It was Wednesday evening, March 29, 1967, and I was sitting in my apartment on West 75th street in New York City contemplating ways of committing suicide. I had just spent an 6 hours on an eating binge  going from having a Hymie's Special 3-decker sandwich at the Stage deli then going up to 72nd Street and getting  a large pizza with everything on it plus stopping at a store to get a tuna fish sandwich and a half a dozen donuts, all this after having dinner!

I
looked out the bay window on my second floor apartment and knew I had
to get out  and do something but what do you do at 2 AM in NYC that
doesn't include food if you are fat?  I went into a phone booth, called
info, got the telephone number of Weight Watchers only to get a
recording saying that they opened at 9 AM. I stayed in that phone booth
on 72nd Street and Broadway until I finally reached someone. They told
me the next meeting was at a hotel on 57th street and I was there. I met
Mary who registered and weighed me in and then met Marilyn who was a
fill in lecturer that day. On Thursday, March 30, 1967, at 1 PM my life
would change forever and send me in directions I never knew or would
have experienced otherwise.

I can, and have written, many blogs about what happened in my life over the next
12 years from the massive physical change to the transactional analysis
therapy that changed a angry, hostile, negative 31 year old into a
positive, happy, goal oriented mature man who was able to deal with the adversity he would face over the next 29 years without fear or
worry. Today, 45 years later, he still retains much he had learned from
those 12 years in the world of Weight Watchers and, even after I celebrated my 19th Leap Year birthday and winding up fatter than when I started I didn't panic. Only those who went through what I went through will understand when I say I have been back on the "5 fish, 3 beef, 1 liver, 5 fruit, 2
glasses of milk, 4 ounces of a #4 vegetable, all the #3s I want, etc.,"
for 30 days and have lost 7 and 1/2 pounds and will continue until I reach my goal. Back then I lost 75 pounds in 16 weeks, got my WW pin with its 'diamonds', and went on to lose the rest but I am far from having to lose that much, will get the job done with little effort as after 4 and 1/2 decades I know when and how to do it, so excuse me while I go off and make those cauliflower 'mashed poatoes'.

THANKS JEAN!