WW & ALR BFF

If it's not apparent by now, I love Weight Watchers. I'll admit it and say I may even very well be borderline obsessed about the company. How could I not be? If an entity changed a life in such a drastically positive way as they did for me, anyone else would be just as in love.

6:00 am - July 29, 2006: I walked into a WW meeting room for the first time, weighing the most I'd ever weighed. I was tired and frustrated and finally decided my health was worth the cost of the meetings. I honestly thought it would be more like a complainers club for fatties. I was completely energized by what I experienced. I sat in a room FULL of people who were changing their lives - they were focused and determined. The longer I sat there, week after week, I began to catch it too.

I started getting it - WEIGHT is just the first half of their name - the rest is WATCHERS. Do you know what I watched from July 2006 to October 2007? I watched myself change. No, I'm not just talking about the 54 pounds and 5 clothing sizes that I lost. I'm talking about watching myself to stick it out. I watched my smile get bigger, my belief in my dreams grow stronger and my determination solidify. It was infectious to be around people who were training to run marathons - for the first time ever - or who were planning to climb a mountain - FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. This was a room where dreams were created, shared and achieved.

Life is a journey and I could have probably lost weight another, faster, easier way. I could have taken the pills again; I could have bought into the fads again. BUT, Weight Watchers allowed me to live my life, take my time, eat on my terms, mess up on my terms, get back on track, fall down, speed ahead, cry, rebel, get angry, mourn and all the while, learn to manage what I put in my mouth. I believe life not only throws curve balls, but also sometimes, just flat out intentionally beans us. We can't control the throws, but we can certainly control that bat. I give WW and the many meeting members credit for giving me the advice I needed to learn how to swing. I was armed with batting gloves, learned how to ignore the "hey batta batta" chants and make targeted, purposeful swings.

I say all of this now because last week, I attended the brief "orientation" for new members after the regular meeting. I honestly have the food system down and didn't ever really think I needed to review the basics again, but I saw something pretty cool. I watched 4 new members learning. I saw them at the starting line. I saw them asking questions about points and exercise. I got to see it through their eyes and I got excited. They are standing on the edge of an amazing life change ? if they'll let the determination bug get them too. And, I'm not talking about the weight they'll lose?.