For Immediate Release

Contact:
Leslie Schreiber
Winger and Associates, Ltd.
312-494-0422
Leslie@wingerandassociates.com

Weight Watchers Establishes a New Meeting Location at Howard Brown Health Center

Septempber 28, 2008, CHICAGO, IL—Howard Brown Health Center today announced that it has partnered with Weight Watchers in the Lose for Good campaign, and will also be the site of a new weekly Weight Watchers group meeting, beginning October 13th.  To celebrate, Weight Watchers invited the community to visit a meeting for free and join in its efforts to Lose for Good.

Created to help local communities get healthier, the Lose for Good campaign also helps others in need.  From September 7th to October 18th, for every pound their members lose, Weight Watchers will donate the cost of one pound of food -- up to $1 million dollars -- to two hunger fighting organizations – Share Our Strength and Action Against Hunger. 

“With nearly two out of three U.S. adults overweight or obese, it is imperative that we reach out and to help members of our community develop healthier lifestyles, stated Hope Barrett, Director of Community Initiatives at Howard Brown.  "We are thrilled that Howard Brown will be the location of a weekly Weight Watchers meeting and that participants will have an opportunity to explore and discuss issues specific to LGBT people and their weight loss goals."

Linda Tinoly will lead the weekly meetings at Howard Brown.  Like all Weight Watchers leaders, Linda lost weight following the Weight Watchers program and understands how every pound lost can make a difference in how a person looks and feels.  “Losing just 5-10 percent of your body weight not only helps you fit better in your clothes, but it can also produce positive health benefits such as a reduced risk of heart disease, cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.”

“Our leaders are knowledgeable and eager to share information about healthy weight loss,” explains Shelly Elaty, Weight Watchers Territory Manager.  “Our goal is to offer people our expertise in a convenient and comfortable environment in order to help them reach their weight-loss goals by tailoring the curriculum to meet their unique challenges.  Our program continues to evolve and energize members to Lose for Good.”

Further information about the weekly Weight Watchers meeting at Howard Brown Health Center may be found at www.howardbrown.org or by contacting Hope Barrett at (773) 388-8906 or by email at hopeb@howardbrown.org. 

About Howard Brown Health Center
Howard Brown Health Center is one of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) healthcare organizations.  Through a wide array of health, wellness, social service and research programs, Howard Brown cares for more than 20,000 adult and youth clients annually.  For more information about Howard Brown, please visit www.howardbrown.org.

About Weight Watchers International, Inc.
Weight Watchers International, Inc. is the world’s leading provider of weight management services, operating globally through a network of Company-owned and franchise operations. Weight Watchers holds over 50,000 weekly meetings where members receive group support and learn about healthy eating patterns, behavior modification and physical activity. WeightWatchers.com provides innovative, subscription weight management products over the Internet and is the leading Internet-based weight management provider in the world.  In addition, Weight Watchers offers a wide range of products, publications and programs for those interested in weight loss and weight control.

To learn more about Weight Watchers services, products and publications, visit www.weightwatchers.com.  To find the nearest Weight Watchers meeting location, call 1-800-651-6000 or click on the “Find A Meeting” link at the top of the Weight Watchers homepage.

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