Weight Watchers inspired me to change my eating habits, lose weight, exercise and, indirectly, learn to cook healthy and incredibly delicious food.

Now, I'm not affiliated in any way to the organisation, and I am not in their payroll. In fact, I am no longer going to Weight Watchers, and I am not even suggesting that you should join too. But I am telling you this because it will explain how the system worked for me, and why, and - after getting appropriate medical advice - you may wish to consider it too.

I first became seriously interested in losing weight when I reached the 99.9 kg mark (220 lb) in June 2003, with a hight of 1.67 cm (5'6'').

Several years ago I had done the Scarsdale diet and managed to lose about 10 kg, but only managed to keep slim for about 6 months.

After that I tried that diet (and several others) several times but to no avail. The diets were too harsh, and although I would lose weight one week, I would double the loss the following week. I was doing the "yo-yo" diet.

In 2003, after a friend of mine told me that I looked "prosperous", I decided it was time to do something in respect of my physical well being and followed the Anthony Robbins' formula of success:

1. Know what you want to achieve

2. Find out where you are in relation to that goal

3. Find out who has done it, and how

4. Follow the same steps, vary them according to your circumstances, and keep trying till you get to your goal.

I did a bit of research about the different weight loss methods out there, and somehow I decided to give Weight Watchers a go.

Weight Watchers has been around, but it has been until very recently that they developed a special "Points" system, which consists of assigning a point-value to foods based on the amount of kilo joules, fat and (in theory) the amount of fibre each food contains. All this is estimated by using a patented formula.

Depending on you height, weight and gender, you can have a certain amount of food points a day. If you stick to that number of points, you lose weight, gradually and safely.

You are therefore encouraged to "watch what you eat" (hence the name "Weight Watchers"), by keeping track of whatever you consume.

But counting your points is only a part of the whole system Weight Watchers offer. The real value of the program is that:

• It educates you as to how food works in relation to your weight

• It keeps you focused on your goal by requiring you that you attend to a weekly meeting to record your weight, and to share your experiences with other members.

• It gives you access to a large number of foods, recipe books, and other tools that will help you stick to your goals.

But Weight Watchers does not only focus on what you eat, and how much. It also teaches you to exercise to "burn" extra points to accelerate your weight loss, or to allow you the freedom to eat certain treats.

You could say that Weight Watchers' Pure Points system teaches you to "budget" your meals, without having to worry about calories or amount of fat per portion.

But what I love best of Weight Watchers is that you learn to cook healthy and delicious food. This, alone, makes it easier to stick to your weight loss goals because the food is delicious, and you discover how easy is to gradually include healthy food into your life.

If you would like to how many points you need in order to lose weight following the Points system, click here to read The Tao of Weight Watchers Part 2.