Kate Laurensen is a veteran reporter. She started out covering entertainment news for the local city paper before moving up to the City desk. She studied journalism at San Francisco City College for the Arts.
May 7 , 2025
New York - The iconic weight-loss brand WeightWatchers has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing what many might have once considered an unthinkable reason: the declining number of overweight individuals in the United States.
"We never imagined we'd say this," said CEO Carla Linton in a somber press conference Tuesday morning, "but there simply aren't enough overweight people in this country anymore to sustain our business model."
Founded in 1963, WeightWatchers (now officially WW International, Inc.) built its reputation on helping millions lose weight through community support, calorie tracking, and behavior change programs. But in recent years, the company has faced mounting challenges—among them, fierce competition from app-based wellness platforms, the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, and a sweeping societal shift toward body positivity and holistic health rather than calorie-counting.
In its bankruptcy filing, WeightWatchers pointed to a dramatic drop in new subscriptions and a sharp decline in customer engagement across all demographics. "The traditional weight-loss industry is being outpaced by medical, technological, and cultural change," said Linton.
The most surprising detail in the filing was its blunt assessment of the core issue: “The current population simply does not exhibit the levels of overweight and obesity that historically sustained our services.”
That statement, while eyebrow-raising, is not entirely unsupported. Recent data from the CDC show that obesity rates have plateaued or even slightly declined in certain regions, particularly among younger Americans, thanks in part to early intervention programs, more accessible health education, and the explosion of digital health tools.
Health experts are reacting with cautious optimism. “If WeightWatchers is right, and we are truly seeing a national decline in obesity, that’s a public health victory,” said Dr. Rachel Hines, a nutritionist at Johns Hopkins University. “But it also underscores how entire industries are built on the existence of societal problems.”
Critics, however, argue that WeightWatchers’ model was becoming outdated, and its failure to adapt was a bigger factor than any demographic shift. “People want sustainable health, not just weight loss,” said Maxine Tran, a digital wellness entrepreneur. “WW’s value proposition felt stuck in the 90s.”
As part of its restructuring plan, WW says it will pivot away from weight loss and toward “general wellness,” though details remain vague. Meanwhile, thousands of employees face layoffs, and long-time members are left wondering what’s next.
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