'Whatever It Takes'—Keeps Rosemary Going Through Weight, Cancer, Movie Stars and More

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rosemary and I didn't live far from each other in Studio City not too long ago. Now that Weight Watchers is moving to town, and she has such an inspirational story, I prodded her to write it down for the launch of the business on Friday (. Stay tuned for an upcoming Blog in the LOCAL VOICES section for more inspiration from Rosemary, who leads meetings on Mondays and Thursdays (check the)

Growing up in the Bronx and Yonkers, New York, I had a dream as a child: To move to California and be a celebrity assistant. 

My Aunt Rose Marie tells me I talked about it all the time and never ever let the dream leave my imagination. In 1969, my dream came true. I was hired to be Glen Campbell's secretary on "The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour." 

One week after the historic moon landing, I was in Los Angeles with no plans of looking back. The seven years I worked for Glen were one of two of the happiest times in my entertainment life. The other was working for Alan Alda during the last 7 years of "M*A*S*H." I will be forever grateful to him for opening my mind and heart to art, music, travel, literature, good food and France. Other assistant experiences include the late John Candy and Kirstie Alley.

In between, I worked for Peter Guber when he was Chairman of the Board of Casablanca FilmWorks. The highlight of that relationship was spearheading the publicity campaign for “Midnight Express” and “Thank God It’s Friday.” Another dream came true too:  I attended both the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards as a result.

My weight has been an issue all my life although if you notice, I didn't allow it to dilute the power of a child's imagination. I've been heavy all my life and did some drastic things to lose it—even Weight Watchers over the years. My Weight Watcher cumulative loss must run in the millions with all the stopping and starting I did. Then, on April 1, 1995, I walked through the Weight Watchers doors and sat in the meeting room and lost 113 pounds. Seventeen years later,  I have yet to leave the building. 

What was THE motivating factor which contributed to my success?  The meeting room experience and the words “no matter what.”  In the meeting room, I found compassion, empathy, inspiration and weekly motivation. 

The process of change through Weight Watchers empowers you.  You are learning life lessons and skills and through experience, how to make choices that align with your core value system.  

Besides leading 10 meeting per week, I am also an Ambassador for the company and the most recent member of the Field Advisory Board.  I’m in the process of being certified as a Leader Coach. 

“Whatever it takes” is the philosophy by which I live. Being overweight comes with demons, insecurities, body image issues, rampant emotions that only another overweight person would understand.  That is why I do what I do.  I have lived through it all and now am on a mission to make sure no one else goes down that path. Getting them healthy is a factor, yes, but I try to guide my members to make choices which will nudge them toward becoming the person they were mean to be and thus, to live the life they were born to live.

In 2003, cancer struck and zowee the next 15 months were quite a ride! I owe my survival skills to Weight Watchers and the weekly meetings.  On January 25. I will be eight years cancer free. 

I am thrilled to be part of the new Studio City Weight Watchers Store. 

Studio City has a special place in my heart as it’s where I first lived when I moved here.  With our new contemporary design, boards, open hours, mobile apps and our fabulous on-line E-tools, we will be available to help all our members on a daily basis to reach their weight loss goals. They now can weigh in, buy products, talk to a staff member and/or attend a meeting. In addition, the weigh-in process is more private. 

With Weight Watchers, I went on a journey of self-discovery.  Passions are any person who is part of the Weight Watchers family, friends, France, music (I serve as Membership Chair of the LA Philharmonic Affiliates at Large), musical theatre and learning everything and anything about food. 

I give this advice whenever I can:  Dream BIG - reach for the moon....what have you got to lose?