The briefest of brief history as I understand it, Weight Watchers was formed in the early 1960's by an overweight housewife in the US and was successfully introduced into the UK 35 years ago. Weight Watchers have helped millions of people to lose weight using a combination of healthy eating advice and support from a leader, who has herself (most leaders are women) successfully lost weight through Weight Watchers.
Of course it can't lose the weight for you, if you're not determined to do it for yourself then you won't lose weight. For this reason when I tell you that I have been an on-off member of Weight Watchers for 20 years then please don't take this as a criticism of the company, more my pathetic will power and the desire sometimes to 'go it alone'. For the purpose of this review however I shall be talking primarily about my current sojourn with Weight Watchers, which has been since September 2008.
Joining Weight Watchers is an easy process; log onto www.weightwatchers.co.uk to find your local meeting, fill in a simple form and disclaimer once you get there and pay your registration fee. You're now a member! It costs around £15 to register and your weekly fee is then £5.50, although I doubt many people pay to register, as there are often coupons in the newspapers to join for free, or you can download one online.
I felt really nervous before my first meeting, but had been looking forward to it as I felt determined and eager to start eating more healthily. You are weighed before joining the other members for the weekly talk by the leader, the weighing process is semi private in that other members cannot see your actual weight but it feels as though they are observing for reaction as I do myself while queuing up. The meetings are very informal, although the leader has a set talk to run through there is always ample time for questions and personal comments or ideas. I find this an invaluable resource as even though I buy the Weight Watchers magazine and have numerous cookbooks there's nothing like picking up tips from more imaginative people in the same boat as me, only last week I was given the idea of stuffing butternut squash with a veggie mince and rice mixture which I successfully made for dinner yesterday.
At some point before or after your meeting you'll have a few minutes with the leader who will explain how the plan works and work out your daily points allowance. The plan has recently been updated but is basically the Weight Watchers points
