Last month, the federal government issued its 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The new guidelines, which include a revamped food pyramid, are intended to reduce the number of Americans that are overweight and obese (currently about two-thirds of them, according to government estimates) by encouraging individuals to make wise dietary choices and exercise daily.
The guidelines also warn against fad dieting - the now-dying-down low-carb craze? Safe to say the government's not a fan. But reasonable, healthful diet plans that aren't crazily restrictive and also include exercise? That's another story - and it's a story that a group of Tufts students, staff, and faculty are taking part in through their participation in the University's on-campus Weight Watchers group.
Since 2002, the Weight Watchers program has been in existence on campus, offering people from the Tufts community dieting support and exercise advice. This semester, sessions are held once a week on Thursdays at noon, and are presided over by Administrative Assistant Deborah Walsh and sophomore Kate Koehler.
The weekly Weight Watchers meetings are planned as a support group for the dieter. Led by the enthusiastic Weigh Watchers consultant Linda Ford, these meetings serve as encouraging, energy-charged retreats for those Tufts students, staff, and faculty who seek to stick to their diets.
"I've definitely gotten a lot of tips from [the meetings]," Koehler said. "The members are very supportive, and if someone from the group loses a couple of pounds, they all clap and encourage the person."
The meetings usually start off with everyone weighing in to see if they have lost weight since the last week. According to Ford, each week, she has a different "theme" for the meeting. After she is done speaking to the group, she asks the members if they have any "tips about food they like or advice on exercise," hoping that people will tell their personal stories and give an overview of how their week went on the diet.
This semester's Tufts Weight Watchers group consists of mostly women, with the exception of one or two males. The majority of the group is made up of Tufts faculty and staff, but there are some students as well.
After losing three pounds within the first week on the diet, freshman Isabel Vallecillo feels encouraged by the Weight Watchers program.
"I had always wanted to try out the Weight Watchers diet ever since I was back home in Puerto Rico," Vallecillo said.
Members at the meeting had varying reasons for why they were trying to lose weight. Romance Language Lecturer Patricia Smith, for example, "wanted to lose weight" because both her father and sister have had gastric bypass surgery and she "did not want to go down that route."
The entire Weight Watchers program costs $144, not including extra food products, but students who want to get involved receive a discount on this price. The program includes a weight consultation session, where the dieter decides between two types of Weight Watchers nutrition plans: the Core Program and the Flex Plan.
In the Core Program, the dieter is given a core group of foods that he or she can eat, and each food is assigned a certain number of "points." Points are given based on the amount of calories and fat contained in a certain food. On the Core Program, the dieter is given a weekly allowance of points, which he or she must stick to.
With the Flex plan, there are no specific "core foods" that the dieter must eat. Instead, participants are allowed to eat any food as long as they stay within the assigned amount of points, which is determined by their weight and height.
According to Weight Watchers literature, the trick is to teach the dieter "smarter eating habits by giving them the option of choice," and allowing the individual to choose where he or she wants to spend their points.
Despite its two-year history at Tufts, some students are aware of the program's presence on campus.
"I didn't know there was a Weight Watchers group on campus, but that's really great that the school is offering the classes," sophomore Taryn Miller-Stevens said. "That way, students can learn good eating habits."
