Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

I was thinking about quitting Weight Watchers. It made perfect sense to me. I have been losing weight on my own. I don’t need to pay Weight Watchers to lose weight. I tried to explain it to Mike, but he floored me with his answer: “You’re not paying to lose weight. You’re paying for support.”

He’s right. All those people who are angry at Weight Watchers because they paid all that money and didn’t lose the weight need to remember that they weren’t paying for results; they were paying for support. You still have to do the work.

You’re not paying for an eating plan, either. No matter how much Weight Watchers tries to protect their patent on their Flex Points System, it’s not what you are paying for. Those books and the Points Slider are worthless if you don’t use them. If you are willing to follow a program, you can find a healthy plan that’s online and free.

Going to Weight Watchers is a weekly renewal of your commitment to yourself. It’s a reiteration of your goals and desires. It’s a chance to connect with others that feel the same way you do. You could do this for free also, but you would have to set up the time and find a place to meet. You’re paying for the support and the weekly fee is cheaper than the cover charge to most bars.

As you can imagine, my butt was on the scale the next morning at my Weight Watchers meeting.