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After

Before	Name Karen Age 34 Height 5'8" Was 253 lbs Lost   91.8 lbs* Weight 161.2 lbs *Results not typical.
Karen credits Weight Watchers meetings with giving her the willpower to not just lose 90 pounds but return to college as well.

Karen is a rare member who didn't join the program out of a strong desire to lose weight. The 34-year-old recalls, "Being 5'8" and 253 pounds didn't bother me. So in August 1999, when a friend asked if I wanted to accompany her to a meeting, my initial response was I didn't want to sit around listening to a bunch of overweight people complain about what they can and can't eat." Still, she went to that fateful meeting, lost five pounds the first week and by December 2000 reached her goal of 170. She's since dropped another 8.8 pounds. Karen's explanation for her success: "I was open to the process."

Weight Watchers: What were the high points of your weight-loss experience?

Karen: Attending the meetings. I still go every week. The members and I share a common bond. And I always learn things I can apply to other areas of my life. For example, I've learned not to give up whether my goal is losing weight or going back to college to get my degree even though I have a full-time job as an administrative assistant.

Weight Watchers: What's the hardest time of day for you to stay "on Plan"?

Karen: Mid-afternoons. My solution is to eat at two-hour intervals. I have breakfast when I get to work, a snack at 11, lunch at 1, a snack at 3, another at 5 before I head to school, and dinner when I get home.

Weight Watchers: What sort of situations or feelings do you think triggered your overeating?

Karen: Whenever I was sad I'd eat. A painful breakup caused me to gain 25 pounds. Now when I'm tempted to eat out of emotion I ask myself, "Do I really want this?" And if I do succumb, I no longer dive into a bag of chips but microwave popcorn.

Weight Watchers: What social situations prompt you to go off-Plan? How do you cope with them?

Karen: A party where food is displayed buffet-style is my Achilles' heel. I go to the food once, take small portions of several things I like, then stay away from the table for the rest of the night. So variety but less quantity is my answer.

Weight Watchers: Have you taken up any new activities?

Karen: I used to make excuses to avoid exercise. Like a friend once asked if I wanted to train for a marathon and I said, "This body wasn't made for running." Now I go rock climbing, biking and roller-blading. Who knows — a marathon might be in the cards.

Weight Watchers: How would you complete this phrase: "You know you're a member when…"

Karen: You look at the amount of food on someone's plate and go, 'Ugh, oh, that's two meals right there!'

Karen's Tips:

• Drink your water.
  
  
• Believe in yourself. You can do it. The process works.
  
  
• Use the tools and recipes Weight Watchers offers to help keep you on track.
  
  
• Don't just Weigh-in at meetings. Sit down, listen to other people. You'll learn from them.
  
  

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