I think it's awesome you're doing it - and i think that making steps like that empowers you to make other decisions in your life. Good luck!! A few friends of mine who joined WW loved it and got great results!

i've done the weight watchers thing. it works if you stick with it, i lost 23 pounds, from 143 to 120. i went to the meetings in the beginning and then annoyed the hell out of everyone with my diet restrictions. i'm a bit jaded, and don't buy into the hourah spirit myself, but you will lose the weight. think of it as a necessary evil in order to jump start progress. if your problem is portions btw, and you have to scale back a lot like i did, don't do any exercise for the first week or two, you will feel way too faint to do anything while adjusting to smaller amounts of food.

Good for you! I think it's admirable to actively seek to change something you don't find satisfying, even if it's good enough for the vast majority of others. Let them have mediocrity, leaves more of the good stuff for us. ;-P

i'm lost.

If your inner wish is to be more comfortable in your own skin and be freed from regret-inducing conditions like the job/debt factor, then I say "More power to you." From my own experience with finding a stable place with weight and eating, job satisfaction, OK so not there with the debt project, I can offer up that it's fantastically rewarding to delve into this process. Go For It.

I enjoyed Weight Watchers, but like you, I didn't like the whole "group thing".

I ended up going to three or four meetings, getting all of the books and stuff, and then decided to fly solo.

I lost the weight and in the process cooked more for my family. I loved their recipes and was happy to add new and healthier foods to my fast-food based diet.

Maybe you'll end up loving WW so much, that the group won't even be an issue for you! :)

if you can stomach the meetings and the people who say things like "you know, i never realized that there were TWO servings in that bag, so it was 12 points instead of 6..." then it really isn't so bad. if nothing else, it's caused me to eat so many more veggies and fruits than i would normally, and be more creative with spices. i do want to shove my face in a pan of brownies occasionally though...

Brava!

I, too, have the "perfect" life but have been struggling and searching for a while now. It really pisses me off when people act as if I have no right to feel there's a hole somewhere. After all, isn't the whole point to keep growing and stop standing still? Gah!

Brava, and go for it, with gusto.

I'm on WW now in Chicago with my fiancee. She more or less had to drag me in, but I'm forever glad she did. I've lost 15 lbs. in 10 weeks. She's lost 25 in 10 weeks. Has it been hard? You bet. Has it also been a LOT easier than I thought? Absolutely 100% yes. The important thing is to walk in withOUT preconceptions. You're doing this for yourself -- not for your boy, your parents, or drinking buddies. You're doing this so you will be able to enjoy your grandkids at 80.

Don't let your New Yorkishness get in the way, Deb. Believe it or not, the "group thing" works. You may even grow to appreciate it. Like Sam-I-Am said, "Try it. Try it. You may like it, you will see." Don't walk in all jaded. Walk in ready with a willingness to learn and openness to change and you'll surprise yourself. I know I did. You can, too.

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I spent several hours in Weight Watchers once. All I lost was my courage and my morale. I got so depressed that I went out to a 4,000-calorie dinner and never looked back. Best of luck!

{PS--In the Army we had to make quarters bounce off the bed, not part of our, er, anatomy. And who gets to toss the quarters anyway?}

congrats!

Good on you! A bunch of my co-workers have been doing WW for a few months and are disgustingly clear skinned, bright eyed and perky. Not to mention buying new, smaller clothes.

Just make sure you don't trim down your writing -you're one of the few people I read who could undoubtedly make posts about the point system not just readable but riveting.

I've gotta hand it to WW, it works, and it works really damn well. If you're not into the meeting thing, though, then I highly recommend WW Online. All of the benefits with none of the groups!

Good for you! All sounds familiar...but everyone I know who goes on WW has had results. :)

I'm obviously a foreigner and don't know what Weight Watchers is or do. Some sort of diet or diet-company, perhaps? But I do tap into the sentiment of todays entry, Smit. «Am I living it right?», right? This is the question. Not knowing if we're doing any good. This is the worry. My guess is: it won't ever go away. I'm not to worried about you, though, Smit. And that's one of the many reasons I read you every day: you sound fine.

I have spent most of the summer tottering on the precipice of poverty, and still gaining weight. No, I am not huge. But, yeah, I am 46 and looking rather pudgy in my swimsuit. My boyfriend is a photograher who does Intimate Portraiture. Last year I was freaked, I tell you, freaked! I was paranoid to the extreme about my body. This year I have finally arrived at the place where, yeah, I could stand to lose 12-15 pounds or so, but heck, that strawberry sundae is going DOWN, I say, DOWN. Time will come when I am ready to deny myself tasty things. I have lost before and I can do it again. Just not right now. I am giving up so much else in my life for lack of funding, a little caloric extravagance is not too much to spare.

Good luck to you, though. On your inner search, and reconstruction.

I had always been active in sports growing up and never had to deal with my weight. Then I became a slug, and the pounds crept on. I tried the whole going to the gym and dieting on my own, then finally succumbed to WW, for the sole reason that I had lost accountability to myself. I joined because I needed someone else to see the scale and hold me accountable for the late night dice games, accompanied by several rounds of beer, pretzels, chips. For the ice cream binges. For the bloomin' onions and cheese fries. I'm not into the group thing, either, but do try to attend at least one meeting a month, because it helps me stay on track and gives me some motivation to stay disciplined. I do notice a difference when I'm attending, I have to admit. Best of luck to you!!

I share your distrust of the group-think, corporate cheer atmosphere that WW could possibly be. But I also totally admire the fact that you want to control elememts of your life & health. In the same situation, I would combine these two elements -- though you don't like being told what to do, you're there because you DECIDED that was what to do. Um, did that make sense? Anyway, rock on & best of luck!

maybe you will be like me, and the thought of NOT having to go to the group meetings once a week anymore will be all the motivation you need!

I did the weight watchers thing, went from 172 to 134 (much under my goal weight of 142) and then back up to my goal again, which I've been maintaining with some difficulty (btw, dating is a nightmare with weight watchers, at least when you are dating boys that have good taste in food and high metabolisms)... it worked for me, but it is hardest after reaching goal, I find.. anyway, good luck!!