by Lauren Thornton Tobin for the FCT

Weight Watchers leader at the Russellville Parks and Recreation Department, Sarah Holt, is retiring after 25 years of service.

Holt, 73, said due to arthritis, she is leaving her position as leader of the program.

Holt said she began the Weight Watcher program 26 years ago to lose weight, and after doing the program for a year, she began working there.

“It’s a good program. It works and I love people. I love seeing progress and them being successful,” Holt said.

Holt said she is planning to use her newfound free time with her great grandchildren, shopping and helping out at church.

“I have two great granddaughters and they take up a lot of my time,” she said.

Holt is a part of the “Golden Girls” group at Antioch Baptist Church in Phil Campbell. She said they meet and go on trips together or just spend time with one another.

“I stay busy,” she said.

Holt’s personal success story gives credit to Weight Watchers where she lost 88 pounds.

“Weight Watchers gives you a maintenance plan you stay on,” Holt said. “This plan is what differentiated the business from other diets because it’s based on a points system, which allows for flexibility based on various lifestyles,” she said.

“As an adult, I had always had a weight problem and I tried everything, and this worked for me,” Holt said.

She said her niece had been participating in Weight Watchers and encouraged her to go.

“I would recommend it to anyone,” Holt said. “I’ve never had anyone say doctors didn’t approve of Weight Watchers.”

Before Holt was an exclusive Weight Watchers leader, she divided her time between the program and her job at the Wrangler and Lee Corporation.

For 10 years, Holt conducted two meetings a week, along with her day job.

After 35 years with Wrangler and Lee, she retired and began working at the Rec Department full time.

Holt said she would lead nine meetings a week.

“It gave me something to do, it gave me my time away,” she said. “It really worked for me, and I liked to see people successful in their weight loss journey.”

As a leader, she was responsible for giving out literature that illustrated multiple workout routines.

“We try to meet the needs of the people,” she said.

During the time Holt was a leader, she received two awards. The first award she received was “Diamond Leader” in 2001, which is given to five leaders throughout the state of Alabama, and the second, “Leader of the Year” in 2002.

Holt said she would like to thank the director of the Recreational Department, Chad Sears, for always working with her and around her schedule.

Holt said it takes six months to a year to train a new leader, and until a new leader is chosen, the weekly meetings at the Recreation Department will be closed.

Holt said there are still meetings in surrounding areas.