Weight Watchers program offered to students, faculty

For Georgia College community members looking for a way to lose weight in a more structured way the Weight Watchers Point Plus program is a way to do it.

Assistant Director of Wellness Programs Amy Whatley coordinates the weekly meetings that take place every Monday from noon to 1 p.m. at MSU Banquet Hall.

Weight Watchers was brought to campus two years ago. There are 28 members, five people from the community, four students, and the rest are faculty and staff. It makes it more convenient for the members to have Weight Watchers at work, according to Whatley.

The program is a way to promote and help students have a healthier lifestyle. It teaches them about proper nutrition and instructions on how to make healthier food choices. Whatley believes this program is definitely a benefit for students. The cost of being a member depends on the program chosen by the person. The 17-week program is $196 and the 12-week program is $144.

To be able to see the results of weight loss, the program emphasizes on food quantities taken every day. But this is also combined with daily exercise. It does not have to be going to the gym every day.

“Anything counts, like cleaning the house, yard work for 30 minutes a day, any of those activities that raise their heart rate a little bit counts for your daily activity,” Whatley said. Whatley said that research proves that people who attend the meetings are more successful in loosing weight.

By joining the program, not only are the members losing weight but also meeting other people who are trying to achieve the same objective.

“That’s really the biggest benefit of Weight Watchers is communicating and connecting with people that are trying to accomplish the same goals that you are,” Whatley said.

Junior history major Courtney Fleury joined Weight Watchers this semester. Whatley introduced Fleury to Weight Watchers and expressed to her that they were doing an at work program. It was very convenient for her to have the program on campus.

“I just wanted to understand the whole eating healthy part,” Fleury said.

Fleury has definitely seen results, the first week she lost one and a halfs pounds and the second week she lost one pound.

“It’s a very easy program to follow,” Fleury said. “Having a trainer and being in the Weight Watchers program is like a whole lifestyle change. You have to be ready to change your activity level and your food intake to see results.”

“I think it’s a great program and I think a lot of the students will benefit from it if they have the knowledge of it and that goes along with the things that they offer at the wellness depot that I don’t think many of the students know about it,” Fleury said. “It doesn’t matter the number on the scale, it matters that your overall health and your inches lost.”

Junior, history major and criminal justice minor Ashley Samuel joined the program three weeks ago, at the same time Fleury did. In the second week of the program Samuel lost almost three pounds. Along with maintaining a healthy diet, Samuel joined the club swimming team and attends a martial arts class to incorporate some exercise to her weekly routine and accomplish her goal.

There are not specific meals assigned in the program. However, the ‘Smart Ones’ frozen dinners are a brand by Weight Watchers. According to Samuel, the meals are really tasty and are very convenient because they give you the number of points in that meal.

“With the points it makes it easier to stay on track,” Samuel said. “I think that as long as I stick to the program, track my points and try to exercise I will definitely lose weight.”

Eating healthy is not that hard, according to Samuel. “It’s all about control,” she said.

Posted by Jessica Ramirez on Feb 17 2011. Filed under Close Up, Special Sections. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.