I found out a couple of weeks ago my meeting time is being discontinued. Our leader said that because of the economy membership in WW is down and they are having to cut meetings all over the country. My leaders had two different meeting times and they are cutting both of them.

I'm paid through the end of Nov. and I'm debating taking a little break and maybe just tracking online by paying the etools fee. I'm at a place right now where I am not all that dissatisfied with my size (I WAS a size 24W and now I'm 16W). Super-thinness is not my goal and I'd be perfectly happy as a size 12 or even 14. I almost want to take the little break to see if I can successfully maintain the weight that I've lost for a couple of months before embarking on "Weight Loss Part Deux" after the first of the year.

Has anyone ever lost weight this way? I just read the book *The Adventures of Diet Girl" where author Shauna Reid took FIVE YEARS to lose all her weight and has kept it off successfully.

i don't know.......that certainly is a tough decision. i guess, if you decide to go it yourself. be prepared to go back if you find it isnt working. you have come so far! i also tried to maintain on my own and i gained it all back. doesnt mean you will. just want to share my experience.

I'm just in this mode where I want to "maintain" for a bit. We will see how Thanksgiving goes, though! I remember last year I think I gained 3 lbs. over that weekend. I've just noticed that I'm EXACTLY halfway to my goal, too. Not sure if that's a coincidence or not.

You do know they are releasing the new program the end of the month?I would want meetings for that.I understand getting attached to one leader,I had the same problem.

i forgot about that too. i am doing this online right now because i did the program for 2 years and lost 160lbs, i felt confident i would be fine on my own, until i had to maintain, that was the part i couldnt get. but now, i dunno, may have to go back to learn it all over again with this new program coming.

my problem is i'm so embarrassed that i gained it back....... i have no problem swallowing sweets, fats and carbs! why is pride so difficult?!

It's taken me six years to lose 85 lbs. There've been month-long and even a couple year-long stretches without any weight loss, but I haven't regained in that time (my weight fluctuates, but I've never gone more than two or three weeks without getting my weight back to it's lowest point).

I've been member of WW and other weight loss groups at least a couple dozen times in the past. Whenever I quit to "do it on my own," I never did. I'd regain all the weight and usually extra to spare. This last time has been different (sort of), but I still can't call it a roaring success.

My husband and I were members of WW, but we couldn't afford the meetings for both of us, so we joined TOPS. Hubby hated it, and persuaded me to quit with him to "do it on our own."

That was about 18 months ago. Hubby and I each have lost a little more weight, but not much. I recently decided that I just do so much better with the weekly support and the accountability of a weigh-in. I suspect that I might need that support/accountability forever. Hubby isn't going with me (I'm hoping he changes his mind eventually, because he did a lot better when he was in a group too).

We still can't afford for both of us to go to WW, so I suggested that hubby go to WW (which he preferred) and I go to TOPS (which I prefer), but he wants to do it on his own, so I go to TOPS without him (I don't drive, so the doofus sits in the car and reads).

I'm not saying any of this applies to you. There are a lot of people here who did do it on their own after leaving an in-person group, or without ever being in such a group. 3FC provides a lot of the support that an in-person group would provide, but for me I also need the weekly weigh-in. It helps me avoid "just one day off won't hurt" thinking.

The only way you'll know if you do as well on your own is to try.

I'd wait to get the printed stuff on the new program. I always thought it was a bit of a ripoff you don't get the books with the online program.