Hello,
I am a lifetime member of WW and have had many ups and downs. Unfortuantely because I stopped going to the meetings and thought I could do this myself I gained 15 pounds again. For months I told myself I can do this myself and I don't need to pay money (the weekly fees) and start again. Well after coming home from a trip to NY I realized I was out of control. I was eating those big NY bagels all day and I knew what I was doing but I was depressed. Well finally after mentally torturing my husband about it which I know sounds awful I went back Saturday. I tortured him by screaming and ranting and raving around the house because I was so depressed and miserable and in my heart I guess I felt he should help me or do something or maybe I wanted him to be miserable too because I felt soo bad. Well that was it I realized how much I hated myself and how much I was hurting my sweet husband because I couldn't admit I needed to help myself. Well I know all of this sounds so sad and sick but I was. So Saturday I went back and I feel so much better like g-d has lifted a weight off my shoulder. I am finally helping myself again and just by going back I am a different person and my husband is grateful. The reason why I am telling everyone this is because if your story is like mine don't kid yourself if you need to go back and pay the money and get group help. Sometimes it is worth all the money in the world when you can't help yourself. I am motivated but scared because I know we all have ups and downs and sometimes I will lose and sometimes I won't but I am not alone. Thank you for listening Frankie.

Hi Frankie! I totally agree with you. I am also a lifetime member. I originally lost 38 pounds. I quit going to meetings and regained 10. I kept telling myself that I could loose it without the meetings, but I cant do it alone. I went back to my meetings and am now 1 pound from being within range and 3 from being back to goal. The other thing that has helped me is the support I get from the people here.

Frankie,

I agree with you. I originally lost 75 lbs to get to goal and lifetime. I think I only maintained for 6 months, then gradually the weight kept creeping up. Long story short, I gained it all back and then some. When I re-joined in May of 1998, I was determined. I lost 56 lbs, then went on vacation in August of 1999. I never went back to meetings because "I knew what I had to do". Knowing what I had to do made me gain back 30 of the 56!! I am now back at meetings and although I haven't lost, the support has helped me get myself back on track. I also purchased the 12 week journal and have committed to writing everything down (including too much wine I had last night)

This is a journey that we are all on together and these boards are so helpful, but so are the meetings!!

Good luck to you.

Felicia

Well, you got that right!

I too am returning after a year of "I can do it". Gained almost 10 lbs. after an initial 30 lb. loss. I do find though that I don't have near the enthuiasum that I did first time round. But hey, I wont' let that stop me.

Good Luck to All,

Jan

Frankie, what really struck me about your post is that you feel like the weight has been lifted from your shoulders. I know exactly what you mean by that! Just by doing something, taking charge I have felt that weight being lifted. Congratulations on getting back to WW! Have a great week, Flib

Agreed absolutely. I went back, got lucky and got a great leader and not just that but a great group of fellow losers.

As a group we are having great success --- and it's contagious. I love my WW group. Also, I made the decision that I will become a WW lifetimer and always attend meetings, and not miss any. Before, I thought I felt I could give up the meetings once I lost weight. I did lose on my own after I learned the program --- but the weight came back. I realized I had to return and I am so glad I did.

Good for us!

Felicia & Frankie,

Have your stories ever hit home. Isn't it amazing how we always think we got this thing beat!

Now, I do not feel as bad re-joining again next week. I would so like to see what it would be like to reach goal. I have managed to keep about 23 pounds off, but have put 16 back on. Have another 50 to go. Long trip!

Good luck to all of us.

Tarus

Dear All,

Just wanted you all to know that going (and staying) at the meetings does work. Last week I really committed myself to doing this program and it worked!!

I lost 3.8 this week. I just planned every day and stayed away from all the junk I was eating!!

Felicia

Congratz on you weigh loss. You are an inspiration to us all!!! My big challenge today will be to journal for the WHOLE day, not till 3:00pm as my norm.

Keep us posted...

Jan

This time, I needed something to motivate me so I purchased the 12 week journal to give me something "different" about the program. It's really neat and it has a place to keep track of your weight loss, measurements, etc.

Since I already plan my weekly dinner menu, I automatically put it in this book so that I would know each day how many points I was having for dinner and then I'd know what to have the rest of the day. This worked for me because dinner is usually my biggest meal.

Something I also started this week was exercise!!! I've done this so many times without exercise, but I know that at 42, the exercise really helps. My Mom purchased a "Life Walker" for me and it is great. So I try to get up before my 2 teenagers during the week, I do just 20 minutes. Then if I feel like it, after dinner I do another 20.

I'll keep you posted. I need all the support I can get!

Hi All!

Boy this post really hit home. Your stories are the same as my story. Reached LT in October, 2000 and maintained thru the holidays. Since then, I've put on 18 lb of the 102 originally lost. As I was driving by the WW center I attend, on a whim I decided it was time to stop....stop fighting the ups and downs in my weight...stop using food as an excuse....and stop and talk to my leader and make the committment to lose this extra poundage again! I really felt better. I thought I'd be looked upon as a failure, but I wasn't. She was so helpful and supportive that I feel I've got the motivation I had when I started OP over 2 years ago!

Best of luck to all of you and keep us posted on your successes! Even if the successes are small, we are here to support you and cheer you on!

Karen

I am coming to believe that the ONLY way to succeed long-term in this struggle of mine is to view myself as a recovering food abuser, and think of this as a lifelong problem, like alcoholism or drug addiction. Successful recovering alcoholics don't stop going to AA (or whatever program has guided and supported them) once they've made it, say, a year without a drink! They know that recovery is a lifelong process and that every day has the potential to be a sober day or a drunk day.

And, by the way, I've never had a diagnosed eating disorder--I am talking about simple overeating to the tune of 50 excess pounds. I still have to regard myself as a food abuser.
Once I've reached goal, I plan to keep attending WW faithfully at least every couple of weeks. It's not like it even costs anything at that point, if you stay on program and under your goal weight, so what excuse could I possibly have for not continuing to go?

Shakethosehips --

Trust me, I thought the same thing and those excuses do pop up. I never thought that I would quit going as I attended EVERY MEETING until I reached LT. But, since the thrill of weighing in and seeing how much you lost (or gained) was gone, the ambition to attend just a meeting was gone too. The important thing is I (and I am sure everyone else) learned from this and are making the attempt to correct it and get back in line (literally). Best of luck to you and I sincerely hope you can hold to your ideals about continuous attendance.

Karen

Hi, Karen--

To call my commitment an "ideal" seems to imply that I'm being unrealistic. Actually, what I'm doing is finally taking a clearheaded look at myself and admitting the very challenging truth: I have a serious problem that will require vigilant attention for the rest of my days. I know that I can't make excuses for myself missing regular meetings now or once I get to goal, or I will certainly, definitely, positively backslide.

Meetings aren't the final purpose of the WW program. They're just a tool to help us reach a goal, which is staying on program and achieving and maintaining healthy eating habits. Some people do fine without that weekly accountability and group support, but all of us in this thread have said we need meetings to keep us on track. We know that when we skip this step, we are likely to resume the way-off-program overeating that leads to the kind of rapid regain you experienced. With that in mind, I hardly think it's being idealistic for me to say I will be attending meetings for the rest of my life. I think it's being responsible, accountable and dedicated...finally.

Not being willing to make a permanent, lifelong commitment--which, in this group's case, certainly seems to include regularly showing up at WW--is giving ourselves permission to go seriously off program and head straight back to our old destructive eating patterns, as you found out during the last three months...and I've already found out through painful experience. I know it's easy to make excuses; I've been there. I'm just not interested in being there anymore.

Good luck to you.

Frankie, well you are so right. And I have the four pound loss to prove it. I went back to meetings after 3 months of doing it on my own, and after two weeks of meetings and something clicking, I am much more motivated, less likely to con myself and 4 pounds lighter.

I highly recommend to anyone struggling see if you can fit it in, it may be worth the time and money.

I will also be hoping that I maintain using the meetings as well. Fortunately, my Monday group is the best and I now wonder why I was not going.

Liza