Finding Healthy Options

Welcome to the January doldrums with frosty temperatures and less daylight. It’s the perfect time for a fresh start. If weight loss or healthy eating is a new year’s goal, Being Well at Yale offers a number of weight management options. Yale’s Health Coaches can also work with you to develop an individualized program to help you achieve your health goals.

Additionally, Being Well at Yale has partnered with WeightWatchers® for over a decade and subsidizes over 50% of the membership price for active, benefit-eligible faculty, staff, postdoc associates as well as their spouses and domestic partners.

Positive Results Resonate

In January 2019, Michelle Cirello, senior administrative assistant at the Yale School of Management, decided to make some lifestyle changes. “I was tired of carrying the extra weight I’d gained during the holidays. I’d heard about WeightWatchers® through another Yale colleague and decided to try it.”

Cirello found comradery and support through the community meetings, lost 25 pounds, and is now a lifetime member. “It was an amazing experience that felt like group therapy centered on food. We would share recipes and tips, but also cheer each other on,” she commented. The most significant adjustment for her was portion control and, subsequently, maintenance. “At first, the portion sizes were eye-opening, but I made healthy adjustments and developed better eating habits. I still eat pasta and ice cream but control my intake,” she mentions.

Not only did Cirello lose the weight and keep it off, but her husband John also joined the program. “About a year after I started the program, the benefit changed to include spouses. John tried it and successfully lost weight. I’ve also noticed that my son and daughter eat a more balanced diet and will look for healthy options when at a restaurant or traveling. It has had a positive effect on my whole family.”

Weight Management, Not Diets

The WeightWatchers® program is founded on a scientifically based approach to weight management that helps participants eat better by following a points system, move more at their own pace, and positively shift their mindset. Its personalized approach focuses on the individual, not just a number on the scale. The points system guides members to more nutritious foods and helps with portion sizes.

Employees can follow the program online or join as a workshop member and attend virtual or in-person meetings. A comprehensive, easy-to-use app contains an essential weight-loss toolkit with a nutrition plan, thousands of recipes, a weight and activity tracker, and a list of ZeroPoint® foods.

By the Numbers

During 2022:

• 450 benefit-eligible staff used the WeightWatchers® program
• 1,284 net pounds lost
• 96.7% of members have maintained or improved their body mass index
• Body weight loss
  • 70 members lost between 3% and 4.9% of their body weight.
  • 84 members lost between 5% and 9.9% of their body weight.
  • 58 members lost more than 10% of their body weight.