So Long, Weight Watchers

My Weight Watchers membership officially ends tomorrow, but I've been to only one meeting in the past month. Interestingly, I've been losing more weight on my own than when I was attending. Despite my not wanting to pay fifty dollars a month (I had a less expensive introductory rate until this month), I have no regrets about joining and attending since September. I steadily, if slowly, lost weight over the holidays, and now that we are into the new year I'm dropping it even faster. Truly I credit WW for that, for re-educating me on proper nutrition and "temptation management". Before I joined, I was out of control with my eating and was getting virtually no exercise. Now I have learned portion control and, even more importantly, that fitness isn't just about weight. Another way to say it is that by focusing on what makes me happy, I will be more fulfilled in my life overall, which in turn will lead me to my best weight.

I will say, though, that I'm glad I left when I did. I don't care much about Oprah one way or the other -- if anything, I respect that she's come far from where she started and shares her fortune, but I've never watched any of her TV shows -- and now she is the spokesperson for WW's new "Beyond the Scale" initiative. One of the reasons that turns me off is that I saw a commercial a few days ago where she went on and on about being able to eat bread every day. I think -- and maybe this is just how I've come to view eating (and how I need to in order to successfully lose weight) -- that we need to focus less on food and place less importance on it. I've noticed lately that, where for most of my life I've thought about what food would be served at an event probably to the exclusion of almost everything else about the event, I no longer do that. Visions of pastry trays don't dance over my head -- finally! That may sound silly if you've never had to manage your weight, but trust me when I say it's a big deal.

Tomorrow is my weigh-in morning, and I'm excited. Yes, I know I am "more than just the number on the scale," but I have been working hard and that number is one measure of my success. And so I am grateful to Weight Watchers for helping me get on track, but I've got it from here.