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New look for Weight Watchers magazine

The March issue of Weight Watchers magazine, published by River Group, hits the shops this week and it's ground-breaking for many different reasons.

According to River: Featuring Masterchef's Gregg Wallace who's lost 20lbs with Weight Watchers, it's the first time in over a decade that the magazine has had a man on the cover.

And for the first time ever the magazine has a reader as a guest editor.

Hairdresser Sophie James, who lost an amazing 7 stone with Weight Watchers, won a competition to be on the cover and interview Gregg Wallace. She also helped the team put the magazine together and wrote some of the copy.

To complete the hat trick, the magazine has launched its first national campaign which is aimed at persuading cinemas to offer a choice of portion sizes and healthier snacks.

Already hundreds of readers have signed a petition, social media has lit up with comments from readers and the story has been picked up by the Daily Telegraph and The Mirror.

Editorial Director Mary Frances says: “The shocking truth is that you consume what should be your daily calorie intake just by having a large popcorn and Pepsi at the cinema. And because there is little choice, our readers tell us they find the cinema the most challenging environment for weight control. We are simply asking for a choice of smaller portions and healthier snacks such as fruit and low-fat crisps.”

2013 is a big year for Weight Watchers magazine as a radical redesign has been introduced along with a top-to-toe content refresh to reflect Weight Watchers New Approach focusing on issues arising from the overloaded food environment. Frances says: “We have taken down the traditional barriers between success stories, food and wellbeing to make it a more holistic offering where readers are part of every section of the magazine: cooking and trying out recipes, modelling fashion, demonstrating fitness techniques and so on. The response from readers and the client has been fantastic and we have more innovations in store for the rest of the year.”