Weight Watchers Helps Residents Shed Unwanted Pounds

More than two-thirds of United States citizens are overweight and that number is only rising, according to emedicinehealth. Yet the over 250 people that are coming to the new Weight Watcher's location in New Lenox off Nelson Road are doing their best not to be a part of that statistic.

After being a presence in the New Lenox community, through  and other suburbs in the area, Weight Watchers decided to combine all of its local meeting areas into one location about a month ago.

“We wanted a permanent, fixed location where members could come at anytime,” said employee Lisa Encoli, who has been a leader at Weight Watchers for the past 14 years. "Even during the day when meetings aren’t going on, so they could just come in, get weighed in and maybe get a one-on-one consultation with the person who is here.”

History of the Corporation - In the early 1960's Jean Nidetch was having a tough time losing weight, so she found it beneficial to have friends over at her home to discuss dieting methods and support each other. Over the years, that support group has grown into millions of people across the globe.

Who Works There? The Weight Watchers Corporation employs Location Coordinator Vicki Olson along with nine “leaders” that run meetings throughout the week.

“I decided to work for Weight Watchers because I wanted to stay at my goal weight, and I wanted to pay it forward,” Encoli said. “I absolutely love what I do.”

What Happens at the Meetings? Members meet once a week at the New Lenox location and discuss a different topic each week. The topic pertains to activities, behavior modification, eating right and a variety of other ideas.

 “We have a lot of fun during the meetings,” Encoli said. “We’re always laughing, joking around, so it’s enjoyable for members too as they’re losing weight.”

Thinking About Becoming a Member? Weight Watchers has a couple different membership plans that range from a 7-day to a 17-week plan. While each program has its own perks, the monthly one is the most popular, according to Encoli. “You get all of the free online stuff and with the other plans you don’t get that.” 

What Makes Weight Watchers Special? “Weight Watchers is not like any other weight loss program, and I’ve tried them all,” Encoli said. “It’s unique because one we offer the state of the art latest scientific research, so… it’s not a quick fix.”

Plans for the Future - “We’re hoping that this location will grow to the point that we’re going to need to make it bigger,” Encoli said. “And to bring in computers where everyone will be able to just scan a card in and get all of their information.”

What weight loss program have and have not worked for you? Tell us in the comments.

About this column: We profile local businesses and the people behind them in New Lenox.

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