. I like to say no food is off limits unless you say it is. 

But doesn’t it make sense to understand the science behind weight loss and not rely on dumb food rules that just don’t work? 

Science can be simple. You can learn how to include these foods without the blood sugar and insulin spike. 

That’s what we teach inside our Zivli program. We teach you how to understand and consistently apply the science behind a low insulin and inflammation lifestyle which leads to predictable, sustainable results. 

Overeating zero-point foods is often the reason people don’t lose weight on Weight Watchers. Another reason is just overeating food in general. Often your allotted points plus zero point foods add up to more calories than you need to lose weight. 

Calories do matter. Even if you’re overeating low insulin calories, you’ll struggle with weight loss. I like to say hormones are king, calories are queen. 

You must understand the hormonal side of weight loss - meaning how things affect insulin, if you’re ever to be successful in losing weight and keeping it off. 

Just like the person with type 1 diabetes can eat and eat and eat, they won’t gain weight without insulin, you won’t lose weight until you learn how to keep your insulin low. 

So if you’re stocking up on a bunch of zero point foods that spike blood sugar AND add calories, this is not a recipe for results. 

One Reddit user said, “I made a startling discovery... when I hit my limit of 1,500 calories, I’m WAY under on WW points. That means that all those weeks where I ate all of my daily points, I was actually consuming far more calories than I should have.”

But the problems with Weight Watchers don’t end there. The program’s recommendations for protein intake are outdated. 

On their website, they suggest that 20-25% of your calories should come from protein. In reality, adults over 50 need closer to 30% of their calories from protein. 

And it’s not just about the percentage—it’s about how protein is spread throughout the day. Adults over 50 need to consume 40-50 grams of protein per meal to maintain and build muscle mass. 

Unfortunately, if you look at Weight Watcher’s sample meal plans, none of them meet that 40-gram minimum. The majority of their meals barely hit 30 grams, which is far from ideal.

Maintaining muscle mass is critical, especially as you lose weight. Muscle burns 7 times more calories than fat. 

If you lose weight but don’t eat enough protein, much of the weight you lose will come from muscle rather than fat. 

This causes your metabolism to slow, which means you’ll need fewer calories to maintain your weight loss. When you return to your old eating habits, you’re more likely to pack on the pounds again.

Another issue with Weight Watchers is their approach to healthy fats. In the past, avocados were zero points—because they’re a fruit. 

But now they’re assigned points. Healthy fats like avocados, nuts, chia seeds, and coconut are high in points but also provide the kind of fat that keeps insulin low. 

Weight Watchers discourages these healthy fats in favor of higher-carb, lower-fat foods that often spike insulin. 

While portion sizes do matter, you shouldn’t avoid healthy fats simply because they’re higher in points. It’s more beneficial to eat these foods in moderation to keep your blood sugar and insulin levels stable. 

Plus, they positively affect your satiety, or fullness hormones. Eating healthy fats help keep you full and satisfied. 

So, people come to Weight Watchers seeking a simple solution, but how simple is it when the rules keep changing and they don’t align with how the body actually works? 

In my opinion, it’s a lot easier to understand the real science behind weight loss and insulin regulation than to keep trying to follow a set of rules that aren’t based on proven biology.

Beyond food, there are other lifestyle factors that impact insulin levels and weight loss. Things like when you eat, how much stress you're under, how well you sleep, and how much you move all influence insulin. 

If you’re staying within your points and calorie limits but still not losing weight, it’s likely because insulin is still elevated due to one or more of these other factors. 

That’s why a short-term diet won’t lead to long-term success. Long-term weight loss isn’t about following a point system or choosing the simplest option. 

It’s about understanding how your body works and making the right choices to fuel your body and heal your hormones. 

If you’re looking for a sustainable way to lose weight and improve your health, get on the waitlist for our Zivli program. 

Our next round of enrollment starts August 25th, so be sure to click the link in the description to join our waitlist so you don’t miss the short enrollment window. 

And if you want a jump-start on the program, take our Insulin Resistance Diet Blueprint. This is a 3-part video training series where we break down what you need to know about insulin resistance, 

what to eat (and why) to lower insulin and inflammation, and the lifestyle changes required for long-term weight loss success.

You can access the Insulin Resistance Diet Blueprint from the link in the description or go to zivli.com/blueprint. 

It teaches you how to balance insulin levels through food, along with other lifestyle changes.

This approach isn’t based on points or gimmicks—it’s grounded in science and offers a roadmap to long-term health. 

If you’re tired of the cycle of dieting and regaining weight, this blueprint is the answer.

If you found this video helpful, hit that like button, subscribe for more content, and drop a comment to share your thoughts or experiences with Weight Watchers. 

To learn more about insulin resistance and how it can block weight loss, check out this video where I share 8 Insulin Resistance Diet Tips To Lower Insulin Fast. 

Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next time.