May 21, 2005 – Week 0 – Weigh In

This is how it works:

You first have to pay for a membership fee of $45.00 CDN. For a weekly fee of $13.00 CDN (in the summer there will be a lump sum price that will reduce the total fees), you go and weigh in. For the first 13 weeks, they will give you some brochures and stamp and document your progress in a little book. If you miss a week or weigh in, you still have to pay the weekly fee. I believe if you miss 4 weeks, you have to re-join and pay the membership fee and start all over.

According to the initial “welcome” book, there is a recommended appropriate weights for groups of people. The Weight Watchers Weight Ranges are based on the Body Mass Index (or BMI).

These are the recommended weight goals (in pounds)

YVONNE – 146 pounds based on height of 5’4″
HART – 182 pounds based on height of 6’1″

Apparently, If you reach your recommended goal, you can become Life Members of Weight Watchers and never have to pay a fee ever again. The catch is, that you (naturally) have to maintain those recommended weights, and still attend the weigh ins at least once a month.

What you don’t want to do .. is be considered “obese”. In general terms, doctors tend to consider you obese if you are at least 20% over the recommended weight of your age group based on your age and height. The Obese weights would seem to be:

YVONNE – 146 x 120% = 175 pounds
HART – 182 x 120% = 218 pounds

To start, you weigh in. This is your initial weight. The first goal to losing weight, is 10% of this figure. If you reach it, you get a keychain reward, and you make another goal to work for. This was our official “initial weigh-ins”

YVONNE – 179.2 pounds –> 10% goal (18) pounds to lose
HART – 291 pounds –> 10% goal (29) pounds to lose

This would then follow, that the following is our long-term weight loss goals….

YVONNE – 179.2 less 146 = 33.2 pounds
HART – 291 less 182 = 109 pounds

Well, apparently I am obese. I thought I was about 40-45 pounds overweight. Now the world knows it. But, let’s work with step one – Goal #1 – 10% … and see how it goes.

HART