Fourteen Weeks on Weight Watchers: Support

Last night was bittersweet.  Two important things happened.  First, I (quite surprisingly) had lost another 3.2 pounds.  It was unexpected because overall, I hadn't felt like I'd been as "good" as I should, but I chalk it up to my newly formed habits of healthier eating.  Even when I overdo it a bit, I'm overdoing it on healthier foods, so I guess that makes the difference!  The second thing that happened was that I was told that the Weight Watchers meeting that I attend was being disbanded and we all had to find other meetings.  I'm not exaggerating here when I say a part of me felt like crying.  Why was I so empotional over something like a Weight Watchers meeting!?! I think the answer lies in the safe little cocoon known as support.

Losing weight can be really tough.  Changing your whole lifestyle is even harder.  Over time it becomes a habit, but still, you are changing your environment and your behavior and your belief system.  Those types of changes challenge everything you've done up to that point and having a strong support system behind you is critical to making those changes in your life.  For me, my Weight Watchers group is a big part of that support system.

Until now, I have never participated in any type of support group.  But Weight Watchers is exactly that, a support group.  What I realized about myself is that I love being a part of this group.  Not only for the support and advice and shared experiences that affect me, but also knowing that I am helping others with my support and I am providing encouragement and motivation to the other members of the group.  Maybe I'm weird, but I really do enjoy the meetings part of the Weight Watchers program.  It inspires me and helps me to stay motivated.

I am really fortunate that outside of my Weight Watchers group, I have a tremendous amount of support around me.  At work, there are about & other people that I know of who are also Weight Watchers members.  We all support each other and provide encouragement to each other.  In addition, my friends and family members are amazing.  My husband has been very supporting and understanding and always takes into account my needs when we're dealing with situations involving food and eating.  I stay the night with my mom once a week so that we can visit and she always tries to make healthy, well rounded meals that support my weight loss and lifestyle changes.  It's overwhelming the amount of positive support I get from my friends and family and I appreciate it more than you can know.

I have a friend who also participates in the WW program and she has co-workers who badger her constantly to eat cake and make fun of her for not eating things that she likes, but that are fattening or unhealthy.  The fact that people can be that hateful shocks me.  I am very thankful that I have not found myself dealing with that type of situation thus far. 

It's very powerful to have support whenever you are trying to change your life - in any way.  If you don't have a support system, find one!  Even writing this weekly article about my experiences is a part of my support, because I'm sharing my ups and downs (literally) with all of you who take the time to read this and comment.   Gather has provided me with an outlet for my thoughts and feelings during this process and I get to network with other people sharing the same experiences or those who have questions or suggestions.  I think the key to my success over almost everything else is knowing that I have so many people to help me celebrate my triumphs and hold my hand through my disappointments.  Thank you to everyone, you help to shape me (pun intended!) into who I want to be.

Oh, and I found another meeting on my route home, so next week I guess I'll see how that works out... you know I'll keep you posted!

Jennifer St.Antoine

Thank you for reading about my journey with Weight Watchers. I started the Weight Watchers program on January 29, 2007, weighing in at a whopping 209.6 pounds.  My goal is to lose 89.6 pounds so that I weight 120.  I might lose more when I get there, but that's my goal weight.  As of today, I've lost 30.6 pounds, so I'm one third of the way!