Reality Check: This is not your mother's diet

From the Goal Line, I now realize that the biggest obstacle I faced beginning the fitness and weight loss journey was the hurdle of my own preconceptions about Weight Watchers. I had a slew of misconceptions about what it was and who it was for. All of them were dead wrong. When my physician suggested WW, I almost gagged. I told her, frankly, that I thought it was "stupid" but I'd give her advice a try, since she's the doctor. Thank goodness I did. I was completely surprised by what transpired.

These are my misconceptions and what I discovered about them--because I'm betting you have some of these ideas, too.

Misconception No. 1: "WW is for old ladies or teenage girls." Reality check: REALLY wrong!!
My meeting is run by a man (an awesome leader, by the way.) My meeting is attended by young moms, senior men and women, teenagers, dads with young kids and the whole gamut. It is NOT ladies talking about dietetic chocolate bars or protein shakes. It is not about "rabbit food" or diet frozen dinners. Its about eating real food for real life. When I first heard about WW, I pictured my older cousins in the 1970s wearing polyester pantsuits and measuring out half cups of canned pineapple. Boy, oh boy, was I wrong!

Actor and WW member Greg Grunberg was in a cab in New York and this guy said, "Hey, I saw your commercial. Have you tried the lemon bars?" I'm like: You've got to be kidding me! This guy looks like one of the guys on The Sopranos--and he's on Weight Watchers! Everybody's on it. But it's not your grandmother's diet; it's not your mother's diet. It's your diet." Amen.

My childhood best friend, a guy, also joined WW and has hit his goal weight. [Paulie--you look fab!] By the way, WW online (which I adore) even has a whole new website just for guys.

Misconception No. 2: "I don't need WW. That's for weaklings and losers." Reality Check: This "Weakling & Loser" is now a real loser for the first time ever, thanks to WW. It works!

"Hey--I have a Ph.D., what do I need this for? Self-help books are for idiots and this is just a "group" version of a bad Dr. Phil show." Absolutely false. This is not vacuous self-help feel-good double talk. This is a real plan for health and fitness. It's not about personal strength, I.Q. or invincibility. It's not about how smart or strong you are. It's about behavior modification and habit changes. It's about strategies, a plan, information and sane progress. And stats are clear--these kinds of life changes work WAY better with group support.

Misconception No. 3: "WW isn't for me because I'm not a joiner and I hate groups." Reality Check: People who attend meetings lose THREE TIMES as much weight as those who don't. And after losing, those who did it with a group maintain their weight loss in vastly greater numbers.

I'm still not a joiner and I still hate groups. I'm as cynical and critical as they come. After all, I do cultural critique for a living! And guess what...this isn't a chat session on Oprah. This is not a twelve-step plan and there's no higher power to tap into except your own muscles. It's a real plan for health & fitness.

Misconception No. 4: "WW is just another diet plan." Reality Check: This is not a diet. It's a lifestyle change.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't do diets. That's why WW actually worked. This is not about deprivation, starvation or feminine discipline. This is not about low calorie shakes, boxes of prepackaged diet foods, protein bars, carb-phobia or the all-cabbage cure. This is about real food in healthy portions, mindful eating, and fitness. These are real life changes for a better and stronger life. Diets make Americans fat. Period. This is not a diet.