Weight Watchers Comes to PSU

The freshman fifteen…(cue dramatic ominous music). This infamous weight gain associated with the first year of college is not merely a myth. Nobody wants the extra pounds, but they are almost too easy to gain. In college, mom is not around anymore to cook well-balanced meals by six-thirty every night, to scold taking another cookie out of the pantry, or to warn against ordering Chinese food or pizza at one ‘o clock in the morning.

Without that guidance serving as the little voice inside one's head, it is all too common to choose the burger instead of the salad, the brownie instead of the fruit or your favorite television show instead of the gym. Freshman Megan Thurber agrees with the previous statement. "It's definitely harder to control those impulses when you are on your own, but it makes you feel better about yourself when you choose the healthier option."  

However, it's not all about the weight, it's about being healthy! For the rest of one's life health and fitness are pertinent and managing them only get harder with time. Why not then, if given the opportunity, start a new healthy way of life right now?

Plymouth State University is providing its students, staff, and community members with that very opportunity through the introduction of the new Weight Watchers Points Plus program. "Experience Weight Watchers biggest innovation in 13 years right here in your workplace!" reads the informational flyer. For those of you who are not sure what this program entails, here is a brief overview.

According to WeightWatchers.com, the first version of the points program was released in 1997. Foods were given point values and those point values were recorded throughout the week and then compared to the number of points you should have accumulated in that time frame. This helped members when referring to "Our New Program: The Next Level", "Learn better food choices, proper portion size, keep track of those hidden bites, licks and tastes throughout the day, and maintain an energy deficit."

This new Points Plus program is a re-envisioned version of the first, where empty calories are the enemy in the sense that you cannot view a 100 calorie apple and a 100 calorie packet of cookies as the same thing.

 Registration for this program began Wednesday October 5th, in the Student Senate Room of the HUB. With registration you have a choice of two payment plans. To receive 12 weeks of Weight Watchers including 14 weeks of free e-tools, you can either pay in full on the day of registration for $144 per person, or decide to pay a "three part split payment", (three checks for $48 each) one deposited on the first week, a month later, and then a month after that. Although the price is a little up there, the benefits of learning a healthy lifestyle are invaluable.

It is stated in the informational flyer regarding this event that there must be at least twenty participants, so don't hesitate to sign up if it is something you are interested in. From faculty member Ursula Moreno's perspective, Plymouth State offering programs like this is very important because it benefits the not only the University community but the community of Plymouth as well. She feels it is also crucial that these programs "be done in such a way that the importance of nutrition and eating healthy the right way are highlighted."

Like many of us, Professor Moreno believes in balance and moderation, so why not learn these skills now? This program's slogan is, "It's a new day," so why not seize this opportunity to make it your new day. For more information, contact kjschaffner@plymouth.edu.