Weight Watchers Review

All of my life I had struggled with my weight. Between my love for food and my resistance to "diet plans" (really, how does a plan where you starve yourself for a limited time keep the weight off long term?) I thought I was destined to be overweight forever and simply couldn't understand why I couldn't eat like "normal" people and look like "normal" people, too.

By the time my weight had ballooned up from 160 to 200 pounds post-college, I knew I had to do something, however, or else my health would be at risk. At a friend's recommendation, I checked out Weight Watchers on-line program and felt like I had finally found the answer! By tracking the points of what I'd been eating, I realized just where I was making poor decisions in my diet and how to make better solutions. Weight Watchers worked for me because it wasn't about denying myself the things I enjoyed, but making decisions and "budgeting" my points if I wanted to enjoy, say, a slice of pizza or ice cream sundae every so often. Weight Watchers encouraged me to exercise more (because exercise meant more "points" I could spend on food) as well as how to cook more healthily and make better decisions when dining out.

I chose the Flex Program which worked well for me, as someone who both likes to cook but also has to travel a lot on business and can't always have my ideal choices in food. I began the program in 2003 and lost 60 pounds in less than a year. I went from a size 16-18 to a size 4-6. Five years later, and I have maintained within about a 5-pound window just slightly above my minimum, still wearing a size 6-8, and while I don't actively follow the program daily anymore I've found that if I ever get off-track, I can go back to it and rapidly get back into good habits again.

I recommend Weight Watchers to anyone serious about losing weight in a realistic, healthy manner, who is willing to work to make the program work for them as well.