FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

If you have any questions, please email me at des@OfficiallyDes.com and I will post your question and my answers here.

Q: Is Weight Watchers expensive and do you have to buy their meals to participate?
A: I really think the cost of the program is relative -- most people can probably pay for a meeting by eliminating one or two take-out meals a week. However, many people have concerns about participating in meetings and have lost successfully by following the Program online at at home only. For more information on the various options, please click on the "Weight Loss Options" tab at the Weight Watchers web site (it is on the bottom of every page). I should mention that there are no foods that members are required to buy, although there are some Weight Watchers-branded items available in supermarkets and in meeting locations. The beauty is that people can work foods that they currently eat and love into the plan (either Flex or Core). There are a number of food items that I have never stopped enjoying because of the Program -- I may not have them on a daily basis anymore, but I still eat them, and most likely in more reasonable amounts!

I have read on several boards that people seeking to lose weight use a free service called SparkPeople to track their activity and food intake -- some in conjunction with WW.

Q: Do you have a certain exercise routine and could you recommend a good exercise facility?
A: My current routine is Turbo Jam 45-50 minutes, five days a week in the morning and a 30-minute session at Curves six days a week. I am fortunate enough to live close to a public park, so on the days Curves is closed I walk around the park. When the weather permits I also walk to many of my errands.

Curves worked for me because when I started, I did not exercise at all. I am not familiar with many local gyms, but I have read about several at-home programs at the WW boards: The Firm, Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home Program, and Couch to 5K . Of course, Turbo Jam is one of a family of fitness products offered by Beachbody -- another may be more appealing to you.