WeightWatchers, which has 14 Long Island studios, filing for bankruptcy

WeightWatchers will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and switch its focus to telehealth and weight loss drug prescriptions, its parent company, WW International Inc., said Wednesday.

The move will eliminate $1.15 billion in debt for the weight loss company, according to a news release issued by WW International.

"We expect GLP-1 medications to be a core component of the weight loss industry moving forward, and an important component of our business,” a WeightWatchers spokesperson said in an email to Newsday on Wednesday, referring to injectable drugs that promote increased feelings of fullness and reduce appetite. "We will continue to support members on GLP-1s with behavioral programs, workshops and clinical offerings. We are committed to helping members live healthier lives, and we believe in a comprehensive approach that goes beyond just medication access.”

There are 14 WW Studios on Long Island throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties, where members can attend weekly 30-minute workshops that include weigh-ins and a group session led by a trained coach that include tips and techniques for keeping the weight off. Members also have access to an app and can attend virtual workshops.

A coach at a WW Studio in Wantagh declined to comment on the proceedings Wednesday, but workshops were scheduled as usual, according to the studio's website.

WeightWatchers, which was founded in Little Neck, Queens, has been struggling due to the popularity of GLP-1 drugs. While the company has offered weight loss drugs since 2023, it has been grappling with staying relevant in a market increasingly dominated by telehealth companies like Hims & Hers, another publicly traded company whose stocks continue to increase, according to Investopedia.

"WeightWatchers is one of the most common weight loss programs for my patients," said obesity specialist Dr. Silvana Obici, the chief of the Division of Endocrinology at Stony Brook Medicine and medical director of the Stony Brook University Hospital Diabetes Center. "The use of WeightWatchers is often lifelong."

Obici added that the accountability and community that WeightWatchers provides has helped some of her patients and that she hopes those programs will remain in some capacity.

"There will be no impact to members or the plans they rely on to support their weight management goals,” the company told Newsday. "All offerings and services, including workshops, the app and access to telehealth services, will continue to operate as usual, with no interruptions.”

WeightWatchers also told Newsday in an email that it sees "significantly improved results from those members who engage across the product offering, particularly the combination of our behavioral and clinical program.” Members who use GLP-1 drugs and the "Points Program,” which gives them a set number of points to "spend” on food per day, with healthier foods costing fewer points, are successful, company officials said.

Newsday reported in August that the company intended to lay off 40% of corporate employees at the level of vice president or above in order to save $100 million. In March 2024, The Associated Press reported that company shares fell 25% after Oprah Winfrey announced she was exiting the board of directors.

WeightWatchers was founded in 1963 by Little Neck resident Jean Nidetch, who began hosting small workshops for people trying to lose weight. The company went public in 1968. Nidetch told Newsday in a 1973 story, "I've seen people's fears, the fear of not succeeding. I've talked to thousands of people, encouraged them."