Weight Watchers Did Not Have Lasting Results

by Joanie
(Plymouth, IN USA)

I tried Weight Watchers for around six months back in the 1980s.

I was quite motivated with the program when one of the workers told me: "If you follow the plan exactly, you will lose weight."

Well, I did noticeably lose weight and was very happy with the results for a while. I lost around 25 pounds after gaining baby weight.

I also swam regularly at the YMCA. However, I got so tired of weighing every morsel of food. I felt it caused me to make more and more rules about eating, and then I felt if I did not follow those rules exactly, I failed.

I would “rebel” and get cupcakes at the grocery store each week after I weighed in!! I was rebelling against the stringency of the diet.

Weight Watchers isn't very realistic, in my opinion. Life has various experiences, and I didn't want to feel like I was "bad" or "doing wrong" every time I ate out or ate at a family gathering.

Though I did lose weight, it didn't solve the inner problems and issues that I needed to deal with that put the weight on in the first place. It was my negative thinking and unresolved issues in my life that caused me to generally turn to food and gain weight.

Weight Watchers is a tool, yes, to learn about size portions. However, it was like I was locked into it and couldn’t handle eating properly without it. I knew eventually I had to learn how to eat properly for the rest of my life.

My weight loss was only temporary. I didn’t learn to deal with life and its problems. Once I went off of Weight Watchers, and decided not to spend the money, the weight went back on!

Note from Dr. Dan

Joanie,

You're not "bad" for eating at a family gathering. Or for having a cupcake. Eating cupcakes is not a crime. Or a sin.

And it doesn't make you a bad person.

A healthy weight loss program should allow you to have your treats and the foods that you enjoy.

You can't eat ice cream at every meal if you want to stay lean. But there's nothing wrong with a reasonable amount of treats as long as you are eating healthy most of the time.

I suppose there are a lot of plans that "if you follow the plan exactly, you will lose weight."

But that's not very reasonable. No one is perfect, and achieving your goals in life shouldn't require you to do anything perfectly.

It is a good idea at some point in your life to weigh your food -- the main things you eat most often -- so you really get an idea of what real healthy portion sizes are.

But how many times are you going to weigh a bowl of oatmeal or a slice of cheese? Once you've got it, you've got it.

Later after you're at your goal weight, if you gain 5 pounds and can't figure out why, then break out the scale again for a couple of days.

Dr. Dan