Weight Watchers and I

When I saw that Jennifer Hudson was the new spokesperson for Weight Watchers I was SOLD. I mean, here was this young woman who always seemed very comfortable with her thickness, talking about weight loss. Add to that she's a new mother and she recently suffered a major personal tragedy with the death of two close family members, including a parent. I mean if there is ANYONE out there I can relate to, it's Jennifer Hudson. Minus the whole singing/acting thing, of course . . .

Then I saw there was a Weight Watchers app for your iPhone. Even more motivation.

I only have one program with this program: the group meetings.

Now believe me, I love to sit around with a group of overweight people talking about our struggles with food. I find it very comforting to know I'm not alone. But what I don't like about Weight Watchers meetings (and really group weight loss in general) is the damn sharing of success.

I realize that just sounds really bad; let me clarify. There's just something about a size 20 person saying, very self-righteously, how she has been able to maintain her diet by eating carrots in the car. I guess I just don't buy it. In these environments, people just want to share all the good they're doing. Last night, Cora talked about how she asked the waiter to bring her 3 glasses of water when she went out for happy hour so she didn't drink the wine. Linda said she went to a birthday party at her favorite restaurant and brought grapes with her so she wouldn't eat anything. Wendy said she went to an A's game this weekend and was able to avoid the hot dogs that she loves so much. We all applauded these people, but frankly, I didn't find what they said encouraging. To me, these stories come off as almost disingenuous and phony. And unrealistic. Where are all the REAL stories? Where are the stories of people who fall, but get back up?

I guess I wanted to hear from someone who drank a little too much at happy hour but got back on the wagon. I wanted to hear that Linda didn't ostracize herself at a birthday party by just eating grapes. I wanted Wendy to say she ate a hot dog. I wanted REALITY.

I do not want to obsess about my weight or food. I want to still enjoy my life, I just want to make better choices. Personally if Cora came to happy hour with me and ordered water, that would be the last happy hour we went to together. I would not invite Cora to my birthday if she was going to bring her own food. And Wendy and I could not go to an A's game because if she started complaining about how miserable she was she couldn't have a hot dog, I would probably go buy her one just to shut her up.

I am going to stick with the program because I am determined to develop some healthy habits and lose some weight. I realize that like Jennifer Hudson, being a parent is really motivating me. I want to be a good example for my son - and I want him to be proud of his mom! So though I may wince when next week Cora, Linda and Wendy raise their hands to tell some story, I will still sit there and hopefully be inspired by someone else who is willing to keep it real.