Success Stories - Pam S.Please click on thumbnails to see the full size photo. Through-out my high school years I was a small size 7 (which was in the 70s.) That soon changed after I fell in what I thought was love and became married and pregnant at the age of 18. My weight fluctuated off and on throughout out my marriage needless to say I was not happy with myself and neither was my husband.. I tried those diets where you eat a big breakfast and fruit for lunch and a good healthy meal for supper but with two kids and a demanding husband wanting meat and potatoes every night for supper that soon became a disaster for me. As the years went by my weight got worse and unbeknown to me so did my marriage.... Deep down inside I was not happy with me in general and neither was my husband.. It got to the point where he did not even want to be seen with me because he said that I embarrassed him by being so fat and that he did not marry a fat person and he refused to live with someone who was fat and that I had better do something about it. Of course no one wants to hear those kind of things from anyone especially their husband of all people.. (What ever happened to FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE)? I had heard about Weight Watchers and decided to join. I was kind of skeptical at first and stayed to listen to what the lady up in front of me had to say.. I did not want anyone knowing why I was there, I felt fat and ugly both inside and out.. I started the program and along with walking things started working to my advantage until my husband told me we could no longer afford for me to go to these meetings, nor could we afford the kind of food that I had to have for the program so I quit going and that was the end of that and of course you and I know what happened next. Yep you are right the weight that I had lost, even though it was not much, came back on and then more on top of that. Needless to say I went back into the hiding mode again and Weight Watchers was not to be brought up in the house again. In 1998 I got divorced and moved on with my life... I became depressed and stopped eating.. I started losing weight and I thought oh wow this is great I was starting to look good and feeling good about myself again so I continued to not eat, after a while I started gaining weight again and once again putting on more than I had lost before... I was then wearing a size 10 very tightly.... I started dating a friend who I have known for about 15 years and we became closer and closer and he asked me to move in with him that was in April of 1999. Once again I started eating again and the weight was coming on again and I was outgrowing all of my clothes. I knew that I had to do something so I decided to once again to try joining Weight Watchers.. Since my boyfriend and I could talk about anything I decided that I would let him know what was going on with me and that I had decided to join Weight Watchers.. and guess what he was and still is behind me 100%!!!!! So in August 2000 I walked through the doors of Weight Watchers weighing in at 146.8 pounds.. as I listened to the instructor and all of the success stories the more I wanted it.. I thought I can do this, what have I got to lose??? I knew that all I wanted was to be the same size that I was in high school once again.. My first week I lost 3.2 pounds and thought hey great I am on my way to being a new me... I had lost my 10 percent within 8 weeks and had to make a decision on my goal weight.. At first I was not sure so I waited another week or so until I was sure. At 14 weeks I hit my goal of 123 pounds and I was looking good... I was getting so many comments on how good I look from so many people but I was still not satisfied with myself in general...so I kept on going... It has been 4 months now and I can get into a size 4 and 5 jeans, size 6 fits but they are big in the butt and around the waist. I am 5'3" and my waist is a size 26, I have decreased in bust size, in my stomach, legs and arms, I have never gained, I had always lost until last week when I went in and weighed and stayed the same. At first I didn't know if I was happy with that or disappointed. The rewards of this is being able to go straight to the smaller section of the clothing department when I go shopping, when before I had to go to the plus sizes (how embarrassing), the wonderful comments I get from family and friends whom I have not seen in a while and the most rewarding is the love and support I have gotten from my boyfriend. He has supported me through the whole process and has helped me by making sure that I keep track of my points and staying on the program. He has put up with me going crazy when I thought that I had gained and in the end not gaining. I want to say to those of you out there
who are in the program to stay with it. First of all I want to say to all of
you out there who are going through the program to stick with it IT REALLY WORKS
IF YOU WORK IT. I am not going to tell you that it is going to be easy because
everyone is different. For me it was fairly easy, once the weight started coming
off it just kept going. In a way it is like the Energizer Bunny. Once I started
putting fuel in my body the weight started coming off and it kept coming off.
First of all you have to want it bad enough to do it and to stick with it before
it will work. Everyone has their own way of working their programs and like
me you have to find what works for you and stick with it, but only you can it,
no one else can do it for you. In the end the rewards that you get will be the
most wonderful feelings ever. BELIEVE ME, I AM PROOF THAT IT DOES WORK!!!!!!
Now when I pass by a person I am proud because there have been times when they
have done a double take, and all I can think is YEAH I DID IT. I look at it
as being the NEW ME. Weight Watchers is my life now and I will never go back
to the OLD ME, that person does not exist anymore.. Second of all NEVER GIVE
UP!!!!!! I am leaving my name and email address for those of you who would
like to email me if you have any questions or comments. I will be happy to help
you in anyway that I can... Update 9/24/01 Hi
Everyone - Well it's been one year since I have joined the program and it has
been a memorable one. August 28th is my anniversary date of joining Weight Watchers.
WOW! It has been a year already, it's hard to believe that it has been one year
already....it went fast really...Well I finally got there. LIFETIME MEMBER and
loving it..I still go to the weekly meetings and weigh
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