In my first entry, I listed a handful of diets I’d tried in the past. Trust me when I say that those were merely the tip of the iceberg. Frankly, I’m not sure if there’s a diet I haven’t tried. So how would I choose the next one?

Ideally, I’d love to eat like Halle Berry, who reportedly consumes only fish, chicken, green vegetables and brown rice. I’d also love to have a macrobiotic chef who balances the yin and yang of all my meals and serves them by candlelight to shamisen music. But, as it turns out, I’m neither a Hollywood A-lister nor a billionaire, and, when it comes right down to it, I’d rather just have a sandwich.

Mom suggested Weight Watchers. As you might guess from my history, I’ve counted the occasional POINT® in my past. I’d never done it with a buddy, though, or with my new commitment to slow, steady progress. I checked their Web site for a meeting schedule and found one that was at a convenient-enough location for both me and mom and at a time we could both make—lunchtime on Thursdays.

We agreed to meet that Thursday … at a traditional Southern meat-and-three for a decadent last meal. We’d hit the meeting and have our first weigh-in right after. I ordered fried chicken and sweet tea and had peach cobbler as one of my “vegetables.”

Afterwards, we sauntered fat and happy into our first Weight Watchers meeting. Held in a church basement near its daycare, I felt more like I was walking into Sunday School than a nutrition support group. Would it prove to be my salvation?

Current weight: 187

 
By Jen Barnett