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Weight Watchers Live! Esther Brady's Video Diaries
Many of our users love to create photo diaries of their weight loss. Read about Esther Brady who went one step further…
Moving to the UK left US Weight Watchers member Esther Brady feeling lonely and isolated - emotions that had previously driven her 'straight to the fridge'. To curb this, she began connecting with friends in America via the internet, and discovered the website YouTube.com. There she found videos of people discussing their weight loss, and decided to post her own to stay on track. Little did she know her heartfelt video diaries would make her an internet star and inspire others…
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- Why did you decide to join Weight Watchers? Was there a 'final straw' moment that inspired you to take that step?
I was in my doctor's office for a routine physical and decided to bring up my weight issue since everyday activities were tiring me out. I naively asked if she could prescribe me a pill to get thinner and my doctor looked right at me, obviously irritated by my question, and told me I certainly needed to drop the excess pounds to maintain my health but that there were no miracle pills or fixes. She said: "It simply takes a combination of eating and exercising properly." It was an embarrassing and enlightening moment – I realised I had been blaming my weight on genetics instead of taking responsibility for how I was treating my body. Thankfully I had just reconnected with an old friend who had recently lost over 80lb using Weight Watchers Online, and although I chose to go meetings, it was her success that motivated me to begin my own weight loss journey.
- How did you feel when you first went to a meeting? (and where was it – in the US?)
The first meeting I attended I was quite nervous. It was the beginning of summer, and I only had four months left in America before my graduate work would begin in Durham, UK, but I knew I couldn't put my health or happiness off any longer. Walking through the door was the hardest part; once inside I found people were warm and eager to share their successes and struggles. It took quite a while for me to feel comfortable sharing my own thoughts but just sitting there absorbing the information gave me that extra incentive I needed to push on and stay on track through the next week.
- Did you just attend meetings - or did you use the Weight Watchers website?
I use the Weight Watchers website quite often, either to log into the message boards and get useful tips from other members or to read success stories. In fact, not long after I joined I printed out the success story of a woman who was my height and who had achieved my goal weight, and taped it to my mirror. Seeing her before/after pictures every day really kept me inspired and reminded me that it was possible to do since she had done it. I knew that if I kept on, the small losses week after week would eventually add up to a fantastic success story of my own.
- What inspired you to start your YouTube diary? (did your move to the UK have anything to do with it?)
After arriving in the UK I admit I felt quite lonely and a bit isolated - emotions that had previously driven me straight to the fridge. I found comfort in keeping connected with friends in America through the internet and happened upon the website YouTube.com where I discovered a couple of videos where people were discussing weight loss. I'm a very visual person and liked being able to quickly thumb through videos and see a person's progress. Soon afterwards I decided to begin my own diary in order to help me keep track in a unique and much more visual way - something I knew I'd appreciate having even after I achieved my goal.
- Talk us through how YouTube helped keep you motivated.
Posting the weight loss vlogs (video blogs) kept me motivated because each week I had to tell a growing audience whether I had lost or gained that week. I had been very shy about sharing with friends exactly how much I weighed but I felt a degree of anonymity on YouTube that allowed me to be more open and post my actual progress. That openness created another level of accountability and it didn't take long before I started receiving lengthy emails from my viewers detailing their own struggles with weight. I've corresponded with dozens of other Weight Watchers members from literally around the world who have encouraged me.
- Do you think your diaries also helped motivate others out there in their weight loss? Give us some examples.
The response from my vlog has been amazing and sometimes even overwhelming. I continue to receive emails every day about my weight loss, even when my videos discuss other topics. There have been quite a few videos made by others congratulating me and discussing what watching has meant to them. For instance, a girl in Texas made a video that begins by her talking about how she was inspired because she could actually see the shape of my face shrink month after month. A guy in the UK recently emailed me explaining how his social anxiety disorder has been a major barrier to communicating with others about his weight struggles but that by being able to watch my videos and ask me questions online it has enabled him to get back on track. It's by far the single issue I get asked the most about and I've had so many people tell me they're either rejoining Weight Watchers, or signing up for the first time to Weight Watchers as a result. People constantly tell me how inspired they are by my honesty and my progress, which makes all the time I've put into the videos completely worth it! It's been quite an experience to be seen as a 'success story' since I've been looking up to those with success stories online and in the Weight Watchers Magazine for my own motivation all year.
- Has losing weight changed you in any way or how you feel about yourself? Has it affected your self-esteem or confidence in any way?
Losing weight has been the biggest self-esteem booster I've ever had. I was so uncomfortable in my body, especially during the summer months when it was warm outside. In fact, this will be the first summer in my adult life that I'm going to wear shorts and tank tops – can you believe I'm actually excited to go swimsuit shopping?! When I see old pictures of myself hiding behind everyone else it's a reminder that I don't ever want to go back to that place again. My biggest regret is that I didn't lose the weight before my dad passed away in 2005 because I know he would've been so proud of my achievement and my increased confidence.
- Has joining Weight Watchers changed your relationship with food?
The best thing Weight Watchers has taught me is how to 'eat properly' like my doctor had said. I ate takeaways virtually every day before joining - the sad thing is that I didn't even think that was unhealthy. I had to completely relearn how to think and feel about food; the changes didn't happen overnight but by counting POINTS® values I discovered how out of control my portion sizes had become. I know I've saved loads of money by learning how to cook the kinds of food I like and now I bulk up my trolley with vegetables and fruits. I became a vegetarian a year ago and use a lot of meat substitutions like Quorn, which saves me POINTS values while still tasting delicious. I've also 'skinnied' up meals by switching to skimmed milk, low fat cheeses, and 1 calorie oil spray. Instead of just shopping in a hurry, I bring an itemised list so I know precisely what I need to buy for the next week - I also take my POINTS calculator to the grocery store and often compare POINTS values of products right there; taking the guess work out was what got me to goal and what will keep me there!
- What are your future plans - will you continue with your diaries?
I do plan on continuing with my vlogs - I want to use it as a platform to talk about life issues including health and fitness, and hopefully keep encouraging others to take the necessary steps to lose weight. It keeps me accountable and it's not as if my weight struggles have ended - maintaining a healthy weight takes effort and is a lifelong endeavour. I enjoy being able to point friends in person and online towards Weight Watchers because it changed my life in such a profound way. I'll be moving back to America soon and will find a meeting in my new city to attend because in many ways the journey has only just begun.
| Watch a Sample of Esther's Videos |
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