The Power of The Group

I try to make my Weight Watchers meeting a fun place to be, even if you aren't trying to lose weight. My "opening monologue" is meant to teach a healthy living topic, but also applies to other aspects of our lives. Plus, laughing burns calories, lowers blood pressure and stress - really!

My goal is to get you to the meeting, even if it's just to see what I am willing to put on, so you can experience the power of the group. When I look at most satisfying parts of my life, being part of a group is usually one aspect of the joy. I run with a group, which makes training and racing so much more fun and challenging. I volunteer with many groups since we all have the best interest of our kids and community at heart. My family is a group - though it's rare we all together at the same time. They definitely bring so much pleasure to my life. And I work with many Weight Watchers groups. They give me joy, for sure!

Each WW meeting has it's own feel and rhythm. My 2 center meetings have a lot of members. Most sit in the same area every week, but all members welcome each other with open arms, asking each other about all kinds of things that have nothing to do with Weight Watchers. Some walk around and visit before they settle in for the group discussion.

My At Works are smaller groups. Most know each other, though some of the big companies have members that don't. But there is a sense of community within the community of the business. However, in both types of groups, there is always a feeling that each member cares about the fate of the others. Each problem will be listened to and answers will be offered. There is a feeling that if one succeeds we all succeed. If one is troubled, then the rest are willing him or her to turn the corner.

That's why I love my job: it's so positive! I mingle with people at the scale, or in the meeting room, before the meeting starts and then I make my entrance. Sometimes, the members are still buzzing about whatever, which is great, because I am glad you want to talk amongst yourselves. But then we begin. For about 30 minutes, we try and tune out the world and take care of ourselves and each. Now you know I am not mushy, but I feel like, in that room, we accomplish something. We don't just complain, or feel sorry for ourselves. We tell the truth. We laugh at ourselves and each other. And we hear something that we can use when we walk out the door.

So when people don't get why it's important to go to a Weight Watchers meeting if you want to be healthier, I tell them, just come to the meeting. No obligation to buy. Just listen. Feel. Learn. Laugh. Share in our little secret weapon against all the factors in our lives trying to make us lose the battle of the bulge and illness. Feel the power of the group. See you in the meeting!

Is Your Goal to Lose Weight?

This week I participated in two Weight Watchers Open Houses. One was at a business and one was at a WW Center. These meetings are an opportunity for people to ask questions and meet the staff. If the person has never been to WW, I tell them what we are all about: healthy eating, portion control, being active and staying motivated. That's it? Isn't there some crazy secret? What's the catch? Then I ask her or him - is your goal to lose weight, in a healthy way and keep it off? If the answer is no, then, well, have a nice day. If the answer is yes, then why wouldn't you give us a try? Some are desperate to lose weight, but still are not sure they want to join. I actually had LTMs come in and say the program is great, but they will come back when they are ready or when they lose the weight. Huh? Leave, probably gain weight and then eventually come back or end up in the hospital. This makes no sense to me.

Now, before you think I am being a WW snob, I do know WW is not for everyone. One person came into the Open House and said she did not like meetings. So I told her about eTools. I know counting points is not for everyone. Some people would rather just count calories or carbs or fat grams. It doesn't matter what plan you are on, you still have to eat less than you burn. I know people who have done the Zone, given up sugar, fat, meat (that would be tough for me!)and have lost weight. Some people are very strict eaters. They eat super healthy, super "clean" and they lose weight and are very healthy.

But this is what I know for sure: for the average person living in the real world, the best way to lose weight is a moderate approach of slow and steady weight loss. Foods must include fruits and veggies, protein and more natural foods than processed. That is important for health and satisfaction reasons. The weight loss process must include fun foods, in moderation, because deprivation doesn't work. People must also uncover the nutrition information about the foods they eat, including the calories, in order to lose weight. They may think they are eating healthy, but ALL calories count, even the healthy ones.

Can this all be accomplished without Weight Watchers? Of course. But no program is going to change the science of weight loss. There is no "wicked easy" way to lose weight AND keep it off that doesn't include the rules of calories in vs calories out. The WW program works. Ask all the LTMs. Do we always follow the rules? No! But one rule you MUST follow: Never give up. One off meal, day, weekend, vacation or even year does not mean you are destined to be overweight. You can succeed!

When you come to the meetings, you benefit from the 46 years of research from Weight Watchers, the information from the current meeting topic, the expertise from the members and, in my meetings, a few laughs. You can't get that from reading a book. And all your food preferences, health restrictions and social calendars can be incorporated into correctly following the program. Real life!

The real life members inspire me everyday. They give me the privilege of sharing their weight loss journey and inspiring me everyday. Two of my very successful members came to WW before but decided this time they were in it for the long haul. One lost close to 50 pounds and the other 40 pounds. Wow! They both were very pleased with their success and anticipated hitting their ultimate goal, one pound at a time. They know slow and steady weight loss is doable and sustainable. No matter what, February 20th was going to come any way, so might as well be 40-50 pounds lighter!

One member said that her friends were impressed with her weight loss, but can't believe she was drinking the WW "Kool-aid". I don't remember seeing that on the shelves in the center, but whatever she is drinking, it's working! I'll bet whatever her friends were drinking was not.

My hope is that everyone finds their way to healthy weight. However, with 66% of the population overweight, I think many are lost. Show them the way to our Weight Watches meeting.*

*Next Saturday is the last week of our Open Houses, so tell your friends to go to www.weightwatchers.com to find a center near them to learn more about WW. Free gift just for stopping by! Or, if you know of a business that would like to bring the meeting on site, send me an email at lindadf@comcast.net

February Blues

This time of year, we get sick of a lot of things - the cold, the dark, icy walkways and the work we need to do to stay on our Weight Watchers plan. Even getting on the scale is more difficult, since we are wearing so many clothes! Every aggravation is magnified, since we are not distracted by birds singing and leaves on the trees.

The results on the scale seem painfully slow, because we don't have enough sunlight and other warm weather things to be thankful for in the cold days of February. So my meeting discussions this week moved towards the direction of slow weight loss and plateaus. That's because we are focusing on the weight loss and not the behavior changes.

See, it's not the weight loss that makes us change our behavior, it the behavior (and mental) changes that create weight loss. The ultimate goal is not to get to a certain weight, though that is part of our success. The goal is to change our thoughts, behaviors, and habits in a way the fits into our life that is enjoyable, AND fits in the guidelines of the Weight Watchers plan. We need to realize following the WW good health guidelines is the right way to eat and that sitting on the couch and eating processed foods is not. We need to understand that going out to eat is not a reason to celebrate and that making healthy decision no matter where we are is the right plan of action. So if the checklist of success is longer, we are not putting all our eggs in the pounds lost basket.

My most successful members step back and think how can they can live their best life and know that being active, eating healthy foods and getting to healthy weight are all worth working towards and they never stop taking the actions to do so. So getting on the scale is only one part of a successful week. If you ate healthy meals, got to your Points target, moved more and consistently chose lower point, filling foods, you were a success. If you lost .5 to 2 pounds this week, you are on course. If you did not, did your goals change? NO! Keep working. Be honest with yourself and make the appropriate changes.

I don't DO mothering. I don't DO running. I don't DO WW Leadering. I AM a mother. I AM a runner. I AM a WW Leader. Am I always good at it? No. Do I give up? No. You don't DO Weight Watchers. You ARE a Weight Watcher! Did you act like one this week? Coming to the meeting is one action you can take to be a success this week. I'll be waiting!

I have a question for you...

Since a little time has passed since New Years Day, I wanted to share some of the comments I've made to my Weight Watchers members who want to improve their progress.

Usually, when a member is feeling that her weight loss is too slow, first I ask if she is losing an average of 1/2 pound to 2 pounds a week. If the answer is yes, then she is on track. I am not saying we can't improve on how she is following the program, but we must all wrap our brains around the healthy rate of weight loss. However, I will also ask to see your Tracker. If you are using eTools, the WW online companion, I will ask for a printout. I want us to work together to create the most success!

If the answer is "I am not tracking" - that is tip #1 - TRACK! Don't look for an easy answer somewhere else. Even if you are tracking, check the portion sizes. If you are writing down "cereal 2 points" and your are eating 4 points worth - well you can do the math. And don't forget the BLT's - bites, licks and tastes. I have Weight Watchers foods scales if you would like me to bring you one.

If you are tracking, I will look to see if you are choosing filling foods first, which is tip #2. If you are filling your points with a lot of processed foods, you won't have the success you expect. I know they may seem easy (and sometimes more tasty), but fresh foods and proteins can be easy, too.

Then I ask if you are using your weekly points allowance, tip #3. Some of you think less is better. Deprivation means I should lose more. It doesn't. Deprivation = temporary = diet mentality. We want lifestyle changes. Let's make sure to plan the fun foods, and to eat enough, especially if you exercise. This habit will help you to KEEP the weight off

Last week, we talked about motivation in the meeting. You can be very motivated, but you must make sure you are following the program. THE WEIGHT WATCHERS program. Trust it. I do. Get to the meeting, to keep your actions on track. See you there!