THE END OF MY ROPE

As a registered dietician, Teresa had all the facts about how to eat right. It wasn’t until she walked into a Weight Watchers meeting that she realized knowing the facts doesn’t mean you have all the tools to lose weight on your own.
The hardest thing I've ever done, other than losing weight, was walking into a Weight Watchers meeting. You see, I am a registered dietitian. I spend my days telling people how to eat right to achieve optimal health. Going to a meeting and having to admit that I had a problem was embarrassing to me.

At the end of my rope and feeling like a failure both personally and professionally, I went to visit my doctor. When I asked her to sign a consent form for a different weight-loss program, thankfully, she refused. At that time, my blood pressure was very high and we were both concerned with the sodium content in the packaged meals recommended by the program.

Hope fading
Having been overweight my whole adult life and feeling that my last hope was slipping away, I started to cry. She looked at me and said, "Teresa, you are a smart woman who knows how to eat right, and I have faith that you will figure out a solution to this problem."

When I showed up at home with eyes blackened by mascara from crying, my husband looked at me and said, "Why don’t you go to Weight Watchers?" He pointed out that losing weight had never been my problem, but keeping it off was. He had seen my dramatic weight losses and gains over the years and encouraged me to finally go to a place where people would be speaking in the "same language" as me. He felt that at Weight Watchers I would find an open dialogue about healthy eating habits and the support to maintain them.

Consistency is the key
The next week I walked into my first Weight Watchers meeting and started following the POINTS® Weight-Loss System. I am a testament to the value of consistently attending weekly meetings. I was at my meeting on the day after Thanksgiving, two days before Christmas, two days before my birthday and every week in between.

I purchased a Monthly Pass and loved the fact that I didn’t have to worry about paying each week. It made me feel more committed to go to my weekly meeting when I was tempted not to. I used my eTools subscription to help me stay connected to the plan in between my meetings. I especially loved the Recipe Builder for lightening favorite recipes and relied heavily on the Community for midweek inspiration! I also attribute my weight loss and maintenance directly to the support of my Leader as well as the support and camaraderie that I received at my meetings each week.

As I look back, I realize that the piece of the puzzle that had always been missing in my weight battle was the feeling of sharing my struggles with a group of like-minded people. I always isolated myself, feeling shame for my situation rather than asking for and taking the help I needed.

Fabulous at 50
I love the fact that I turned 50 this year and wore a bikini to the beach. I haven't worn one since I was 18 years old! Even better is knowing that I am an inspiration to my entire family, my profession and my clients. I give hope to some when they thought there was none, and that gives me the biggest thrill of all.

Teresa’s tips
Don’t wait for life to give you the right conditions to lose the weight. It will never happen. Start now, work through the challenges and stay committed to your goals
Make use of the meetings and the friends from those meetings because they will pick you up and dust you off when you fall
Create a strong catalog of meals you love to eat. Eat only what you truly love and the plan will be a joy
Should you decide to give the plan a try, give it everything you’ve got