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Would Losing Weight Affect Your Career?
By Sherry Amatenstein for WeightWatchers

Losing weight didn't just make Sharon slimmer and healthier. It also helped her lose the negative self-image that had affected her job performance. The communications director recalled, "Before I joined Weight Watchers, I had a job performance review that said I lacked initiative. That wasn't true, but society views overweight people as lazy - why else don't they take care of themselves?"

The pre-weight-loss Sharon was a competent worker but not a confident one. "I was unhappy and hesitant, so no one listened to me."

The post weight-loss Sharon, on the other hand, garners plenty of respect among her co-workers, projecting energy and enthusiasm at a new job. She says, "Losing the weight gave me such a confidence boost in the interviewing process that landing a great position was easy."

Michelle lost weight with Weight Watchers, too, but decided to stay at her job. "I'm director of a nonprofit organization in the health care field," explains Michelle. Although none of her colleagues directly lobbed nasty weight-related comments her way, they now regularly proffer praise at her slimmed-down physique and beefed-up job performance. Being thin also makes it more comfortable for Michelle to lecture 150 clinicians on topics like how obesity is a risk factor in causing strokes.

Get Fit - Inside and Out
The key, then, to making weight loss result in a job performance gain is to change your mindset as well as your body shape. Otherwise, you might look thin on the outside, but still retain the image and mentality of the overweight you. With this mental handicap, it's hard to feel, much less project, professional confidence. Suggests Irina Harris, a New York-based psychotherapist who specializes in mind/body issues, "A diet trick is to put a "fat picture" on the refrigerator door to keep you from overeating. If your fat is now all in your head, put a "thin picture" on the real refrigerator door in your head."

Getting thin propelled stay-at-home mom Jann into the workplace. Jann joined Weight Watchers five years ago after gaining 70 pounds with her third pregnancy. She not only dropped the weight, she started working for Weight Watchers. A job requirement was to stay at her goal weight. Talk about the perfect professional motivation to be thin and stay healthy!

The Skinny on Weight Discrimination Suits
The bad news: According to Kathleen Tomlinson, a law partner with Long Island-based Farrell Fritz, there are no statutes specifically covering weight discrimination. (It usually has to be tied to gender discrimination to make a case.)

The good news: Tomlinson, who specializes in employment litigation, says, "Most companies have an internal policy they follow when faced with a possible lawsuit." Your human resources department will thus be obligated to investigate your claim. If after review, HR deems you don't have a case, a last resort is contacting your State's Division of Human Rights. It could help just to be heard.

Next Steps
Your office may even help you lose weight. Check out Weight Watchers Corporate Solutions and start losing on the job.





....Um, aren't these Weight Watchers women (the one writing the article and the ones who were interviewed) just propelling the stereotype that you can't be happy and successful when you're overweight? And that you're fucked if the reason you don't get a raise or something is because you aren't as happy as your newly-thin Weight Watchers cubicle-mate, since there are no laws about this shit? What the fuck?!

This article smells putridly of flagrant discrimination to me. Any other thoughts?

Of course they are. If they didn't tell people about the advantages of being in shape or taking care of yourself, they wouldn't very well have many clients, would they?

However, I don't think two cases from their own program are anywhere near enough to justify stating that if you're overweight, you'll be an insecure worker. It's a gross generalization. They could simply stick to the health benefits if they want to advertise, but companies will do what they will.

To be fair, Weight Watchers actually WORKS, and it doesn't require that you spend thousands of dollars on Weight Watchers products. My mom has lost fifteen or twenty pounds over the last few months with them.

RedImperator wrote:To be fair, Weight Watchers actually WORKS, and it doesn't require that you spend thousands of dollars on Weight Watchers products. My mom has lost fifteen or twenty pounds over the last few months with them.

I know it works. I don't have a problem with Weight Watchers itself, or with people feeling good about themselves or anything. I have issues with the article and the things it seems to imply.

And the fact that corportations are encouraging people to diet just strikes me as odd, in a negative sort of way.

RedImperator wrote:To be fair, Weight Watchers actually WORKS, and it doesn't require that you spend thousands of dollars on Weight Watchers products. My mom has lost fifteen or twenty pounds over the last few months with them.

It may work, but you have to WANT to do it. If I'm happy the way I am, why should anyone else judge my character on my looks? And Weight Watchers is something you have to keep using. You can't just lose the weight and stop. Doesn't work that way.

Kelly Antilles wrote:It may work, but you have to WANT to do it. If I'm happy the way I am, why should anyone else judge my character on my looks?

YES!!! Thank you, darling.

And Weight Watchers is something you have to keep using. You can't just lose the weight and stop. Doesn't work that way.

Yes, alas.

I think part of my problem is that my initial reaction to just seeing the title of the article was, "What? Yet ANOTHER atmosphere where my looks are more important than other attributes?" That's very disheartening for those of us who are especially self-critical about the way we look.

I think it's about self image.

you don't have to be thin to be confident and successful, but if you personally think you should lose wieght, then losing wieght will improve you self image.

NB I am NOT saying that thin is better: eugh!

BUT: self confidence comes form being in control. You should be happy with who you are, and taht can come as much from being in control of your own body than accepting your flaws.

Compared to say, my sister of the 'Atkins Diet regardless of having a family history of osteoporosis and early heart attacks' fame, I have a good body image. I like myself, as I'm sure you've all noticed. But part of that is being in control of who I am and what I look like. It's the same principle as that behind body art. I deserve to be who I want to be, not to just accept what i've been lumped with.


Having said all that, I see your point, but they are trying to sell a product here.

Hmmm.....haven't seen the Man of Steel around here lately.......ah well.