Weight Watcher's Meeting in Paris?
 

My wife is on Weight Watcher's maintenance status: She needs to check in to be weighted once a calendar month. Our trip to Paris will cover an entire month (and a few days more). Has anyone attended a WW meeting in Paris? Where? When? How does it operate?

I'm sorry, claude, but if this is not a joke post, then it should be.

There's no need to be snarky about someone who has obviously managed to lose weight to her target and wants to maintain her membership in W.W.

I don't know if she'll be able to weigh in here, but you can print a list of meeting/locations/times by going to:
www.weightwatchers.fr
then clicking at the top tab for "trouver une reunion"

Socialworker: No, it isn't a joke. Travelnut has it exactly right.

Travelnut: We had found the locations/times of meetings before I posted, but thanks for the help anyhow. My wife is hoping to hear from any visitors to Paris who have actually visited one of the meetings--with info such as whether her limited French would suffice, whether they would enter her weight in her "diary," etc.

I hope your wife's familiar with the metric system or she could be in for a surprise ;)

Socialworker, what a rude and/or ignorant response. I have eaten on the WW program for years. No, I'm not fat and never was, but did go on it when I gained a few pounds, and realized that it is truly the way everyone should eat. I do not attend meetings, but I do record what I eat and use the WW online program. d claude bear, I would go on the WW message boards and ask the question there. You are more likely to get serious answers. It is my understanding that many people attend meetings while abroad, but I am unsure in what country. I know it is important for those trying to achieve lifetime to attend meetings, but I would also check in with your center. They may just put her on "hold" so she just has to go one extra month to get lifetime. Congrats on making goal and staying there to your wife.

PS-- It's funny that you posted this, b/c I'm going to be in Paris next week and was secretly wondering if anyone on these boards knew of any points-friendly tips for lunch there, etc.

I have lost 30+ pounds on WW core plan. Since the core plan incorporates plain good old food (meats, vegetables, fruits and grains) I don't see any problem finding these things on the menus in Paris. I can easily add the carb points when necessary. But I'm not going to fool anyone: I will follow the plan for breakfast (cereal and fruit) and sometimes for lunch (salads), but dinner and desserts are MY VACATION TIME. But with all the walking, I bet that I will not gain an ounce.

Why not post to dwlz.com , an online
support group of Weight Watchers.
They may have some restaurant suggestions. Also flyertalk.com has
a weight related forum for business
travelers and I bet they have some
recommendations for meeting locations
and restaurants. All the best.

I'm sorry but I have to stick up for "socialworker"...I applaud anyone who has lost a lot of weight but my gosh when you are taking a European trip it's all about thoroughly enjoying the culture of which a major part is the cuisine. I can't imagine worrying about calories or food combinations and especially about attending a weight loss meeting when I could be immersing myself in an incredible foreign country. Besides...if you sightsee like my husband and I do...you will always walk off any extra calories you consume in a day. Chill...enjoy your trip!

It isn't about maintaining her weight. It's about retaining her ongoing membership, which is lifetime for free once you have lost and maintained that loss for a certain period of time. Nowhere was it said that Mrs. Bear will not be enjoying her vacation in Paris.

i'm a lifetime WW member. you can inform your home WW Center about your vacation and get a vacation pass which might excuse you for the monthly weigh in. you have a whole month to weigh in, is it possible for you to weigh in before or after your vacation if you will be back within a month? but then, it might be fun to go to a WW Center in another country to just check out how they do the program there. enjoy your trip to france.

The Bears;


Mrs. B, you are to be commended for your desire to attend a WW weigh-in in Paris. You are obviously serious about the program...you deserve to lose and maintain..and I wish you a happy visit to Paris..and a happy healthy life.

Please ignore the nasties, of whom there are a few too many on this forum.

stu

sorry claude, i just noted that you will be gone for an entire month. so can disregard the second part of my post. if your wife do ever find a WW center in Paris and weigh in and attend a meeting, please post her experience and thoughts on it on this forum. how different is it from the WW Centers in US?

colitis and socialworker,

i am not going to impose my value system on you but you might want to give this a quick thought:

My parents always taught me: "If don't have anything good/pleasant to say, don't say it"

colitis: if you can't imagine yourself worrying about calories and food combinations-that's you. and that's fine. just don't impose what you consider unimaginable for yourself on others. i wish you lots of happiness in life.

"when you are taking a European trip it's all about thoroughly enjoying the culture of which a major part is the cuisine. I can't imagine worrying about calories or food combinations and especially about attending a weight loss meeting when I could be immersing myself in an incredible foreign country."

Caroltis, no matter where you go in the world, you can eat in a healthy way. I follow the WW program, and intend to do so while I am in Paris and anywhere else for the rest of my life. WW has flexibility in it, so basically you can eat very well on it, and even go out to that big fancy dinner and dessert once a week if you eat moderately and well the rest of the week (cereal/yogurt for breakfast, a reasonable lunch, perhaps salad, soup, or sandwich, and a reasonable dinner with a lot of veggies). You can enjoy a foreign country while eating to live (and learn and enjoy), rather than living to eat. And making lifetime (which I am not b/c I've only ever done online) is not only about free lifetime membership but also about giving yourself the encouragement and motivation to eat healthy for life.

She may get a shock with metric, but an American friend of ours swears that stones and pounds make her feel better.
She says that ten stones sound so much lighter than 140 pounds ;-)
I'm sure that the French WW members will be very friendly and welcoming.

having done WW, I congratulate your wife and think that we all know the WW philosophy lets you enjoy food and is not about depriving yourself but about balance.

As far as meetings, unfortunately I don't know either, but I strongly suggest that your wife does ask her local center about putting a "hold" or something similar to her membership, as others have said. Since she obviously has been going there for quite some time, I think they might be able to accomodate her.

and "SOCIAL WORKER" -- I've never seen a screen name be so unfit for anyone!!!! thought of changing it to ANTI SOCIAL WORKER!!!

Hello all--

My wife (Claude E.A. Bear) appreciates all the fine suggestions and expressions of support. She reminded me she is in "lifetime" status, not "maintenance," and does intend to enjoy Parisian cuisine during our month there. We have located a Weight Watchers location on Avenue des Gobelins (relatively near our apartment) offering many meetings--and she plans to go to one, just as she would here in San Diego.

The main reason that I thought it was a joke or troll is b/c it would seem that a sincere query would be done by the person who is actually on the program and that they would do so by contacing the WW site or their local meeting leader.

I also chuckled several times before finally opening the post. Most people would suspect a joke by the title - an oxymoronic question. So i don't think socialworker's reply was rude - and as i suspected it was a real concern by someone who wanted to find out something important.

socialworker - you beat me to the punch. call me rude if you want but i think even the OP could see the humour in their post upon reflection.

The OP's original post seems very sincere to me. I can't see how it could have possibly come across otherwise.

Congrats to your wife, d_claude_bear. My mom has used WW with great success for many years now.

<I can't see how it could have possibly come across otherwise.>

what there's no humour in Aggie Land - i don't see how someone could read this post and not chuckle!

and after you read the actual post you of course realize the seriousness of it.

But not to entertain the thought that it's perhaps a joke... wow!

I don't know, maybe it jusy didn't come across as a joking inquiry to me because I know how seriously my Mom takes her monthly weigh-ins. She worked so hard to get to her goal weight that she is fanatical about maintaining her lifetime membership status. I believe she has to do the monthly weigh-in to do so. So anyway, I guess that is why it came across to me at least, as a totally serious and legit post :-)

I have a close friend - wife of a close friend who is a dedicated member of Over Eaters Anonymous - she was over 300 lbs and now a svelte look and for at least ten years been on a real regimine where she weighs all portions of foods and eats from a script.

When traveling she packs lots of special stuff (by car) so i understand and commend such folks.

Whatever works is what i say when i think - oh well she could be more flexible, enjoy food a bit but then realize that whatever works for one individual is the best and i commend her and your Mom greatly and understand your differing take on it.

My Pop was obese all his life - was in TOPS Take off pounds sensibly but he wasn't so sensible and never really conquered what became a hinderance to him in older age.

So hats off to d claude bear's wife and he and you and your Mom as well.

Doesn't change the fact that some may have chuckeled at the original post title when scrolling thru!

You know, I hadn't really looked at the title. Now that I do, I can definitely see the irony in that most of us go to Paris to toss the diet out the window! I had just been reading the words of the actual post

Congrats to your friend's wife as well. Everyone, or most of us at least, have to find something that works for us.

We just spent 2 weeks with a WW friend travelling in Austria and France. She managed to stick pretty much within her points and didn't gain any weight. I think it was easier for her because she's been a WW for about 20 years and can estimate pretty well.

Another thing that I've always noticed about Paris in particular, the portions are smaller than what we're used to in the U.S. Yes, they do use cream sauces in some regions especially Burgundy, but you normally don't get more than a spoonful. Vegetables aren't normally served as an accompaniment to a main dish but you will see them as an appetizer.

My friend took packets of Splenda with her because I had told her she would have a hard time finding sugar substitutes over there. Coca Light (Diet Coke) was available just about everywhere. I don't think diet soda and sugar substitutes are endorsed by WW but it helps my friend to stay within her points.

My apologies...it simply struck me funny but I realize it's a serious issue.

Congratulations, Madame Bear. Good for you...

You know, you'll meet some great people at the meeting , too.

Have a wonderful trip and stay healthy.

I just got back from a couple weeks in France. I was a fat kid, lost a lot of weight, and have had to fight it for years.

I travel every year and manage to keep in in control.

Although I love croissants, I only had them for breakfast 2 or 3 times, sticking to yogurt.

For lunch, I strayed to the salad side of the menu, and there is a decent selection at most bistros.

Dinner was what was on the menu, keeping diet in mind. You can have a lot of good things that you don't usually have, especially if you don't mind passing on the ones that are obviusly the most caloric.

I really like bread, and needless to say, that is a major attraction in France. Just enjoy it in moderation.

I have a terrible sweet tooth, so I allowed myself 3 desserts, which were great.

We walked a lot.

You can go to France, have a good time, and not blow the diet if it means something to you, which is good.

Good luck.

Too funny. Minutes before I got online, I said to my DH - next week, I have to get back to my WW journal. I'm well below my goal and I'm lifetime but would be happy to drop a few before I take off for Germany in 3 weeks. Just realized it's been well over a month since I've weighed in. Hmmm....

Gosh, d_claude_bear, this is one funny thread you started !!:)

d_claude-bear congratulations to your wife for being a Lifetime member! And for wanting to weigh in during your trip. Gotta keep it up no matter where you are!

It IS a cute title, but I understand the reason behind the question, and knew this wasn't a troll being a lifetime member myself. Here is my advice...have your wife weigh in the very first opportunity of the month in Paris so she can enjoy the rest of the month without worrying about the scale. When she gets home, she can go to very last meeting of that month so she has time to lose any excess pounds she may have inadvertently found in Paris :) .

I looked into this once too, and from what I found, it should not be a problem to weigh in over there. They are the ones who will have to worry about the metric conversion - they will need to figure out if she is below goal or if she needs to pay, so they will do that. I imagine it would be helpful if your wife knew how to figure that out as well - you never know who will be manning the desk and if they are mathematically challenged! I would also write the converted value in the booklet so there is no question of the weight once you get home. Your wife only needs to prove she weighed in once that month and is within goal. Don't let her lose her booklet though - that will be her only proof that she weighed in!

As far as tips for eating, wine = 3 points! That's all she needs to know! :) :)

I'm afraid I too find this very funny but,what the hell, it's your holiday! Well done for having more willpower than flabby old me anyway!

But anaheimwoman
If your parents always taught you: "If don't have anything good/pleasant to say, don't say it"

Perhaps you shouldn't have done the playground bullies game of changing someone's name to something horrible? Changing Caroltis to colitis made you look downright infantile and nasty.

Thanks to all have responded (and especially those who have revived this thread). It can now R.I.P.

I was asking an innocuous question on behalf of my ever-slimmer wife, Claud E.A. Bear, who simply wanted to know about the process of weighing in at a WW meeting in Paris. We will be in Paris for the entire month of May, 2008, and weighing in monthly is part of the program. The question should not imply that we won't dine in the usual restaurants, etc. It isn't about behaving differently from other visitors to Paris, except for her desire to attend one weigh-in.

Unfortunately, no one who responded has had actual experience doing this, so we will look elsewhere. Thanks for the suggestions: over-and-out.

I am "reviving" this thread to report on what happened soon after our arrival in Paris. You may recall (or have just read) that my wife, Claud E.A. Bear, needs to "weigh in" at a Weight Watchers meeting each month to retain her "Lifetime" status. She decided to "play it straight"and not ask for a dispensation from weighing during our month-of-May stay in Paris.

Fortunately, our apartment is a 10-minute walk from a WW meeting place in Paris. We arrived on 30 April and walked over there as part of our "fool the jet lag demon" procedure. It was closed. On May 1 we tried again, but it was closed for the holiday. May 2 wouldn't work for us, so we went to a scheduled meeting on 3 May.

Ms. Bear explained her situation in French and was welcomes to "se peser" (weigh herself). A WW staffer recorded her weight (in kg) and stamped her record book to show the date. She is still well under her goal weight.

The 5-8 miles we have walked each day might help offset the 3-course prix fixe meals and occasional pastries.

Well done, Mr. and Mrs. Bear!

Our experience is always that we don't gain any weight in Paris despite all the food, because of, as you point out, all the walking.

Our trouble starts when we get back and we want to recreate some of the meals we had, for just a day or two, which quickly becomes a week or two - only without the walking!

So enjoy the trip, and careful when you get back!