New Year, New Start

The line would have been out the door except that it was bitter cold outside, so instead it snaked around the small reception area until it was clogged. Can we say, the first day of Weight Watchers meetings for 2008? I thought we could.

The receptionists recited the spiel over and over – here’s a clipboard with the registration form, there are different programs, how do you want to pay, here are your materials, how weekly registration works, are you staying for the meeting? They kept running out of clipboards and soon most of the chairs were taken.

I have to admit that I felt pretty smug since I knew the ropes, was there exactly when the center opened so I didn’t have to wait long in line (which I hate doing), and even had a small weight loss this week. The new folks were nervous and excited, anxious to hear about successes and how the program would almost magically make the weight fall off. Well, it doesn’t work quite like that.

But people joining WW – or any other weight loss program on January 2 – bring a commitment to really work the program as it was written, and not as it was modified over weeks and months and years by sometimes blasse dieters. Yeah, yeah, I know this is a food plan and not a diet, but it still is a diet. We lose track of portions, journaling, better food choices. We get complacent.

Our WW leader had us come up with one thing we want to accomplish by the end of 2008 and then one thing we will do this week to help us get closer to that goal. There are 52 weeks in the year, lots of time to accomplish big things, a little at a time. I’m not going to say what my goal is because I don’t want to jinx it.