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Table of Contents
- Have you ever wondered what the old Weight Watchers Plan was like in the 1960s?
- Why I think The Old Weight Watchers Food Exchanges Program (Quick Success) Was Best
- The Underlying Concepts of the Old 1960s Weight Watchers Plan
- Rule and Menus of the Old 1960s Weight Watchers Plan
- Old Weight Watchers Menu Plan for Women (Circa 1960s)
- 1960s Weight Watchers Plan Menu Suggestions
- Helpful Hints While Dieting
- More Helpful Articles for WeightWatchers
Have you ever wondered what the old Weight Watchers Plan was like in the 1960s?
I picked up a copy of this old Weight Watchers Cookbook (affiliate link) from 1966 and have really enjoyed taking an inside peek at what the old Weight Watchers plan was like back when it began in the early 1960s.
Learn more about Weight Watchers program changes for 2025?
I originally lost weight and became a lifetime member with Weight Watchers back in the early 1990s, when it was an exchanges program. I think it was called Quick Success. I lost about 30 pounds in 8 months and felt incredible.
Why I think The Old Weight Watchers Food Exchanges Program (Quick Success) Was Best
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 1
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 2
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Story: Part 3
I learned so much about healthy eating and portions with Weight Watchers Quick Success. You couldn’t game the system by gorging on a ton of fruit or filling up on lots of junk the way you can with the new Weight Watchers Points Plan. It was much more restrictive and disciplined.
Which got me thinking about why the original 1960s plan might be a better option than points for some folks. The kind of people who do better abstaining from certain things than trying to practice moderation. (You can read more about abstainers and moderators here.)
In addition to lots of recipes, the book includes an introduction by Weight Watchers founder, Jean Nidetch, along with the plan’s “Rules” and “Sample Menus.” It has all the information you need to follow the original 1960s Weight Watchers Plan.
If you have not been successful with Weight Watchers Points Plus or newer programs, this may be the solution for you! Here’s a link to a great food tracker if you want to give it a try. I’ve tried to provide a synopsis of everything you would need to get started.
In the book’s introduction, Nidetch describes her years of struggle to lose weight. Anybody who has ever been overweight and worked to lose it, will relate to her story. As someone who was overweight by the time I was in 4th grade and “matronly” looking by the time I was in my late 20s, I certainly did.
The original Weight Watchers Program was based on a diet developed by the New York City Department of Health’s Bureau of Nutrition that Nidetch followed after registering with one of its obesity clinics. When friends wanted the details of how she had lost weight, she began to meet with them at her house, where she shared what she knew and they talked over their common problems related to overeating.
When the little group got too big to meet at her house, she rented a basement, and then a large meeting hall in 1963, and the rest, as they say, is history 🙂
The Underlying Concepts of the Old 1960s Weight Watchers Plan
1. Overeating is a habit.
And like any habit, it can be conquered, if you have the will and drive to get started.
2. Proceed with your weight loss one meal at a time, one day at a time, one week at a time.
Taking one step at a time, strengthening yourself slowly, you can not fail.
3. Learn to delay gratification.
The next time you begin to bite into a candy bar, order a fattening dessert from a restaurant menu, walk into the bakery for a Danish pastry, stop and ask yourself: “Would I rather have this or a slim young figure?”
4. No crash dieting.
Because you must learn new habits of eating, it is useless for you to go on a “crash” or “fad” diet or to take diet pills or appetite depressants of any kind. “Why learn to use a crutch when you can learn how to walk properly?”
5. Control your environment.
Don’t surround yourself with temptation by buying cookies and candies. Even a four-year-old can understand, if told, that mommy needs help because she wants to become his “beautiful mommy.” (Learn how to create a healthy environment for weight loss.)
6. Learn to laugh.
We are constantly playing games with ourselves and in serious denial about why we are heavy and/or not losing weight. The book is peppered with illustrations depicting some of the favorite rationalizations heard through the years, which are timeless.
7. No alcohol. No skipping meals. No counting calories.
8. No excuses.
You can stick to the program and successfully lose weight no matter what your home, social, business, or school life may be.
9. Stick to the plan and the plan will work.
10. Maintenance is important.
Once you lose the weight, follow the maintenance plan so you learn to keep the weight off.
11. To be successful on the program, will require your desperation, your sincerity and your cooperation and your patience!!
Rule and Menus of the Old 1960s Weight Watchers Plan
1. Eat only the foods listed in your menu plan, in the quantities specified and at the meals specified. Weigh your portions until you can judge them accurately.
2. Eggs. Limit them to 4-7 per week. They may be taken only at breakfast or lunch; not at dinner.
3. Cheese. Only hard cheese or pot, cottage or farmer cheese is allowed and only at breakfast or lunch.
4. Fish. You must eat a minimum of 5 group A fish meals each week for lunches or dinners.
Group A fish:
abalone, bass, bluefish, bonito, butterfish, carp (fresh), calms, crab, croaker, cod, finnan haddie, flounder, fluke, haddock, hake, halibut, lobster, mullet, mussels, oysters, pike, porgy, salmon (canned), scallops, shad roe, shrimp, sole, sturgeon (fresh), swordfish, trout (brook), trout (lake), tuna fish (fresh or canned), weakfish, whiting
5. Meat and poultry. Provided you use the specified number of fish meals, some of your lunches and dinners may be selected from Group A meats and poultry or Group B fish. Select a maximum of 5 weekly meat meals (luncheons or dinners only from Group A and a maximum of 3 weekly meat meals (luncheons or dinners) Group B.
Group A meat and poultry:
white meat of chicken (skin removed), white meat of turkey (skin removed), pheasant, organ meats (liver, lungs, brains, kidneys, heart, sweetbreads)
Group B meat and poultry:
beef, frankfurters, lamb, dark meat of turkey
Group B fish:
mackerel, pompano, salmon (fresh), shad, white fish
6. Limited vegetables. Must eat one a day, at dinner only, 1 portion only. Vary your selection from day to day. One serving is 4 ounces, or 1/2 cup or 1 medium sized.
Limited vegetables:
artichokes, bamboo shoots, beets, brussels sprouts, carrots, eggplant, green beans, okra, onions, parsnips, peas, pumpkin, scallions, squash (yellow), tomato, tomato juice, turnips
7. Unlimited vegetables may be taken at any time. These include most of your non-starchy vegetables.
Unlimited vegetables:
asparagus, beet greens, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, endive, escarole, bell pepper, kohlrabi, lettuce, mung bean sprouts, mushrooms, mustard greens, parsley, pickles, pimentos, radishes, rhubarb, sauerkraut, spinach, squash (green), string beans (french style), watercress
8. Condiments and seasonings such as bouillon, herbs, and spices, salt, pepper, and paprika, vinegar and wine vinegar, tea, coffee, horseradish, soy sauce, lemons, limes, etc, are unlimited.
9. Fruit. Three to five servings a day, depending on age and gender. One daily fruit must be either orange or grapefruit.
Permitted fruits:
1 apple
1/2 cantaloupe
1/2 grapefruit
2-inch wedge of honeydew
1 orange
1/4 medium-sized pineapple
1 cup of strawberries
1/2 cup raspberries or blueberries
1 peach or nectarine
2 apricots
1 plum
Forbidden fruits:
Bananas
Cherries
Watermelon
Grapes
Dried Fruits
10. Milk. Powdered skim milk, buttermilk, or evaporated skim milk must be included in your daily program, according to the amount specified for your age/gender.
11. Bread. Eat enriched or whole grain packaged bread according to the amount allowed for your age/gender. No rolls, bagels, biscuits, muffins, crackers, cereals or special breads.
12. Do not eat or drink the following except for legal recipes given in this book:
- alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine, whiskey
- avocado
- bacon or back fat
- bagels
- biscuits
- cake
- candy
- cereals
- coconut
- cookies
- crackers
- cream cheese
- doughnuts
- fried foods
- gefilte fish
- gravy
- honey
- ice cream
- ices
- jam
- jello
- jelly
- ketchup
- mayonnaise
- muffins
- nuts
- oil
- olives
- pancakes
- peanut butter
- pies
- popcorn
- potato chips
- pretzels
- puddings
- rolls
- salad dressings (except for those given in this book)
- smoked meat or fish
- soda, ginger ale, cola drinks
- sugar and syrups
- waffles
- yogurt
Old Weight Watchers Menu Plan for Women (Circa 1960s)
Breakfast: 1 egg or 1 ounce hard cheese or 2 ounces fish or 1/4 cup cottage or pot cheese; 1 slice enriched bread
Lunch: 4 ounces fish (canned or fresh) or lean meat or poultry or 2/3 cup (6 ounces) cottage cheese or pot cheese or 4 ounces farmer cheese or 2 ounces hard cheese or 2 eggs; All the unlimited vegetables you want; 1 slice enriched bread
Dinner: 6 ounces cooked lean meat or fish or poultry; 1 portion limited vegetables; All of the unlimited vegetables you want
Must Be Taken At Some Time During the Day: A total of 3 fruits (one of them orange or grapefruit); 2 cups skim milk or buttermilk or 1 cup skimmed evaporated milk
May Be Taken At Any Time of the Day: Any unlimited foods, beverages, etc.
1960s Weight Watchers Plan Menu Suggestions
Sample Breakfasts:
- Half Cantaloupe, Eggs, Sunny-Side Up on Toast
- Pineapple Quarter, Two Ounces Tuna Fish on Toast
- Cottage Cheese (2 ounces), Fresh Grapefruit Sections, Lettuce Bed, Toast
- Fresh Fruit Cup (1/2 cup), Scrambled Egg WW, Toast
- Broiled Half Grapefruit, Salmon (2 ounces), Toast
- Fresh Juice of One Orange, Melted Cheese (1 ounce) on Toast
- Half Grapefruit, WW French Toast
Sample Lunches:
- Bean-Sprout Soup, Shrimp (4 ounces), Toast
- Tuna Fish, Mixed Lettuce w/ Radishes, Celery and String Beans, WW Dressing, Toast
- Tomato Juice, Broiled Salmon (4 ounces), WW Cucumber Sauce, Lettuce, Toast
- Fresh Fruit Salad, Cottage Cheese (3 ounces), Toast
- Broiled Hamburger, One Slice Toast, Relish
- Melted Open Cheese Sandwich on 1 Slice Toast, Fruit
- Two Eggs on Toast, Fruit
Sample Dinners:
- WW Swordfish Diablo, Chinese Vegetables, Mushrooms, WW Lemon Gelatin
- Tomato Bouillon, WW Butterfly Shrimp Scampi, Larde Tossed Salad, Eggplant
- Curried Cream of Kale Soup, Broiled Trout, Carrots, Broiled Mushrooms, Stewed Fruit (1/2 cup)
- WW Braised Beef Roll-Ups, Cucumber Salad, WW Basil Salad Dressing, WW Strawberry Ice
- WW Beef Ragout, Mushrooms as desired, Ginger Melon Mold
- WW Frankfurter Casserole Creole, Cole Slaw
- Escarole Soup, Chicken Cacciatora, Herbed Zucchini, Maple Bavarian Cream
Helpful Hints While Dieting
Many of these concepts have definitely stood the test of time:
1. Do Not Count Calories. 200 calories of cake is never a substitute for a 200-calorie lunch. You can’t bargain with the diet.
2. Weight Your Food Carefully. You’ll be amazed at how much more will be on your plate when you weigh food rather than guess at it’s weight.
3. Carry Your “Before” Picture and a mental image of your ideal figure with you at all times.
4. Weigh Yourself Once A Week Only. Weight can fluctuate daily for various reasons. It is the weekly average weight loss that is important. Be sure to weigh yourself at the same time each week, on the same scale, under the same conditions.
5. Take Advantage of the “Free” Foods allowed in this diet. Never allow yourself to be hungry.
6. Be Aware That You Are Learning New Eating Habits even away from home. It is possible to follow this diet plan in any restaurant anywhere in the world, if you really want to.
7. Do Not Allow sympathetic thin friends or envious fat ones to give you “permission to deviate from your diet plan.”
8. Follow The Diet Honestly. The key to successful weight loss and its maintenance is learning discipline and control.
9. Think Before You Eat. When tempted to gobble, just stop and count to ten and look at your “before” picture, remember your reasons for wanting to reduce.
10. Be Patient!
Do you have any favorite memories and or recipes from the old Weight Watchers program to share? Did you have success with the old 1960s Weight Watchers program? I’d love to hear from you!
Source: Weight Watchers Cookbook (1967)
Watch Martha Tell Her Own Weight Watchers Story
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Success Story: Part 1
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Success Story: Part 2
Martha McKinnon’s Weight Watchers Success Story: Part 3
More Helpful Articles for WeightWatchers
- A Comprehensive Guide to the WeightWatchers Program
- Why I Think the Weight Watchers Food Exchanges Program is Better than Points Plus
- The Weight Watchers 360 Program
- Weight Watchers Celebrates 50 Years
- Weight Watchers Cottage Cheese Danish Recipe
- Vintage Weight Watchers Coffee Fluff Recipe
- Why I Worship the Weight Watchers Founder Jean Nidetch (The New York Times)
I’ve been searching for the original Weight Watcher’s tuna casserole recipe using tuna, cauliflower, powdered milk, peas and maybe mushrooms. It was so good and filling. I think it was from the very early ‘70’s.
I became a life time member many years ago but like all things you have to
continue in the program.
About 1970 when I first joined the ‘diet’ was on 4 pages! There was no doubt about what you could eat & how much. Counting calories or points wasn’t necessary.
A favorite was the recipe for dressing for salads – liquid sweetener, vinegar & spices or seasoning. Made a small amount but really tasty.
Today I am looking for the recipe for chili that had beef & cabbage in it. Anyone have it?
I’m trying to locate the WW Diet Pizza Sauce recipe. It was made from tomato juice.
You would use bread, a slice of monz cheese, the sauce then parm cheese on top.
I made the pizza sauce a lot back in the 70’s. Per serving: 1/2 cup tomato juice, a pinch of garlic salt and oregano. Cook down until it thickens a little.
When cool, spread on toasted *bread and cover with 2 oz mozzarella & Parmasean cheese. If you like sliced mushrooms, add these.
*I used 2 Very Thin Slices of Pepperidge Farm bread for 1 serving of bread. This allowed me to have 2 pieces of pizza!
Oh, my! I’d forgotten all about having to cook tomato juice down to make a sauce. All the sauces had added sugar. The over-whelming majority of them still do, whether you are talking pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, or just plain tomato sauce. It’s commercial processed food that is making us fat, sick or dead. Seriously. Nothing much processed on the original Weight Watchers – except those hotdogs. But I never made those – I craved beef too much and used my 3/week portion on the real stuff!
I originally joined ww as a freshman at Brooklyn College in 1965. I had only 5 pounds to lose and my mother cooked everything for me and it took 2 weeks. Now i am 71 and still a member-of couse I only join sporadically every few years, but being a lifetime member helps me get back in easily. My favorite recipe from the original plan was tuna burgers, made with tuna, bread egg and powdered milk. Does anyone remember the exact recipe? It would really make me happy.
Looking thru these commentsI remembered that I have a recipe box full of old recipes from the 60’s and 70’s. Anyone know how many different programs WW has rolled out over the years?
I am looking for my favorite lunch recipe…I had just gotten home from my freshman year of college and brought an extra 20 lbs. with me!! This meal was my go to…it had cottage cheese, string beans, tomato juice, oregano and parm cheese I think…Thanks for your help!
I lost 37+ pounds in 1981 with that program using my daily checkoff sheet. Back then they also had, and I used for years, a huge magnetic version that was erasable for my refrigerator. Sure wish I still had that too. Kept weight off for over 35 years and remained a lifetime member.
That program has been my only true long term success with a Weight Watchers program. Now, thanks to finding you I can go back to it. Does it need modifying? Yes because I have a gluten and milk allergy.
It worked. I will make it work again!!
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts about the original “retro” WW program. I enjoyed great success with weight loss and weight management by using the exchange units program in the mid-’90’s. It inspired me to even type up a chart with columns for writing in foods and exchanges met each day. I even remember having a space for tallying up the required water! (Remember the water requirement? That helped to fill up and keep appetite in check! What happened to that?) It was a balanced plan based strongly off of the food pyramid, which of course was designed for healthy eating. Portion control was key, as well as variety of good and nutritious food choices. When I found myself needing to return to WW years later in order to re-shed 20 dastardly pounds (that I still haven’t seemed to be able to part with) I found the new points system to be entirely too lenient for success at weight loss. In fact, I actually gained weight using the new system. No discipline or control. No balanced nutrition! This caused me to end up overly hungry, so I went off the rails over and over again. I ended up a three-time Weight Watchers Drop-out!! I called WW to complain about the new program and requested a refund of the money I had shelled out needlessly, but no luck. This is another case of, “IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT!!!” Happens entirely too often in today’s world, including software “updates,” and all the rest of it! Infuriating! Glad to run across this while looking for help today. Thanks for sharing. I’m going back to the old one as of this morning! Whoo-hoo!!!! Can’t wait! I’m once again feel hopeful, rather than hopeless about shedding these extra pounds at last!
I am looking for a tuna-French style green bean recipe! It was during the year 1970 and 1971! I believe it was served on toast!
Will keep my eyes open for such a recipe, Carolyn~ ~Martha
I completely and totally agree with you. The exchange program was so much better than the points system. I was in WW in the late 80’s, and dis Snead some weight, but I was never able to keep it up for more than a few months. My family always had a way of sabotaging my efforts. Now with my children off to college and it is jus me and the husband, I was looking at the points system and was thinking, “ This is nuts,” This doesn’t teach anything about portions or food groups or changing your life style. This sucks. Where is the original food plan? That made sense!” Luckily I have several books from tat time where I can find meal plans, that is my one big problem. I hate planning meals, especially since I teach, I would rather just have whatever is being served at school. Now that food is so bad, I just hit the vending machines and get crackers and a diet drink. Time for some old fashion WW.