to be wary about an overweight WW leader?

I was a WW leader 20 years ago and I had to stay within a healthy weight range as part of the condition of running meetings.

Theres a balance of though as I ended up being about a 21 BMI and some customers said I was unrelatable and felt more comfortable with a leader who was at a BMI of 24.5 (a lot kept their weight at the top of the BMI to meet the t&c of being a leader). It was also down to the area manager to enforce this rule.

As many others have said, the whole point of the WW business model is that it's unsustainable. If you're in the right frame of mind you'll lose weight, but you can't stick to it so it goes back on. I found the second time I did it I was much less invested and found it much harder to stick to, because I knew it wasn't a long-term solution. (Never bothered again after that.)

Our leader was very slim, but was clearly an alcoholic - she used to constantly tell us she would rather have a drink than food, that she saved all her points for a drink, which drinks had the fewest calories, etc.

It shouldn’t. It’s such a scam

WW is such a throwback, I’m surprised people are still paying for it. My mum used to drag me to her meetings because she couldn’t find childcare and my god it was so toxic. She’d literally get back in the car and sometimes cry but mostly rant and rave at how amazing she’d done all week yet stayed the same or even gained a pound.

For me, even as a child, I could see the company was simply trying to flog shit to vulnerable women. My mum bought into it all, she even had their scales to weigh out rice/pasta/potatoes etc. I figured everyone was done with this approach now and on ozempic, seems to be the done thing.

When I was a WW leader they would allow people to start their leader training before they got to goal. Someone I did my training with never reached their target weight. We used to be weighed several times a year at our area meetings.

When I was a Leader for WW we were not allowed to take classes if we were more than 5 pounds over goal. We were weighed every month. I could never have stood in front of a class of around 40 to 50 people and spoke about the WW plan if I had been over target - it would have felt very hypocritical.

They’re definitely still going, I’m a gold member and go to group every week.

there used to be a policy many years ago that you couldn’t take your class as a leader if you were over your target range until you were back in it.

thats all stopped now and there’re many over weight leaders.

there a leader near me who’s gained around 5 stone since becoming a leader, but she does still talk about struggling with her weight like any other member does.

all the food and magazines etc have stopped as they weren’t selling them.

It was, I couldn’t believe I was chastised for having a mashed banana in my food diary. The woman was seriously horrified 🤣

That made me 🤣🤣🤣

I never realised any WW in-person meetings still existed. Thought it had all moved online.

I'd feel more comfortable if the WW leader was overweight/plump/rounded, whatever. As the leader she'd (hopefully) be on her own weightloss journey herself.

I wouldn't be silently judging her behind her back. Because nobody's perfect and I don't know what's going on/gone on in her personal life. Or medical life.

YABU for judging her. YANBU to not go.

best way to lose weight is to cut all treats in half, that way you can eat twice as many!

I think the US version went bust. The UK one is still going.

I did WW 13 years ago and it worked but I’ve since regained and am 2 stone heavier than I was before I started it. I’m wary about trying it again.

Anybody no ? Dust !

My we leader many years ago used to eat at home before going to a bbq. She was thin but how joyless. I’m still fat…

Well she’s evidence that for most people these diet companies don’t work.

I think I would prefer that to someone who was a perfect weight. She is obviously working on herself while helping other people.

YANBU - I wouldn’t have confidence in a fat person helping me lose weight

I wouldn't touch WW with a bargepole but an overweight leader wouldn't bother me at all. Whether she still struggles with her own weight is nothing to do with whether she'd be good helping you to lose weight. Why does it matter if she practises what she preaches? The reasons someone might be overweight are complex and unlikely to be related to their ability to support others.

Was that Slimming World? They were nuts about mashed bananas 😂😂😂
Rebelfit on Facebook is worth following on this - bit sweary but very funny, accurate and doesn’t shame people

I thought that to be a WW leader you had to have reached goal and maintained for so long?

I think you have to be be in the right headspace to consistently lose weight and keep it off. Maybe give her the benefit of the doubt til you hear her story.

best be grateful they did, eating ultra processed food filled with artificial sweeteners is crazy bad for you.

Weight watchers shamelessly target women and reinforce our insecurities to make money - wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole

Back in the day I had a WW leader who regained weight and had to stop being a leader! My understanding at the time was if they went a certain amount over goal they had to stop. But I might have misunderstood or rules might have changed.

Don’t know only a few years Covid was at its peak you’d go to SW get weighted but had to write your own weight in book I remember them this group leader actually alluded they were no vegetable eater!? Of course skinny as hell…

why did WW stop their quite large food range, stop their magazine etc.