Dear Weight Watchers....

Dear Weight Watchers:

Hmmm, how can I put this politely? Back the hell off. I mean, please back the hell off. I received yet another of your New Year's "hints" in the mail that I just might need to come back in. It's true - I am overweight. But I'm over you. We've been off and on for years and while I always lost weight under your program, the minute I ventured off it, the weight - plus a lot of its friends - always found its way back.

I'm not saying you don't have a successful product - you do. It's just not working for me. I loved the last meeting leader I had. If it were just the two of us, I'd still be there. She was someone I really connected with and felt motivated by. But then you had to throw in the personality-challenged scale monitors. Mount Rushmore could give these ladies some tips on smiling. But the biggest drawback for me was the almost complete focus of other attendees on recipes, the use of artificial sweeteners in recipes and points connected with recipes.

I admit that I have always been someone looking more for the emotional piece of the puzzle and that endless conversation about food and recipes and points only started me thinking more about food than I already did. You provide a good service but it just wasn't the one for me.

After many good times together I've decided to finally quit you once and for all. Maybe I'm just not a joiner. I need to structure this weight loss mission on my own, even though my progress is glacial and my frustration level is off the charts at times. I need to figure out the emotional hunger issues before I can ever hope to solve the eating puzzle.

So please stop writing. I'm overweight and I know it and if you really had the key to solving my problem to begin with then I guess I wouldn't be such a target of your repeat business efforts. Keeping track of points makes me think about deprivation and deprivation makes me think of breaking the rules and breaking the rules makes me want to overeat to prove who's really running this show.

I know I probably won't make a lot of friends by writing this letter but it's how I feel. I send everyone on your program my best wishes for a positive outcome. But please - enough "invitations" already. I know where you are if I need you.

Best regards,
A slightly less Chunky Monkey Mama than I used to be