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A letter from Deb Wright
Weight Watchers of Philadelphia
General Manager
Dear WW Philadelphia Member,
The people around us who love, support, and care for us are an important part of our weight loss success and maintenance. The people closest to us usually want to be the most supportive and helpful but they have been conditioned by our prior weight-loss experiences.
The first time I lost weight, darling husband was very verbal in his praise. While he had always loved me, thick or thin, he was very proud of how I looked at my lower weight. Then as every wise spouse should be, he was very quiet when I gained it back, plus some.
Letting those closest to us know how they can support us can be very helpful. Hoping for a walking partner after dinner? It’s not going to happen unless you ask. Need the spouse or significant other to not indulge in certain foods in front of you? You need to request this change, they can’t read our minds. It’s also a great idea to let them know when you have extra POINTS left that you’d like to use them for a shared indulgence.
Co-workers and more distant relatives can be more challenging. Assume they mean the best for you. You placing that positive spin on the comment or action frees you from the feeling of not being supported from someone whose support probably doesn’t mean that much to you anyway.
In today’s world with instantaneous communication, we hear the “opinion” of others all the time. The newscasters, the podcasters, celebrities, and social media influencers. These people become part of our circle and influence our thoughts and actions about our own weight-loss and maintenance because we allow the messaging to influence us.
There’s that famous celebrity family who made large backsides a desirable thing. – Thank you for that. We hear others who scream about their good health at double or triple their healthy weight recommendation. It’s confusing and hurtful.
My newest confusion is about the celebrities that have never appeared to be over goal weight, the smallest amount maybe. Then, we hear they’ve had weight-loss surgery or are using other medical interventions for weight-loss. I’m not sure this is a good message for any of us.
Weight-loss no matter the method is hard work. I have never wished a new Member “good luck” because luck has nothing to do with it. Our effort and consistency have everything to do with it.
Weight Watchers workshops are where a trusted community of other Members share their thoughts and ideas every week. If you haven’t been to one lately, email me at debw@wwphl.com and I’ll arrange for you to come as my guest.
Have a great week,
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