In November of 2011, I put out a call to the brave folks who actually followed the original Retro WW program back in the 1970's. My request was simple: share your Retro WW story with me so I can share it with the world. Thus began the "Retro WW Interview Project". Check out my first interview with my mom, in case you missed it, and please email me if you would like to be part of the interview project! After all--When you go through a traumatic experience, they say it helps to talk about it.Up next, allow me to introduce Sherrie. Her Retro WW story will make you laugh, cry, and maybe even jump for joy. Make sure you read to the very end, because there is also a very important lesson about why you should always wear the correct size underwear.1. Why did you join WW? What was your "A-Ha Moment"? What year was it?I joined WW for the first time in 1971, I was 11 years old. I admittedly joined for all of the wrong reasons. My father wouldn’t allow me to get my ears pierced and constantly badgered me about my weight. I bargained with him, if I lost 25 pounds, could I get my ears pierced. The answer was yes. So, my mom drove me to the Carpenters Hall, and I joined WW.
Sherrie 19782. What is your most vivid Retro WW memory?
The Carpenters Hall where the meetings were held was large and cold and musty smelling. When you walked in off the street there was a pop machine, with pop in glass bottles for 25 cents. I would buy a bottle of Tab each week and then go in to weigh. There were two old doctor office type scales at one end of the room and two lines of people lined up to get weighed in. Everyone could see your weight as the scale was adjusted for your weigh in. It felt kind of like cattle being herded onto a scale. Pauline, my WW leader was a tiny thing that stood on top of a stage at the other end of the room behind a podium, that made her look even smaller. Pauline was always very sweet and very kind, she taught me that even a ¼ of a pound was a huge weight loss, after all that is the size of a cube of butter.
3. What was your favorite Retro WW treat?
There were these breakfast muffins that we used to make, you would use slices of bread ripped up (cause you couldn’t use flour) and eggs and dry powdered milk and frozen blueberries. You got six of the muffins at a sitting. I used to think they were the bomb. Also, if you had hot dogs you could have (as a youth) 6 broiled hot dogs for dinner, loved wiener night.
Sherrie 19854. What was the hardest rule to follow on Retro WW?
The liver rule, hands down. I had liver, broiled, there was no frying, just broiling. The first and last time I ate my liver meal I ate only a small portion of it and cried all the way through it. All those fish meals you had eat a week, would be a second. Your proteins were 2oz for breakfast, 4 for lunch and 6 for dinner (I was a youth, so I got more of some things) I would opt for fish meals for breakfast and lunch so I wouldn’t have to eat so much. I hated fish so usually it was dry tuna on a dry piece of bread. Bleh.
5. What was the best thing about being a WW member in the 70's?
It was almost like being a member of a cool secret society, like belonging to fight club or something. Jean Nidetch was often talked about, and we always dreamed of her coming to our meeting. She never did, but the district manager for the western states came once, (Jack Bode) you would have thought he was a movie star. I reached goal when I was 12, started high school 1 month before I turned 13. Although I didn’t stay on program, WW gave me my teenage years as just a normal kid, not the heavy set girl with the pretty face. The recipes were so crazy back then, but without them the food was not palatable. The best thing about the 70’s was it really taught me to try new things at least once, and to eat my vegetables! It was simpler times, simpler food. The results were the same then, as they are now, Weight Watchers works, it’s a network and you always have support.
6. Any other interesting tidbits about your Retro WW experience??
Pauline told us a story one time about a member that was shopping in sears with a dress on, she had two small school age children with her. She had lost so much weight that her undergarments were not fitting her anymore. She looked down at her feet from behind the racks and noticed that her panties had slipped down and were laying on top of her shoes. These were big ol panties that had seen better days. She was mortified. Being a sensible woman who did not show her panties to strangers she got a nervous look on her face and scanned the shopping floor.. good no one noticed. She pretended to be looking at a dress on the rack and stepped out of her under garment and swiftly bent down and scooped it into her purse in one ballet like move. She continued to shop. An hour or so later her and the kids were leaving Sears, and as she started to walk out the door she felt a large firm hand on her shoulder, and a deep male voice say, Madam, I saw you put something into your purse. Oh my God, she thought. She denied it. She couldn’t tell the security guard it was her under pants. He said Madam, show me your purse. She clutched it to her chest. The police came ..
Sherrie 2010 The moral: As you lose weight, always, always reward yourself with new underwear.
I even tried to improve the presentation by serving it in my favorite pink Pyrex Bowl. Fail.
