Like film stars, charismatic leaders at Weight Watchers receive a special level of devotion from their fans. “I stalk Suzane,” admitted Jen Evans (down 135 lb.), a marketing and communications specialist. “She’s the reason I finally lost the weight. It took me seven tries, but I found my leader and reached my goal.” Likewise, Selene Commerford (down 85 lb.) credits Urquhart’s comic stylings for her success. She attends Urquhart’s Saturday morning class in Orléans, where it’s standing room only.
Kes Smith (down 35 lb.) is another beloved headliner on the Ottawa circuit. Her background in stand-up comedy and theatre is evident, as she spouts jokes like this: “My husband is on the military diet—Cap’n Crunch and Col. Sanders.” Members love when she recalls her own struggles with weight loss. “I went from being an hourglass to a Coke bottle to a Coke can,” she confessed drolly after a meeting in Barrhaven. “Fatty foods give me amnesia,” continued Smith. “I remember [to count] the salad but forget the cheesecake!”
Back in Montreal, Rabinovitch ended her meeting with an anecdote about dining at Bar-B Barn. “I ordered a baked potato, but they were sold out, so I had to have the french fries, guilt free. What could I do?” she recalled, shrugging. “But the waitress came back and said, ‘I have good news! I found you the last baked potato. I turned to my husband and said, ‘No tip for her.’ ”
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