Over the course of my lifetime, it seems as though I have tried just about everything to shed excess pounds. From exercise programs to liquid diets, from Susan Powter to Richard Simmons, I have literally given just about every major weight loss program a chance. One program I had not given a serious try, though, was Weight Watchers. This is one of the largest and most popular diet companies in the United States, so I decided that I should definitely give the program a try.
When I signed up, I was given the option for an “online only” membership, or a membership that included the website as well as in-person Weight Watchers meetings. The plan that includes the meetings had a lower initial sign up fee, so I opted for the Weight Watchers Monthly Pass membership. I am the kind of person who always gets everything I pay for, so although I wasn’t sure I wanted to attend meetings over the long haul, I decided I would at least go to one and give it a try.
When I arrived at my local Weight Watchers center, I was greeted by a friendly staff member who made me feel very welcomed and appreciated. I was worried I was going to have to get on the scale in front of a bunch of strangers, but in reality the Weight Watchers scale area is very private and they never say your weight out loud. It really is just a tool to help you track your progress, and weighing-in was not embarrassing at all.
After I got registered and weighed, I was able to take a seat in a very large, comfortable room with lots of available seating. The staff member who greeted me was also the leader of the Weight Watchers meeting, and she went through a basic PowerPoint presentation with the weekly topic. Most of the meeting was centered around group discussion, but as promised on the website, no one called on me or made me speak at the meeting, and it was fine for me to just sit and listen.
At the end of the meeting, there was a special PowerStart session just for newcomers where the leader explained the basics of how the program works, how to count Weight Watchers PointsPlus values, and answered all the questions that we had. The whole meeting, including the PowerStart session, lasted about 45 minutes…without the beginner’s session at the end, it would have only been 30 minutes.
In the end, I found the Weight Watchers meeting very helpful. It was good to have someone teach me the ropes of the Points system. It was also nice to hear the experiences of other people who are losing weight with Weight Watchers. Although I was unsure at first, I will definitely be attending more Weight Watchers meetings in the near future. I would encourage anyone with a Monthly Pass option on their membership to attend the in-person meetings, because you are already paying for them and I think you will find the experience very valuable.
