Weight Watchers is big in weight loss. It hosts more than 36,000 weekly meetings worldwide facilitated by more than 10,000 leaders. In the form of a support group, per se, meetings cover nutrition advice and lifestyle tips to help its 800,000 members lose weight and ultimately reach lifetime membership status. Weight Watchers also offers advice and recipes on its website and sells products, such as recipe books, food, activity monitor, and vitamins. Its Weight Watchers Magazine has a US readership of 8 million. Jean Nidetch and Al and Felice Lippert started Weight Watchers in 1963; it now holds classes in about 30 countries. European investment firm Artal Luxembourg owns about 52% of Weight Watchers.