Jean Nidetch: No Amount of Fats Can Stop Her Dream

Jean Nidetch is an American fitness enthusiast who co-founded the organization called Weight Watchers. Born as Jean Slutsky on October 12, 1923 in Brooklyn New York. Despite the fact that she was a partial scholar at Long Island University, meager resources forced Nidetch out of college. Instead, Nidetch went to the City College of New York to take up a business course. She dropped out when her father died in 1942.

Nidetch was an overweight housewife. She has an obsession for meat. In 1961, Nidetch experimented on a number of fad diets. This was after she was prescribed a regimen by a diet clinic which came as a sponsorship of the New York City Board of Health. She lost 20 pounds but later found her resolve starting to weaken. Nidetch kept in touch with some of her overweight friends which resulted in the creation of a support group.

The support group of overweight ladies eventually became a weekly class. On May 15, 1963. the group was formally incorporated and was named Weight Watchers. The group was acquired by H. J. heinz Company in 1978 but Nidetch continued to function as the organization’s consultant after that.