Anyone who has fought late-night food cravings or tried to find motivation to head to the gym knows that losing weight is difficult. But few people have experienced this struggle the way Julie Israel has.

For a long time, Israel, the associate director of financial aid for Kellogg School of Management, had tried many fad diets, including the Beverly Hills Diet, which relies on an all-fruit regimen for the first 10 days.

“I was using ridiculous schemes to lose weight,” Israel said. “They were temporary solutions, and I would lose weight to gain more.”

After years of unsuccessful dieting and fluctuating weight, Israel finally achieved long-term weight loss when she began to go to Weight Watchers At Work meetings at Northwestern.

In all, Israel has lost 100 pounds in little more than a decade.

She first attended Weight Watchers meetings in 1992, with mixed results. Israel later became a member of the founding group of Weight Watchers At Work on NU’s campus. The group formed in 1998 with 15 members and today is one of the longest continuously running at-work groups in the Chicago area.

Weight Watchers At Work brings the group’s weekly meetings to workplaces around the U.S., making the program more accessible to busy people, Israel said.

Barb Rosenblum, a leader of the NU group and a former member of Weight Watchers, said the group focuses on “a food plan, exercise, behavior modification and support.” Members attend weekly meetings for 20 weeks at a time. At the beginning of each 20-week session, members set individual goals for weight loss according to their needs.

At the NU meetings, members eat lunch as they discuss topics such as portion control, dining out and cooking with a wide variety of foods. Members share strategies to reach the common goal of weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.

Toward the end of each 20-week session, the group holds an open house to attract new members. The next open house will be held at noon Wednesday, May 24 in Kellogg 101. Membership is open to students, faculty and staff, with each session costing $219.

For Israel, the biggest benefit of Weight Watchers comes from the camaraderie she has built with the other members. While she has already lost a significant amount of weight, she feels that connecting with other people who face the same challenges helps her stay on track.

“The group is very instrumental, very supportive,” she said.

Rosenblum agreed that the community and discussion within Weight Watchers is beneficial to her as well as others in the program.

“I learn from them as much as they learn from me,” she said.

In addition to attending meetings, Israel keeps a food log and exercises regularly. She said these measures are important to keeping the weight off and staying healthy.

“You’re doing this for yourself,” Israel said.

Although Israel is still 15 pounds away from her target weight, she is proud of the progress she has made. Israel carries pictures of her heavier self around to show how far she has come. She credits most of her success to her involvement with Weight Watchers.

“It works,” she said.

Reach Andrea Castillo at [email protected].