Celebrating a Birthday......

I was four years old when Jean Nidetch began her journey and founded Weight Watchers. In the context of history, it is an amazing accomplishment. Women in that time were not free to do many things, and she went against the grain and grew a business that now operates in over fifteen (15) countries!

I was 61 when I became involved in a version of Weight Watchers that may or may not have been the vision Jean Nidetch. I joined WW during the Wellness Wins days. These days were short lived relative to the history of Weight Watchers itself. It was a period of transition for them and an opportunity for me to become involved in an organization that at that time lined up with my values. It allowed me to become part of what was then known as the four pillars of sleep, mindset, activity and food. These pillars were front and center and part of the literature delivered by WW at that time. When they shifted back to WW in the context of Weight Watchers once again, I had to navigate the shift where Weight Watchers is shaped by the four pillars, but they yet are not front and centre in the same ways and Weight plays a more central role.

I celebrate that I was able to join this organization and be welcomed from the perspective of my wanting to explore living a healthy lifestyle which looks after my sleep, activity, mindset and food intake. I came to the organization as a person who did not focus on weight (I weighed myself once per year on the 4th of November) and one who continues to believe my weight health will be where it needs to be as I live a balanced life and take care of my physical needs for movement and food intake. I see myself as a COVID baby of WW where there were no in-person workshops across the country. I am privileged to have the offers of both worlds (in person and virtual). My experience for the most part is from the world of zoom.

What I celebrate is the vision of Jean Nidetch to bring together people to link arms with one another. Supporting each to the other in navigating a journey. In her context it was and is a weight loss journey. In my context it is a lifestyle journey which has as one of its outcomes a healthy weight.

What is so amazing about WW is how we can meet one another through zoom. We live across the country, and I have had the privilege to meet people internationally. I have connected to people in Australia, England, the United States and Canada. I have made so many friends across Canada

Last year I enjoyed a meet up in Newfoundland where people from coast to coast to coast were together. I am about to embark on a journey of meeting some of the people in the squares of my zoom world in person,

Life with WW (Weight Watchers) has allowed my life to be more beautiful. I celebrate Jean Nidetch, the birthday of Weight Watchers and am grateful to each and every coach who has crossed my path. I am also grateful for each a person on my zoom screen. You have changed my life and allowed me to grow into a better person so thank you.

In a couple of weeks, I am celebrating my 66 Birthday, and I will be on a journey of meeting a number of WW folks in person. Staying with them and getting to know each one of them better. Life is beautiful. My life is filled with so many blessings.