Good Morning, I have been going to WW on and off for years, but anyway this is my first time back this year. I've been going since January and im at a stand still. I'm starting to HATE meetings and I have realized that the only reason that I go is for the Scale. I hardly ever stay for meetings. It's crowed with the weight in line while the meeting is going on, and it's just the same only stuff. I was wondering does or has anyone did this on there own? If so how did it go. And I do know about online WW but to me that is the same as doing it on my own because meeting support is no help to me. And there is no other meeting places in my town. Any advice will be great. Thanks

Whatever works Kelly

I know for me doing it alone will never work, I just know me and my behavior, I need to sit for that 1/2 or 1 hour among a group of people who are just like me.

I have an idea.
Start a thread of what your eating, along with exercise, I'm sure this site can keep you on track and pick one day to weigh in and report it back here.
We can all watch what your doing..

to me that sounds like a plan.

Do a daily post, "Kelly's Day"

I have never been to a meeting, I ordered what they call "Weight Watchers at Home". I received a points slider, an activity slider, a dining out book, a general points book, along with a few other items.

I reached goal and am currently on maintenance, I don't feel that I have missed anything by not attending meetings or doing the on-line thing. This site and a few others have been a HUGE help!

Since you have been to meetings before, you should have everything you need to know how to "work" the program. If you don't feel the meetings are helping, give it a try on your own.

My biggest suggestion would be to make sure you have an accurate, dependable scale.

Good Luck!

If you think you can do it alone, I would. I stopped going to the meetings for the same reason. I got tired of everything being repeated. My favorite saying was the "people who attend ww meetings lose 3X as much as people doing it alone", whatever. I lost 60 pounds by myself without the meeings and kept it off for about 2 years (til I got pregnant again). I think as long as your strict on yourself you'll be fine. Pay yourself the $40 you would normally give ww and when you hit goal you have money to go shopping with.

I think I've posted before that I have been going it alone and I've lost 42 lbs. so far since 1/24. It can be done. There are several of us now on it from church and we decided to get together before Tues. eve. service for support. I'm in school and a stay at home mom so I don't have the extra cash right now for meetings.

I too as of this morning will be going solo without the meetings due to financial difficulties.I have alot to loose but unfortunately for me I was seeing no difference in my weight loss from attending the meetings thru now.I believe it is up to me! Either I choose to follow the given plan or I will indeed fail.We all make excuses but in the end it truely is up to us and how serious we are about the weight loss and then following the plan.By attending the meetings I enjoyed the leader but half of her half an hour was just giving out the stickers!! And recognition. Not much information was actually learned or was not already in our booklets.The meetings have so many people in them it is stand in room only.No one gets to know you personally anyway.If anything they probally just knows who sits in the seat by them.I wish it were more social,more educational,involve the group,make new friends, not just to give out stickers.That part could be done by the scale weigher.Would be nice if people shared more among the group what works for them.Learn by word of mouth and actions too.Make it fun!! So you actually want to be there!!Make you feel you are actually getting something for your money spent.No wonder those stickers are silver and gold!!

I dont stay for the meeetings, this is my meeting.Only the scale at the meeting is why i don't do it alone. I am not at that point of my weight watchers lifestyle to toss that part of the accountability to the wind.

But i share,vent,smile and clap for everyone here at my little weight watchers meeting.

Perhaps why it seems like the same thing is repeated is,for new members or fairly new members.

I like my meetings and I know I could do it alone but I prefer to go. I'm a former lifetimer who wont have to pay after 3 more 1bs of loss unless I gain again. I dont think WW is exspensive compared to lots of other programs and if like me you need to pay to loose its a bargain. I think to get extra years on my life of good health is worth millions. I cant believe how happy I am since I joined back up 17 weeks ago. I intend to go to meeting after I get to goal too. Its will make me weigh in and hopefully inspire others.

Gosh and my meetings here are so different, the leader Ihave spends a whole hr with us, if we need to stay longer, she'll do that for us.

At the very end of the meeting thats when she does the weigh losses, and hands out the stickers, and keychains.....

For me, and only me, I have to go weekly, I can spend $12.00 a day on chocolate so its not a big price for me to pay. I'm lifetime at goal (under goal acutally) and I no longer have to pay that weekly fee.

Its worth going only to become a lifetime member.
the trick is now to stay at this goal weight, and if I go weekly which I intend to keep doing, I know this time around I will keep it off.

I'm sick and tired of being a yoyo......

I have to say I need the meetings. Not so much for the actual topic, but to stay accountable. There are times when the topic will spark something in me, but I've probably heard each topic at least 8 times, so most of the time I sit there and daydream out the window (I'm not a morning person either). If the topic is interesting, then I raise my hand participate. I go for the scale, to face people and look them in the eye. Someone always asks me how I did every week, so if I gain, I'm embarrassed (which I need). When I stopped going to meetings back in 2004, I quickly discovered I couldn't do it on my own, but as I kept gaining, I was too embarrassed to go back and let everyone see that I had gained so much. I just wish I had gone back sooner or that I had never quit. I'm a cheater and openly admit it. I just need the meetings and probably always will.

I just started back to meeting tonight. I finally realized that doing it alone was not working and I need, what I call, accountability. I was not that thrilled about the leader tonight, but I am open and will keep positive, even though her voice was mono tone :) I am going to do this. My brother has been on WW since the beginning of the year and is down 55 lbs. If he can do this everyone can.

Dear Kellysbell,

I MUST have my meetings. I have tried it alone; on and off for 30 YEARS! Obviously if I could have done it alone I would be thin by now! Sadly this is not the case (for me).

Once again you will hear me say that it is individualistic! In the health field we would call this idiosyncratic or pertaining to the individual. That we are! Individuals.

So there you have it! Some of us can do it alone and others can not.

Perhaps times have changed and the use of the computer as mini- meetings will be/are a GREAT substitute! Maybe because we did not have such when I was doing WW many times before! Less advantage and tools back then compared to now!

Perhaps it is because I have an addicitive personality and require the simultaneous use of a 12 step program! Perhaps this explains why I can not do it alone!

In any case I too need my meetings. I wish I did not, but I do. I have learned to accept that I need them and ENJOY them! I look forward to them. I participate inthemas much as I do on this site! In fact I have a thread called "Review of WW Topic week ending ???" You may have seen it. So if you are not going to the meetings you may want to visit that thread.

On the other hand if you feel you have heard it all before (at WW), then you might as well by pass that thread.

Patty has a wonderful thread called Beck's Diet. It is amazing how similar it is to WW. Yet it has its own flavor!

I would suggest that those who do not attend meetings become active on one or both of these threads to discuss meeting topics that will help you to loose wt and to maintain wt loss.

Face it! Most of us have lost wt before and we know how to do it. Keeping it of is the real problem. Because we don't stay for the meetings (yes I was guilty of that too) or practice what we are taught, when we get to goal (IF we ever do), we don't stay there, because we have not learned HOW along the way!

Sticking to the food program can be problematic along the way. All the questions that are asked on this site are answered by WW topics weekly. However, the Internet (this and other sites including WW) and Beck's book give us answers to our problems and questions very QUICKLY. So it is VERY possible that many of you will do better (than I or others did) alone; not going to WW meetings; as this site/internet/networking may serve as a good subustitute for YOU!

I say:
1.. Give it a try and KNOW that if it does not work well that you will need to return to WW meetings. If it works great than proceed, be happy and feel lucky that it works alone for you.
Caution for this decision:
KNOW the downside of this decision is that you may NEVER make it back (to WW)! or you may not get back for MANY years and gain much wt and then some.

2. If you KNOW or BELIEVE that you need to be with people physically and like the social aspect of meeting others in person at WW meetings even if you are not doing well then perhaps staying is best for you.
Drawback to this decision: You may feel bad that you HAVE to go back, it will cost you more money and you will have to devote at least 1 to 2 hours per week to attend a meeting and don't forget the cost of gas.

3. $$$ is a problem for many. Then use all the tools that the FREE intenet provides and do the best you can.

MAIN THING/Theme:
DO someting!
Don't give up!
BE ACTIVE!
Do not lurk only!
Do not sit only!
Do not read only!
DO SOMETHING! Get a thread going of your favorite topic! Look at the role models at the WW meetings and on this or other sites! What are they doing that you are not?

For me posting is a God send!
For me this site is a God send!
For me the electronic tracing of the calorie-count site is a God Send!
For me being motivated to exercise (by Akus and Tammy from this site only 6 weeks ago) is a God send.
For me using recipes from this site (AIMEE) and WW is a blessing.
For me sharing is a gift.

For me tracking and water intake to two essentials that I need to improve upon, but the help of WW meetings and this site has helped tremendously!

All in all I use every tool I can afford to use, because I can not afford not to. My health is at risk otherwise.

Bottom line I wish we had the internet when I first came to WW 30 yrs ago. Who am I to say it won't work for you?

Let us know what helps you works for you. Stay very active on this site! (I know you aleady are Kellysbell).

Love to you
Prayers for your right decision for YOU

JeanCat

I too have decided to stop going to meetings. I was having the same problem, not getting anything from the meetings and although I really like my leader and the people there, I wasn't getting much from the topics and I was only going for the scale. And due to financial reasons I just couldn't justify paying that monthly fee anymore. I went out and bought a WW scale at Walmart for less than the cost of a monthly meeting fee and will be weighing in at home every week.

Stay Focus Girls you can do it !!! We are in this together and together we can look and feel great.