WHEN: 12:05 to 12:55 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, from  July 9th through August 24th.

WHERE: Riley Commons

Price is determined by the number of participants and will be determined after the start of the class. Yoga is covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Please contact Barbara Milanese in the Biology and BioMed departments at (508) 831-5538 with questions or to join.

- Cooper Wolken, student intern

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with arthritis in my hip and lower back.

I was 42.

Karen Goudey, before Weight Watchers

Around that same time, a new session of Weight Watchers at Work was starting at WPI. I was vaguely aware of Weight Watchers and a little nervous about committing to a weight loss “program,” but I also wanted to get serious about my health. I’d always been a healthy person but was concerned that I would not be able to maintain good health if I didn’t have a better handle on my eating habits and my weight. Like many people, I knew what I should be doing to live a healthy life, but needed some additional accountability and motivation to actually do it. So, I threw caution to the wind, and I joined Weight Watchers.

That was one of the best decisions I have made for my health.

I have always considered myself to be fairly knowledgeable about nutrition. I was raised, however, to “clean my plate” and taught that food equals love. My family enjoys food — in fact my grandmother was a professional cook, so when she moved in with us when I was 11, we were suddenly surrounded by cookies and homemade bread, roasts every Sunday, and all the wonderful food that she had spent a lifetime perfecting. Although my eating habits always included a love of healthful foods — like fruits and vegetables — my hearty appetite for all food has also meant that I’ve spent most of my life fighting what I call the “battle of the bulge.” I have had some successes along the way in terms of getting in shape (increasing exercise, trying diets like South Beach), but any weight I lost always crept back.

At first, the Weight Watchers program felt a little bit like a game I was playing, as I got in the habit of tracking (writing down) and measuring my foods. But as I learned to listen to my body’s hunger cues and “lighten-up” my favorite recipes, as well as try new ones, it’s since become part of my daily life. There were some bumps along the way – especially given the amount of travel I do for my job. Those hotel buffet breakfasts were so tempting and a little stressful, but I kept reminding myself that this program is a lifestyle, not a diet, and that it’s all about making healthy choices. If I indulged at a meal, I just needed to be careful not to indulge the rest of the day – and not to indulge every day! As our leader is fond of saying, “You can have it all on Weight Watchers, just not all at once!”

Karen Goudey, after Weight Watchers

It took me just over six months to lose 18 pounds (and two dress sizes!). The real challenge, however, has been keeping it off. Once I lost the weight, I entered a six-week maintenance phase where I had to weigh in each week and stay within two pounds of my goal weight in order to achieve “Lifetime Membership” status. Being a “Lifetime Member” means I no longer pay membership dues — as long as I weigh in at least once a month and stay within two pounds of my goal weight.

I’m delighted to say that I’ve been successfully maintaining my weight for over two years, and a big part of my success is due to the fact that I keep going to the meetings! I find support and inspiration in my fellow Weight Watchers members. In fact, I consider the weekly Weight Watchers meeting my “group therapy” – at least when it comes to improving my eating habits and learning how to stay out of the pantry when I’m not really hungry. Learning how to live your life – and enjoy food – while also listening to your body’s signals and feeding it healthy food in reasonable quantities is what makes this program work! I feel that Weight Watchers has taught me what I need to know to lead a healthy, active life – and the weekly meetings keep me motivated and excited about the changes I’ve made.

If you’re thinking about joining, please do! You might just learn a thing or two about yourself – and lose a few pounds while you’re at it!

Three more people are needed by June 15 to start a new session of WPI’s Weight Watchers at Work program. Meetings will be at noon on Wednesdays in the Campus Center. To register, contact Bernice Lisk at blisk@wpi.edu or call ext. 6006. Sign up today!

 Karen Goudey is WPI’s associate director of international admissions.

Join your colleagues from across campus in achieving a healthier lifestyle. Register for WPI’s Weight Watchers at Work program; meetings will be held Wednesdays at noon in the Campus Center (room to be announced). Only seven more people are needed before a new session can start.

The cost of the Weight Watchers at Work program is $144 (that’s $12 a week) for 12 weeks of meetings and 14 weeks of free eTools. (Weight Watchers eTools is your connection to the plan between meetings. It’s available exclusively for Weight Watchers meetings members.) Payment is due upon registration and can be paid in full or in three installments of $48, which are deposited on weeks one, four, and eight. Most healthcare providers offer “wellness benefits,” which allow this cost to be reimbursed. Check with your healthcare provider for details on your specific plan.

Statistics show that members who attend meetings lose three times more weight than those who go it alone. The weekly meeting consists of approximately 15 minutes for confidential weigh-in followed by approximately 30 minutes of:

• Motivation and Inspiration
• Support from Leader and each other
• Clarification of aspects of the program
• Explanation of concepts and techniques
• Help in developing self-management and exercise habits
• Tips for everyday eating habits

For more information, email Bernice Lisk at blisk@wpi.edu, or call ext. 6006.

By the way, do you have a Weight Watchers success story to share with the WPI community? If so, email WPI Connection Editor Lorraine U. Martinelle at lurbans@wpi.edu … Better yet, feel free to include “before and after” photos!

WPI’s Weight Watchers at Work group has lost a total of 107 pounds, as of May 4 (Week 10 of the current session). This is truly a remarkable achievement! We have one more week to go in this session, after which we plan to start a new one for the summer.

We were excited to see one of our members reach “lifetime membership”* status on May 4, so in our meeting we talked quite a bit about the challenges of maintaining one’s goal weight. Our leader, Elaine, who has kept 85 pounds off for the past 30 years, pointed out that keeping the weight off is much harder than losing it ever was. Those of us at last week’s meeting who are lifetime members all felt that attending the meetings as often as possible helps to keep us on track and on plan. We are inspired and motivated by the meetings, so attendance is essential to our success as well as being a lot of fun!

The official topic for last week’s meeting was “Know before You Go,” and it pertained to strategies for eating out and still staying on plan. Many different strategies were discussed for eating out, and included the following great tips: 

• Plan ahead if you know you’re dining out! Check the restaurant’s website and figure out ahead of time what the “healthy options” are on their menu.  
• Keep your other meals that day relatively low in points so you can save most of your daily points for the meal out. 
• Don’t go out HUNGRY – you’re more likely to overeat if you do! Have a piece of fruit or a light snack before you go out. It will be easier to control yourself if you do! 
• When you order, watch out for high-points value items (cream sauces, buttery toppings, etc.) – order dressings and sauces on the side so you can control the quantities. 
• Portion control! When you get your plate ask for a to-go container right away, and cut your portions in half and place half in the to-go container.  
• If you know you want to splurge on that meal, then go ahead – that’s what our extra weekly points plus are for! Don’t deprive yourself, but do eat slowly and savor it.  
• Make sure you give your body time to tell your brain when it’s satisfied. Stop eating when you’re satisfied even if you think you want more just because it tastes good and is in front of you.

Please join us on May 18 for an informational meeting about the next Weight Watchers at Work session. If you are interested, contact Bernice Lisk (blisk@wpi.edu), ext. 6006.

*NOTE: Lifetime Membership status is achieved when you have maintained your goal weight for at least six weeks, and as a result you no longer have to pay Weight Watchers membership dues.

Karen Goudey is associate director of international admissions at WPI.

The WPI Weight Watchers at Work group met April 6 to weigh in. There was a small turnout, but the total weight loss was 10.4 pounds. This brings the group’s grand total to 83.2 pounds lost, with four weeks left in the session.

This week’s meeting topic was “Oh, the places we can go,” and the discussion was about how we challenge ourselves and can accomplish things that we never thought we could do. Elaine shared a story of her personal challenge when she participated in the Avon Three-Day Walk for Breast Cancer. It was something that she would have never dreamed possible when she was 80 pounds overweight. She completed the walk and was so very proud of her accomplishment. 

We talked about the challenges of our daily struggles with life and health and never to give up on ourselves when life gets tough. Never give up on yourself. The accomplishments outweigh the struggles.

Weight loss is an emotional journey that takes perseverance. We have the support and the strength to get the results that we so desire. It’s up to us to believe in ourselves and accomplish what we set out to do. 

Don’t give up!

Interested in joining WPI’s Weight Watchers at Work program? Contact Bernice Lisk at blisk@wpi.edu.

The WPI Weight Watchers at Work group met March 30 to weigh in, and the total weight loss was 20 pounds! We completed week 7 with a total loss of 72.8 pounds. If you remember, the last 12-week session lost a total of 59.6 pounds. 

At Wednesday’s meeting, the group members laughed when we recognized that each person comes in and prepares to get on the scale with different anxieties about the outcome. Ultimately, we feel the need to confess our sins to Elaine (our WW leader) as if she were a priest! We shared how we all have the same thoughts about our “cheats” during the week and how defeated we feel sometimes. 

The most important thing that we learn is that coming to the meetings keeps us honest with ourselves and creates a sense of accountability. Most often, we are too hard on ourselves. We automatically assume that the scale is going to give us bad news because we had a bowl of ice cream or a piece of cake the night before. We are usually surprised that the outcome is positive instead of negative, and sometimes we have to convince ourselves to come to the meeting, because we are afraid of the truth. Fortunately, most often, the outcome is better than we expect, and we are always glad that we made the choice to attend. The benefits from attending the meetings far outweigh the fear. Elaine told us that there is a higher percentage of weight loss with members who regularly come to the meetings as opposed to those who choose not to. 

Interested in joining WPI’s Weight Watchers at Work program? Contact Bernice Lisk at blisk@wpi.edu.

WPI is in second place among all Massachusetts schools in the 2011 Rally Against Cancer – and there are 16 days left in this fundraiser, which benefits the Jimmy Fund!

The school that finishes in first place will be paid a visit by 2011 Rally Red Sox co-captains Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield.

Visit the WPI Rally Against Cancer table on Monday, March 28, or Friday, April 8, from 11 a.m. to noon, in the Campus Center to donate to WPI’s Rally Against Cancer team. Anyone who donates a minimum of $20 during our Campus Center fundraising times will receive a Red Sox/Jimmy Fund hat. Anyone who donates a minimum of $1 will receive a Red Sox/Jimmy Fund wristband. Supplies of hats and wristbands are limited and will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

When you join our Rally team by donating to the Jimmy Fund online or by making a donation at the Campus Center, you may wear your favorite Red Sox apparel to work on Opening Day, April 8 (with your supervisor or department head’s approval, of course).

Please join us in spreading the word about this great event for an even greater cause. Even if you’re not a Red Sox fan, or a baseball fan for that matter, we hope you’ll consider taking part in this important effort.

Also, don’t forget to join WPI’s official Rally Against Cancer page on Facebook.

Kim Allen (Marketing and Communications) and Jon Bartelson (IT) are co-captains of the WPI Rally Against Cancer Team.

WPI is in third place among all Massachusetts schools in the 2011 Rally Against Cancer campaign, with 19 fundraising days left to go. Thanks to everyone who has contributed, we have already raised $1,000 for cancer research.

Please consider joining our Rally team by donating to the Jimmy Fund and by wearing your favorite Red Sox apparel to work on Opening Day, April 8 (with your supervisor or department head’s approval, of course).

To participate, log on here and click “Join Our Team.” Once there, join the WPI team by donating to the Jimmy Fund. Donate as much as you are able – any amount will make a difference. Or visit our table in the Campus Center on either Monday, March 28, or Friday, April 8, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to donate. Anyone who donates a minimum of $20 during our Campus Center fundraising times will receive a Red Sox/Jimmy Fund hat. Anyone who donates a minimum of $1 will receive a Red Sox/Jimmy Fund wristband. Supplies of hats and wristbands are limited and will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis.

The school that finishes in first place will be paid a visit by 2011 Rally Red Sox co-captains Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield!

Please join us in spreading the word about this wonderful event for a great cause. Even if you’re not a Red Sox fan, or a baseball fan for that matter, we hope you’ll consider taking part in this important effort.

By the way, you may join WPI’s official Really Against Cancer Facebook page, too!

Kim Allen (Marketing and Communications) and Jon Bartelson (IT) are the co-captains of WPI’s Rally Against Cancer team.

The weekly Weight Watchers meeting was held Wednesday, March 16, in the Campus Center. Participants weighed in, and I’m happy to announce that the total weight loss was 9.8 pounds this past week, and a total of 40.6 pounds lost over five weeks!

There are 18 WPI community members (a new member joined this week) and several Lifetimers who take part in the university’s Weight Watchers at Work program. Meetings are valuable in the success of the program; each week we have a discussion about a subject of interest or concern. This week’s discussion was about deprivation. We learned that on a typical “diet,” people will deprive themselves of the foods they love the most, whether it’s snack food or their favorite meal. 

On Weight Watchers, however, we don’t have to deprive ourselves of those things. We learn to factor that food into our daily Points. With that said, planning is important. For example, if I want to have a cheeseburger for dinner, I figure out how many Points that cheeseburger will be worth and plan for it. We have a total of 49 Points per week to use for whatever food we wish. The most important thing we learn is that Weight Watchers is not a diet. 

Diets = Deprivation

It’s never too late to join WPI’s Weight Watchers at Work program.

For more information, contact Bernice Lisk in the WPI Division of Student Affairs at blisk@wpi.edu or ext. 6006.

Keep up the great work, team — you are an inspiration!

• Check back with WPI Connection for updates on the Weight Watchers at Work program and how the participants are progressing.

It’s a challenge to stay motivated to lose weight as the weeks and months pass, but the Weight Watchers at Work program can help you stay committed to your goal. In November, Weight Watchers announced the first major change in the program in 13 years, PointsPlus — and you can try it!

The cost of the Weight Watchers at Work program is $144 (that’s $12 a week) for 12 weeks of meetings and 14 weeks of free eTools. (Weight Watchers eTools is your connection to the plan between meetings. It’s available exclusively for Weight Watchers meetings members.) Payment is due upon registration and can be paid in full or in three installments of $48, which are deposited on weeks one, four, and eight. Most healthcare providers offer “wellness benefits,” which allow this cost to be reimbursed. Check with your healthcare provider for details on your specific plan.

For more information, email Bernice Lisk at blisk@wpi.edu, or call ext. 6006.

By the way, do you have a Weight Watchers success story to share with the WPI community? If so, email WPI Connection Editor Lorraine U. Martinelle at lurbans@wpi.edu … Better yet, feel free to include “before and after” photos!

The recent tragedy in Tucson, and before that Virginia Tech, reminds us that we all need to be able to identify, address, and refer students who are exhibiting concerning behavior before a situation escalates. Open to all employees, the workshop will help attendees identify concerning and/or dangerous behavioral warning signs; review strategies to de-escalate situations; and learn how, when, and where to connect students with local resources. There will also be discussion on how to respond if an individual threatens or resorts to violence.

This is also an appropriate time to remind employees of two student support structures that are in place on campus. The WPI Care Team, a group of professional staff that meets weekly to receive, consider, and act upon information or behavior(s) of concern exhibited by a student or group of students. The Care Team website features an on-line referral form (located here) providing a mechanism for members of the campus community (and parents) to report their concerns about a student. Last, WPI has in place a nationally recognized Student Support Network (SSN) that works to identify students who may be experiencing difficulty at WPI, and directs them to the appropriate resources.  Read more about the SSN at this location.

It’s a challenge to stay motivated to lose weight as the weeks and months pass, but the Weight Watchers at Work program can help you stay committed to your goal. In November, Weight Watchers announced the first major change in the program in 13 years, PointsPlus — and you can try it! 

For more information, email Bernice Lisk at blisk@wpi.edu or call ext. 6006.

Do you have a Weight Watchers success story to share with the WPI community? If so, email WPI Connection Editor Lorraine U. Martinelle at lurbans@wpi.edu … Better yet, feel free to include “before and after” photos!

In November, Weight Watchers announced the first major change in the program in 13 years, PointsPlus — and you can try it!  Join Weight Watchers to make a commitment to a new healthy way of life. For more information, email Bernice Lisk at blisk@wpi.edu or call ext. 5201.

Do you have a Weight Watchers success story to share with the WPI community? If so, email WPI Connection Editor Lorraine U. Martinelle at lurbans@wpi.edu … better yet, feel free to include “before and after” photos!