Hello!  My name is Roxanne and I am a Weight Watchers leader, but before that I was and still am a member!

I have always been heavy.  My first memory of feeling embarrassed about my weight was 3rd grade.  I was going to spend the night at a friend’s house and we were going to get ready and go to the spring dance together.  I packed my Easter dress I had worn just a month earlier and my mom and I headed out.  My mom and I got into an argument about 2 blocks from home and she turned around and would not let me go to my friend’s house.  I was still allowed to go to the dance, however, and would meet my friend there.  I went to my room to get ready and pulled out my dress.  I put it on and it was so tight I looked like stuffed sausage in its casing.  At that moment I was relieved I was not at my friend’s house, but at the same time I was incredibly depressed at the weight I gained in just one month.  Embarrassed, I put on a big black sweater and skirt.  That entire night I couldn’t shake my weight from my thoughts.  Fast forward to 9 years later and I still hadn’t done anything about it, and it was getting worse.

I went to college and I put on an additional 40 pounds in 3 1/2 years.  I never went out with friends – so often I said “no” that they just quit asking me to join them, yet I still wondered why no one wanted to hang out with me.  I was embarrassed to go shopping because I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere but the store for “plus size” women.  I would only go to Wal-mart at 2 am in the morning when no one would be there.  I even feared fun trips to amusement parks because some rides would not be suitable for “certain large park guests.”

I got tired of feeling this way and got tired of the weight controlling my life.  I knew I wanted to lose the weight but I wanted it to come off quickly!  I tried a modified Atkins, the cabbage soup diet, Phen-Fen, Meridia, Metabolife (and anything else GNC sold, HA!) and various “homemade” remedies.  I lost weight on all of them, but I managed to gain it all back.  The motivation and the desire just wasn’t there to make me want to keep going.  Of course I wanted to be thin, but apparently not bad enough.

My tipping point was modeling wedding dresses for my mother.  While I felt like a princess she sat there, arms crossed and stone faced, and said without hesitation, “Roxanne, do you really want everyone talking about how big your *** is?”  My heart immediately sank and a huge lump formed in my throat.  No, Mom.  I don’t.  At that point it became my own desire to lose weight.  All the while growing up, weight loss would’ve been for my mother, but now I was ready for me.  I didn’t really know where to start, so I got back on Phetermine and hoped for the best.  Then, one glorious bright day, a co-worker asked if I’d like to go to Weight Watchers with her on Monday nights.  I figured what the heck, I’ve tried everything else!  I went the following week with my ‘free registration’ coupon and walked into Weight Watchers.  It has been one of the greatest things I have ever done.

Weight Watchers has shown me a new outlook on life.  Sure I still get sad when I realize how much I’ve missed out on, but I’m not embarrassed anymore and I live life the way I want to – not how my weight allows me to.

The first thing was deciding what my GOAL would be. So, my primary motivation for getting the weight off was my wedding in September 2000, followed by a honeymoon to Hawaii.  I didn’t want to wear a huge white dress AND have to be mistaken for a beached whale!  My motivation for a beautiful wedding and confidence to walk on the beach made following the POINTS system fun and easy.  I saw success at my very first weigh-in (3.2 pounds!) and the enthusiasm just kept coming!

I became a lifetime member in February 2000 and was asked if I would like to work for Weight Watchers.  It was the easiest decision ever – there was no way I wouldn’t work for Weight Watchers! This company literally saved my life! After my training, I finally started leading my first meeting in June 2000, adding on whenever I could.  From April 2005 – October 2007 I had a wonderful opportunity and was promoted to the position of Territory Manager for the Metro Kansas City area Weight Watchers.  It was an incredibly rewarding challenge to be part of helping the company I admire grow and develop on the business side as it improved to help our members achieve their success.  For personal reasons, I stepped down to become a stay at home mom but my desire to help others succeed has never wavered.  Currently, I lead 6 traditional meetings and 2 at work meetings.  I am thankful and honored to be a part of your success.

Losing weight has changed my life.  I owe the success I have found to Weight Watchers for being the only plan I ever considered would be my solution for keeping a healthy lifestyle.  Weight Watchers saved my life and I am honored to help you do the same, whatever your goals may be.

“It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle.”