Project Weight Watchers Part 1

My first diet: Weight Watchers (old school)

How did I join the masses of America on the trendy Weight Watchers diet you ask? Well, my relationship with Weight Watchers goes back all the way to 7th grade. I might as well just tell you the entire story of how it came to be. I've always been an atheletically built person and in middle school I carried a decent amount of weight for a 7th grader. I was 13 years old and a size 12-14. Bottom line, I got teased.. a lot. Infact, one boy in particular once said to me that I would be hotter if I lost 20 pounds... Pretty sweet. Eventually the teasing got to be intolerable and my mother and I made the decision to try weight watchers.

During the time that I went on Weight Watchers (2001/2002) the diet was a simple points system. It also involved going into a Weight Watchers location, getting weighed and attending a meeting every week.

The point system:
I was given a points system table that calculated calories & nutritional value and would produce a number of points your food item was. The diet was pretty simple as long as I kept the table with me at all times. There was also a helpful mini book full of predetermined points for popular food items, restaurant foods, ect.

The weigh in:
Once a week my mom would drive me to our Weight Watchers location for a weigh in. The room was set up somewhat like a airport check-in desk would be like. Wait in line, each person goes up with their paper work, put your luggage (or in this case, YOU) on the scale and get weighed. This was a tough thing for someone of my pre-teen age to face. The mere admittance of me having a weight issue made my cheeks red, let alone standing on a scale infront of another person as she writes my weight down. But it must be said that the cliental were very supportive and sensitive.

The meeting:
I hated it. But what 13 year old wouldn't? I was too young to understand why these meetings make the Weight Watchers diet completely unique. The meeting was an open floor, a place where dieters could come together to vent, ask questions, share recipies, feelings, or just simply listen. Therapy. Group therapy. Honestly, I think it's brillant. It is scientifically proven that people who suffer from depression and or anxiety are also sufferers of obesity.* Weight Watchers understands that dieting is not just a diet change but a mental one as well. A mental change that needs support from friends, family and other dieters.

*http://health.dailynewscentral.com/content/view/0002335/63/

Conclusion:
I will go out on a limb and say that Weight Watchers is the only diet I have encountered that has really been concerned with overall health, not just physical. I honestly believe that until the problems are fixed internally, nothing can be done about the outside and it is clear that the creaters of Weight Watchers believe this as well.