Ok I am going to say it: My husband is cheap! There..it's done, LOL.
I am considering joining WW and have done some research. From what I have gathered I can get most, if not all the info I need online. I can get a starter kit on ebay. And I have this wonderful group.
My question? My husband is wondering if I can get all this online, why go to and pay for the meetings?
I've looked at the local WW and their meeting times aren't convenient for me. I would need to go on Sat mornings at 8am (and I can say with all honesty....not going to happen). I have already committed to 3 days a week at the gym for the last 7 months.
Do I need to pay for the meetings? What would I gain?
Meetings really help me. It keeps me focused and accountable to myself. Knowing I will be going and weighing in every week just reminds me of why I am doing this.
I have a friend that was going to meetings with me for a couple months. While she was going, she was loosing weight. Then she couldn't afford it and has been trying to do it at home with very little success.
I think it kinda depends on each person though. Maybe you could try it at home without meetings and see how you do. If you arn't doing as well as you would like then maybe try out meetings for a month or so and see how you like that.
I went to meetings for about 8 months....my leader I had (before she moved and went to another center too far for me to drive) was simply amazing. I was on the core plan and she was too so she really didn't promote WW's treats/processed foods. When she moved I tried to stick it out but the leaders that took over for her weren't doing it for me so I've been doing it at home, with much success
So it depends on you! If you do decide on going the monthly pass is a much cheaper route than paying per meeting.
Meetings do help me, especially the accountability of the weigh-in. I lose more predictably and consistently when I am attending a group.
I also enjoy the group. The sharing and comparing of experiences, and advice. The chatting, the recipes, the seeing friends losing, even the friendly competition....
For me, though the program information was not nearly as vital. It didn't have to be a WW group, it just had to be a group - so I joined TOPS.
TOPS is a nonprofit weight loss group, and the costs are a fraction of WW. The yearly national dues are something like $25 (and include a monthly magazine) and every group determines their own monthly chapter dues (usually $5 or less per month in most areas).
Usually groups charge a fine for weight gain (in our local group it was a dime per pound. In my old group in IL the fine was a quarter for any gain).
We had games and contests and challenges (with trinket and cash prizes), and there are rallies and conventions (optional), and many groups sponsor charities. Each group is self-governing and they're run much like church groups and civic organizations and any private club (elections of officers are held every year for Leader, Co-Leader, Treasurer, Secretary. Minutes of the meeting are held).
In TOPS, you can follow any diet plan you choose - though TOPS does stress "sensible" plans. In every group I've ever been there's always been a variety of plans being followed, with Weight Watchers, exchange plans and calorie counting being the most common plans followed.
I let hubby persuade me to quit our group. It made sense at the time. We had a schedule conflict that came up at least once a month, and we were officers in the club (hubby was treasurer, and I was co-leader). About 3/4 through our term, a few of the older ladies (mostly one who was a founding members) started giving hubby a hard time about how he was doing the job. The leader and the rest of the group were happy with the changes he made (he was a lot more organized than the previous treasurers), but some of the older members didn't like it (I think just because it had changed, not because the change itself was bad).
Hubby got really frustrated, and then angry and we ended up leaving the group. There aren't any other groups that meet at a convenient time for us, so I've tried to do it on my own - and it is much slower.
Hubby's argument, every time I bring up rejoining WW or trying to find a TOPS group maybe a couple towns over - he gripes that we don't need to spend the money, because we can do it just as well on our own (but we never do).
He actually prefers Weight Watchers to TOPS. With TOPS there are more in-group politicking going on - because it's run like a civic organization. The policies can change and there's more opportunity for conflict and interpersonal tension (hubby wants a group that just says "do this" and he'll decide whether or not to do it). He was also annoyed by the "coffee klatch" atmosphere. He always complained that the people who complained the most about the job he was doing as treasurer, where the ladies who had been members for 30 years (and you knew it because they told you every meeting) but were still at least 50 lbs from their goal weight.
I've tried to tell him that all TOPS groups are not the same (but that annoys him too - because he thinks they should all be run exactly the same).
As I said, he prefers WW, but we really can't afford for both of us to go - which would also end up with one of us sitting in the car.
None of this applies to you, of course - but you can see how the decision can be complicated.
It's really important to find a good group and leader you click with. I leave meetings feeling uplifted, refreshed, motivated, and generally ready to go! But a while back I was going to a different meeting. My leader was really drab and depressing and I felt like every meeting just turned into "lets b!tch about our aweful lives." Needless to say, I left the meetings feeling depressed, sluggish, and I was generally doing aweful on the program. Finding a group you click with is very important! I go to saturday meetings and I make that whole day my "reset" day: starting with the meeting, then i go grocery shopping, then I work out, and then I get on 3FC and WW.com for a while to get ideas and recipes and whatnot. It's my ME day.
Sometimes you end up paying more for the starter kit on ebay than at WW. I've seen it and laughed. If you are willing to do what is necessary to achieve weight loss, you won't rule out the 8 am Saturday meeting. Mine is at 8:30.
I lost 200 pounds going to meetings and I won't stop - been going since 1971, of course, I don't have to pay since I'm lifetime now. I wouldn't have been able to do it without my meetings.
Thanks everyone for all your support and information. Yesterday morning I woke up and decided that the only way I was going to lose this weight was to finally say "this isn't for anyone else! This is for me!"
I went online and found a meeting near me that started in just over an hour. They had other days/times but I decided to jump in the shower, dress and haul my fanny over there.
Loved the meeting. Loved the people and more importantly, I loved the sound of the program. I bought a starter kit and calculator (yes, much less expensive than on Ebay, LOL) and tonight (delay due to sick child yesterday pm) I am going thru the kit and info and am really excited!
I'm glad you went! My mother is a Lifetimer. She made it to goal 7 years ago, and has been going for free ever since then. She's 70, and she never misses a meeting. She's there to stay accountable and be a cheerleader for the newbies. A lot of people can do it successfully online only, though. If you can build a solid support group here or on WW online, that may be all you need, but if you feel motivated by the meetings and you find you are successfully losing weight by attending, I'd find a way to continue. I'm glad you enjoyed your first meeting, good luck!!
My problem is that I am not sure I like the group I attend and the leader.Igo on Friday mornings and find that it is hard for me to identify with the participants since they are older and most of them look like they are retired. Where are the young people? Do younger people usually go in the evenings?Maybe they are working on Friday mornings? I am on maternity leave and I can only go in the mornings or on saturdays....I'll try to check out another meeting next week...
What do the meetings really do?
Went to a meeting!
