Here in mid Michigan several Weight Watchers locations have suddenly closed. Members are left without a place to attend meetings. So far the affected cities have been Fenton, Midland, Saginaw and Bay City. These meetings were a place to get positive support and social network, many are upset at the sudden closure.

Marie Clements who has been doing the program for 30 years says she’s devastated that they closed. She has attended over 1500 meetings, but will now have to find an alternative, as she feels it’s important to maintain her social and network support that helps her with weight loss.

ABC 12 reports

The only Mid-Michigan location that will remain open is in Flint, but Clements said it’s not worth the 20-minute drive from Fenton. “It’s very important. When I don’t go to the meetings, my weight starts creeping up and I don’t like that,” she said. The closures come as the United States is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity increases the risk of severe illness when it comes to COVID-19.

These folks are concerned for all of their members overall health as they have been a part of Weight Watchers for years. Teresa Melzer said “It’s really hard to face the scale and so adding an extra component of driving or driving a little further for a meeting can be tough enough to derail people.” She thinks they are going to lose a lot of people in her area.

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Weight Watchers International has stated that they just recently acquired the Michigan and Ontario Canada franchises.

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