#1308 to lose

Tomorrow is one of the busiest days of the year at the gym; many people include "losing weight" in their new year's resolutions.  The revelry is over, and it's time to get serious about shedding those holiday pounds (and then some.)

In the O Magazine, I was surprised to find a 2-page spread advertising Weight Watchers through a handwritten letter from Oprah and an invitation "Come join me."  The letter explained why Oprah joined Weight Watchers and concluded by asking "Are you ready?  Let's do this together."  

I thought it was quite the endorsement.

Then I read in the Wall Street Journal that Oprah had invested $43 million in the company and secured a seat on their board.  Yes, she lost 20 pounds, but somehow the ownership makes her claims seem disingenuous. There was no mention of her corporate involvement in her ad. It makes me wonder if she is promoting the plan because she truly believes in it, or whether she is protecting her stake in it.

If Oprah can help Americans lose weight through her endorsement I am all for it.  She has used her influence for good before, and there are many more readers due to Oprah's promotion of book clubs...

...but she did that without a seat on the board of the publishing company.  There could be more to lose in her latest efforts.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Ad in O Magazine, January 2016, p.10-11

Weight Watchers' Plan: Don't Call it a 'Diet' by Ellen Brown in the Wall Street Journal, December 7, 2015, p. B1 & B6.