{"id":7017,"date":"2017-03-08T06:00:54","date_gmt":"2017-03-08T11:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.elfster.com\/?p=7017"},"modified":"2023-05-08T13:18:55","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T17:18:55","slug":"weight-watchers-members-send-love-connect-using-elfsters-online-gift-exchanges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/08\/weight-watchers-members-send-love-connect-using-elfsters-online-gift-exchanges\/","title":{"rendered":"Weight Watchers Members \u201cSend the Love\u201d on Connect Using Elfster\u2019s Gift Exchanges"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eleanor Roosevelt, who paved the way for so many strong and independent women leaders, famously said, \u201cNo one can make you feel inferior without your consent.\u201d Her statements were backed up a few years later by one Lady Gaga, who noted, \u201cRemember there\u2019s always someone fighting for you.\u201d<\/p>\n

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#WWSendTheLove on Elfster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Both of these women are expressing that being strong, and gaining strength from other\u2019s encouragement, are still relevant. When doing something difficult, it helps to have a strong community to back you up, keep you inspired, and help ferry you across those dark nights of the soul.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s what can make changing habits and losing weight so difficult. It\u2019s really one of the most personal and individual things you can do. It\u2019s all about your<\/i> body and your<\/i> actions. It can be hard to make a community out of something so atomized. But that\u2019s what Weight Watchers has done, and by using cool new social media technology, and the magic of gift exchange services, a group of Weight Watchers members have taken it even further.<\/p>\n

Social media has made it easier than ever to find like-minded, encouraging people to help us through tough times and to help us summit difficult peaks. Healthy weight loss, which is really a sustained lifestyle choice, is one of those challenging summits. But by forming a community of support, and by sending each other gifts to help create a stronger community that knows each other better, a nationwide group has expanded exponentially. They\u2019re connected by technology. They\u2019re connected by a shared struggle. They\u2019re connected by the victories that happen every day. And, in this sometimes autonomous world, they\u2019re connected by friendship.<\/p>\n

As the Lifetime Weight Watchers member who co-runs the group, Stephanie Keller, tells us: they hang together.<\/p>\n

Finding Friendship Across the Country<\/h4>\n

The most amazing part about the group is that people are nice, and are almost unrelentingly positive and supportive\u2014an enormous difference from so many other parts of the internet, which (spoiler alert!) can be mean. Anonymous online users on other sites are sometimes known for tearing others down for a quick anonymous thrill. That\u2019s not conducive to healthy attitudes. But, as Stephanie explained to us, her Weight Watchers Connect group doesn\u2019t have any of that.<\/p>\n

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Finding others to help you stay strong can make your courage grow | Image courtesy Etsy seller PRINTANDPROUD<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cConnect,\u201d she explained, \u201cis like Facebook, but it\u2019s entirely positive. No one is ever negative on there. People share stuff and tell each other things that they can never share anywhere else. People admit to troubles and addictions. They share their stories. And the best part is that they\u2019re supportive and motivational. On the internet, to virtual strangers, they\u2019re sharing their before and after pictures. It\u2019s safe. Nobody wants to see someone else fail.\u201d<\/p>\n

You could hear the excitement in Stephanie\u2019s voice as she told us about the growth of Connect, which users join through the Weight Watchers app<\/a>. She mentions that it\u2019s \u201cvery hashtag based,\u201d which can be intimidating to some users, but it\u2019s also very user-friendly, and everyone is extremely helpful; Stephanie believes that\u2019s the most important part.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody that\u2019s on there struggles with their weight somehow, and some members have no one who’s supportive in their life. That’s where Connect comes in. I\u2019ve made friends all over the country on there and we\u2019re now friends offline too. Everybody is really, really kind on there.\u201d<\/p>\n

But some people have taken it a step further with a #WWSendTheLove group. We profiled them last year, talking to founder Stephanie Encin<\/a>, when the group had really just started to get going. The idea was simple: members of the group would send each other <\/a>motivational gifts to help each other with their journey. It was instantly a huge success.<\/p>\n

Since then, Stephanie Encin turned the reigns over to Stephanie Keller and Davita Ritchie in October 2016, who before this technology would probably never have met (Stephanie is in New Jersey, and Davita lives in New Mexico). Their group has grown ever since, with as many as 850 participants. It\u2019s something both incredibly simple, and emotionally wonderful: a gift exchange. It\u2019s how they turn a community of like-minded, friendly, encouraging people into actual friends.<\/p>\n

The Gift of Friendship<\/h4>\n

The group uses the Elfster Gift Exchange<\/a>, which makes a nationwide program incredibly manageable and fun. It\u2019s purely voluntary: you sign up to give and receive a gift box from someone else in your group every month. For about $25, people fill their box with 10-12 little, inspirational items. But the real heart of it is that you learn about the person you\u2019re matched with.<\/p>\n

Stephanie explained that it wasn\u2019t just a matter of getting assigned a random person, and then sending them something. You may already sort of know them through Connect, or maybe they\u2019re a total stranger, but, once matched, you start talking to them. You chat or exchange messages about what they like, where they live, who they are, and more. You discover their needs and wants, and then you send them something. For example, if someone you know was having a spring party<\/a>, you might send them something green and seasonal.<\/p>\n

And you get something too! \u201cIt\u2019s like Christmas every month,\u201d says Stephanie.<\/p>\n

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Mugs are a gift that keeps on giving Image courtesy Etsy seller TheGiftableGoodies<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some gift ideas include:<\/p>\n