October 19, 2015

The Big" story this week is about Oprah buying 10% of Weight Watchers - a failing company whose stocks soared ... fattening her back accountant by $43 million in one day. I wondered if she bought in to make millions and/or to lose weight. An endorsement from Oprah Winfrey is known to bring struggling brands into peak popularity. The Oprah Effect continues ... She will take a seat on the board for 5 years.

Weight Watchers International is an international company based in the United States that offers various products and services to assist weight loss and maintenance. Founded in 1963 by Brooklyn, New York, homemaker Jean Nidetch, (October 12, 1923 - April 29, 2015). WW now operates in about 30 countries around the world. An overweight housewife with a self-confessed obsession for eating meat, Nidetch had experimented with numerous fad diets before she followed a regimen prescribed by a diet clinic sponsored by the New York City Board of Health in 1961. After losing 20 pounds (9.07 kg), and finding her resolve weakening, she contacted several overweight friends and founded a support group which developed into weekly classes, and incorporated on May 15, 1963, into the Weight Watchers organization. In 1978, Weight Watchers was sold to the H. J. Heinz Company. Nidetch, who remained a consultant to the organization, established scholarship programs at the University of California at Los Angeles and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Arthur, my next door neighbor and close friend, owns a weight loss company called Lean Chefs which you may have seen advertised in the 3+ years it's been in business. The food is delivered to customers each morning and of course promotes all around good health.

Weight loss for me is about protein and vegetables only - which I love. I eat eggs for breakfast every day sometimes with bacon or sausage. The rest of the day I eat protein and veggies and eat when hungry. I juice for breakfast and water - that's it. I prefer my own cooking and tend not to eat out or order in.

I spent most of my life weighing between 125-130 pounds - but went up and down in recent years - now at 140 pounds for my height 5' 6" - but hoping to get back whites comfortable for me. It's all about what you feel is your best weight for health, vitality, and aesthetics. There are few people my age, 72, who have no health issues and are not on meds. That is not only about diet but about no stress.