New Weight Watchers 360° Mobile App Taps Our Technology Habit To Support Healthy Behavior Change

NEW YORK, Dec. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In the world we live in today, both food and technology are always at the tips of our fingers. Harnessing the power of that technology habit to support healthy behavior change, Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE: WTW) today launched the new Weight Watchers 360° mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android (Android available on December 18). The new app, which can be downloaded by first time users and updated for current users, features innovative ways to conveniently track food choices, manage environments, provide calm direction in common "panic moments," and jumpstart healthy routines. The app serves as the essential mobile support system for members with eTools or Weight Watchers Online subscribers following the new Weight Watchers 360° program introduced earlier this month, a breakthrough approach with the PointsPlus^® plan as its foundation plus new curriculum and tools to help members make healthy choices second nature.

With a continued focus on ensuring members have the necessary knowledge and tools to make the important lifestyle decisions required for successful weight loss and long-term weight management, the world's leading provider of weight management services adds this companion app to its robust suite of web and mobile tools, available to members with eTools and Online subscribers. Providing a seamless integration for members with eTools following the program, the app offers convenient tools that align with the core elements of the new Weight Watchers 360° program and can help members with healthy habit development. Available for both iOS and Android, the Weight Watchers 360° app replaces the current Weight Watchers mobile app.

Features of the new Weight Watchers 360° app include:

• Snap & Track: To make tracking healthy food choices even easier, members can use the app's Snap & Track feature to take a picture of their food and drinks that will integrate right into the app's PointsPlus® tracker. Members have three options for their photos: save to track later, assign a "Quick Add" value, or add all the foods and their corresponding portion sizes in that meal and let the app calculate the PointsPlus value. Photos can also be saved as a "favorite" to quickly use on future days and can easily be recognized throughout the app by the camera icon.  Members can also share the photos through Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, and within the Weight Watchers community.
• Spaces: The new app also helps members to set up smart-choice strategies and action plans to take control in different environments and situations (e.g., eating out, travel, shopping). Users can easily browse six Spaces categories to find trouble spots and learn to manage them, personalize a collection of tips by flagging the most helpful ones, and quickly regain control during a "Panic Moment" where straying from the Program may seem like the only solution.
• Routines: To help members learn to establish healthy routines that can become second nature, the app allows users to select up to three tasks to do daily from an assortment of 16 powerful routines. With routine details, progress reports, and completed check-ins only one screen tap away, this feature helps to take the guesswork out of helping to make healthy choices become second nature.

"Achieving weight loss goals in today's fast-paced world where food options are endless and technology can sometimes be more of a distraction than a help, Weight Watchers strives to provide its members with supportive and easy-to-use tools to complement its proven science-based program," said Mike Basone, President of WeightWatchers.com and Chief Technology Officer. "We continue to capitalize on the ubiquity of iPhone, iPad and Android devices to meet our members' needs whenever, wherever and however they want with mobile tools and apps that offer quicker and easier ways to track food and lifestyle choices."

The Weight Watchers Barcode Scanner app, also available for iPhone and Android, is another helpful tool for members to manage and track their food. Launched in 2011, it enables members to scan food labels and see an instant readout of the item's PointsPlus® value – whether browsing supermarket aisles or trying to make the best choice from the fridge or pantry at home.

About Weight Watchers International, Inc.

Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world's leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations. Weight Watchers holds over 45,000 meetings each week where members receive group support and learn about healthy eating patterns, behavior modification and physical activity. WeightWatchers.com provides innovative, subscription weight management products over the Internet and is the leading Internet-based weight management provider in the world. In addition, Weight Watchers offers a wide range of products, publications and programs for those interested in weight loss and weight control.

SOURCE Weight Watchers