Like nearly half of American women, I can be found 'dieting' any given day. My dieting status depends on a variety of whims and circumstance and they are always biggies like they way my pants fit that morning or what size I had to buy at the 'itty bitty european fashions' boutique.

I've tried some crazy diets. I've eaten combinations of beets, vanilla ice cream and hot dogs, I've detoxed with a product found on my local target shelf and I've burned more calories than I've eaten at the local Y. All silliness aside; all these planned worked; some better than others, but I always lost weight. The fixes were quick and satisfying I won't lie, but was the grouchiness, hunger and even (gasp!) gas worth it? Okay, yes, but my long winded point was that they weren't permanent or particularly pleasant!

Now I could be like any nutritionist or personal trainer and tell you to 'change your lifestyle' 'eat more vegetables' 'move more' or 'be balanced' but truth be told, most individuals need more structure and guidance than that. This brings me to a chilly February morning when my boss, our companies HR director, handed me a 'Weight Watcher's at Work' pamphlet and told me I was in charge of a company wide wellness initiative. With a 65% female demographic there is no shortage of Lean Cuisine and diet talk in our breakroom, so I sent out some feelers and found the group that would make up our first Weight Watchers group.

I had no plans to join this group. I had heard of Weight Watchers off and on, but it was always through an older teacher, my grandmother or a librarian type. I was 26 and only 10-15 lbs over my ideal weight, there was surely no place for me in a group full of middle aged ladies talking about cabbage soup recipes.

But lo and behold, as the group organizer I got to join for free. Free is my favorite price, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and go to my first Weight Watcher meeting.

I was nervous to attend my first meeting, but excited to see what it was all about. After we weighed in amongst good natured jokes and self depreciation I realized no matter what the background or age, we were all in the same exact boat. It also drove home that weight control and a healthy attitude about eating would follow me the rest of my life if I couldn't nip it in the bud ASAP! Diving deeper into the Weight Watchers program I didnt only learn about calorie and fat gram couting, but about how fiber, vegetables and lean dairy played important roles. The program forced me eat my veggies, DRINK MY WATER and held me acountable for using all my flex points on beer!

I will admit some of the motivation stickers and key chains or pure kitsch and a little old fashioned at best, but behind the tchotskies is a solid means of support, measurement and accountability. At the end of our 10 week program, I was 13 lbs lighter, had 14 new friends of all ages and still had my arsenal of 'weapons for my battle for a healthy lifestyle.

Program logistics 5 out of 5 stars

Weight Watchers image and marketing 1.5 out of 5 stars