[6] She introduced the "Prudent Diet", a single page from the New York City Board of Health,[24] to her fellow weight-loss seekers,[25][9] and the group provided empathy, rapport, mutual understanding, support, and sharing of stories and ideas.

[14] Felice Lippert was in charge of recipe development, nutrition, and food research; the first Weight Watchers cookbook, published in 1966, sold more than 1.5 million copies.

[37][38] By January 1968, the company had more than one million members worldwide, and, with the help of Matty Simmons' and Leonard Mogel's Twenty First Century Communications, Inc., Weight Watchers Magazine was launched, publishing 300,000 copies of its first issue.

[42][27][37] Lippert also initiated lines of Weight Watchers prepared food, spas, camps for overweight kids, and weight-loss products such as scales and travel kits.

[46] In 1973 she resigned as president of the company to devote herself to public relations – traveling, being interviewed, and speaking to large audiences about the program's success.

[35][37] The Heinz parent company competed by introducing newly developed Weight Watchers "Smart Ones" frozen meals.

[74][73][75][76][77] In April of 2014, Tech Crunch leaked Weight Watchers was in talks to acquire virtual fitness training startup Wello.

One year later, in April and May of 2015, Weight Watchers also acquired 5 minute fitness app Hot 5[80] and the online community and "selfie startup" Weilos.

[92] He was replaced as CEO in July 2017 by Mindy Grossman, who had played a role in growing digital sales revenue for HSN.

[100][101][102][103] In February 2018 CEO Grossman announced a new direction and purpose for the company: to move beyond mere dieting to being a "partner in health and wellness" and inspiring healthy habits for real life.

[104][105][106] Subscriptions to Weight Watchers rebounded significantly by mid 2018,[107] credited to Winfrey's influence and to Grossman's tri-fold efforts of revamping the program, improving tech offerings, and giving the company a more broad-based appeal.

[115] The company stopped requiring users to have a weight loss goal in order to join[116][117] and renamed its in-person meetings to Wellness Workshops.

[120][121][122][123][124][125] As part of the rebrand, WW introduced a new program, WellnessWins, that rewarded members for behaviors that encourage healthier habits, which were redeemable for products, services, and experiences.

[125][124][119][128][122][127] Weight Watchers' business model is one of a subscription-based program of support,[129][130] plus a variety of purchasable products, media, services, and technologies.

[2][138] It sells its own bars and snacks, and licenses the Weight Watchers trademark to a variety of prepared foods, beverages, and other products and services.

[2][138] The original Weight Watchers dietary plan in the 1960s was roughly based on the "Prudent Diet", developed by Dr. Norman Jolliffe at the New York City Board of Health.

[139][140][52][9][141] It was based around lean meat, fish, skim milk, and fruits and vegetables, and it banned alcohol, sweets, and fatty foods.

[142][144] The company has regularly changed and updated its diet plans and formats, to reflect current nutritional and obesity science and to accommodate consumer awareness and demand.

[144][14] In addition to the U.S., as of 2018 it had operations in countries including Canada, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil.

"[189] However, an article in the journal Childhood Obesity concluded that it could be "part of the piece of the puzzle to improving health in youth", despite the authors' concerns with the marketing of the app emphasizing weight loss.

[208] In February 2024, she announced that she was leaving WW and would be donating her shares of stock to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

[210] Subsequent spokespersons have included: Lynn Redgrave (1983–1992),[211][212] Kathleen Sullivan (1994–1995),[52][213][214] Sarah, Duchess of York (1997–2007),[74][215][216] Greg Grunberg (2007),[217] Tamela Mann (2008–present), Jenny McCarthy (2009),[218] Jennifer Hudson (2010–2014),[74][219][220] Charles Barkley (2011–2014),[221][222] Jessica Simpson (2012–2014),[223][222] Ana Gasteyer (2013),[224] Oprah Winfrey (2015–2024),[225][226][227] DJ Khaled (2018–present),[228] Kate Hudson (2018–present), [229] Kevin Smith (2018–present),[230] and James Corden (2021–2023).