Yow. There is a wicked bitter conversation going on at Elastic Waist about the points program and WW's newest ad campaign. Which, to be fair, I haven't seen.
I know that Weight Watchers isn't perfect. I've gone through the pros and cons of Core and Flex. I've commiserated with friends who have crazy low Points Targets due to their smallness of frame. But if you need structure, this gives you structure. And maybe you have to tweak it a little. If you're not eating enough? Add a couple more points, see how that goes.
Personally, Vitamin W has been a help to me staying on program so far. As I've said, switching back to counting points has been painless. So the program hasn't changed, but I have changed a little. Although, I can't say that everyone who "fails" at Weight Watchers doesn't need to be on medication. But there's definitely people with food issues at the WW meetings, and that's one of the reasons I'm online only. And that attitude of "good week = loss, anything else = bad week" has to stop, and that should be a directive from the corporate level on down.
I don't know. Go read the comments over there (bring your fireproof oven mitts), and let me know what you think over here.
ETA: Here's Hubby's take on it:
Personally I would not be into the group aspect of it at all.There ya go, from someone who's watched me lose and gain the same 35 pounds over the last almost-5 years.
I think the point counting thing could be useful if a person just isn't realizing how much they're eating or how little they're exercising. For example, people might way-underestimate the number of calories in a coffee from starbucks. If they're forced to count the points, then they'll estimate that correctly and make better decisions.
I think there are a lot of people who do have confusion on those kinds of basic facts, and so I can see this helping people with that. But there are also a lot of people who have problems unrelated to information -- they know perfectly well that eating a carton of ice cream isn't good for them, but they do it anyway. That's a whole other dimension that WW doesn't really address. That sort of thing needs either (1) therapy or (2) drugs, depending on whether the source of the problem is environmental or biological....
...It's for people with bad habits or bad information who have the emotional and cognitive ability to take advantage of new information in order to develop better habits. For example, I can imagine that someone in their 40s who has been gaining a pound a year for 20 years might benefit from WW.
But people with more serious issues probably need more than just WW. I don't think everyone would benefit from vit W, but I could imagine that there are a variety of biological and personality problems that go above and beyond what WW can address. For the biological problems there are often medications (if the person is lucky -- I'm sure there are plenty of biological problems for which no meds yet exist) and for the personality problems there's therapy.
- Mood:
shocked at the level of invect
Profile
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
eh_notsomuch- Charity Hussein Froggenhall
Comments
I tried Weight Watchers unofficially once when I was in the military, among other diets up to and including no longer giving a shit, and I have to say that Weight Watchers was the most successful until I relapsed.
One of the most tragic things about weight loss is that your body doesn't ever lose fat cells, but it creates new ones on top of the old ones. So the more times you get fat, the more fat you get. If you "go off" Weight Watchers, you'll get fatter each time. And they are right that having to govern your life by a math problem isn't a way to fucking live either.
Denying yourself food does just make you crave it more, and the stronger the cravings, the easier it is to cave to them. This is true with any diet plan. I ate in the service mainly for comfort because they forced me to constantly worry — ironically — about my weight. When I couldn't eat what I wanted to anymore, I used to do insane things like go to the bakery of a grocery store and just stare at the cakes, knowing I couldn't have them.
Now that I'm out of the service, I know I can eat whatever I want whenever I want, and you know what? I don't even give a shit about cake. I don't even crave it. I know I can have it anytime I feel like, so it's not that big a deal anymore. Based on my moods, I sometimes binge, but there are other times that I abstain. I am eating healthier and dropping weight right now like I never did in the service without even trying.
I just eat when I'm hungry, and I eat a reasonable meal. When you go to McDonald's, just because they offer three cheeseburgers for $3 doesn't mean you need to buy three cheeseburgers. Buy one, and maybe a small fries. You have enough to fill you up and satisfy a craving, and you just saved two dollars. I'm not saying that it works for everyone, but just not fucking caring is the best diet I've ever had. The best part is that it's not just a diet, but it's a way of life.
Like I said, my way doesn't work for everyone, and I was in no way recommending it. I was just describing what ended up working for me. The less pressure put on me to lose weight, the less I crave "taboo" foods.
In the end, it's basically just a question of finding the system that works best for us. That works best for me. If Weight Watchers works best for others, then they should do that. There's not really any more point to deconstructing a weight loss program than there is to deconstructing a major religion. Yes, everything has its flaws, but if something keeps a person happy, healthy, sane, and relatively harmless, then by all means don't tell them they shouldn't be doing it.
As for the structure thing, I agree with you. For me I need the structure, everything for me needs to be that way not just food. Everything goes pear shaped without it.
i dont want into a heated discussion about this. but i do have some opinions i suppose on the subject...
i have come to feel that the whole 'i refuse to do anything that means i have to 1.think about what i eat 2. choose choice a over b, 3. not eat or limit certain foods is a DIET AND EVIL' is total asshattery. why were their fewer fat people before? it's not because they were all total spontaneous eaters who ate whatever they wanted and never thought about it. It's because we had to GROW OUR OWN FOOD OR HUNT IT. Either you restrict it yourself or nature restricts it for you. Give me points any day over sudden crop failure and starvation. How the hell else do you lose weight? If you really don't want to lose weight, that's another bandwagon that I am glad I finally got off of.
I'm talking about people not willing to put forth the tiniest amount of effort to change, expect results, and then get all bent out of shape if it doesn't work.
Hey, if I ate 2 Snickers bars a day like I used to? I'd still be fat! It's a damn lie that you can eat "anything you want and still lose weight." No. You really can't. Maybe you can have it sometimes, as a treat, as God intended. But if eating like that got you to 265 lbs., you will not lose weight if you continue. I don't know if it's this entitlement culture we're living in, but immediate gratification of your food wants won't work as a permanent way of life, if you also want to be healthy and thinner.
I also think that your meetings make a HUGE difference. I am in LA, so i can pick and choose. If I had one of those horror stories happen to me (ie: weigh in person says degrading shit to you) i would complain to head office, my leader, anyone else who would listen. And when I have had 'diet-y' leaders, I have walked out and gone to other leaders, who do, all the time, say 'this is about lifestyle change, learning new habits, what works for you, being healthy etc., not about being obsessed with a number, be it points or your weight'. As I said, I am lucky.
Finally, of course, the ancient truth of the internets: YMMV.
And I'm with you on the meetings. They work for some people, not all. Ms. extraspecialk makes a good point here. Every meeting can be different. My friend loves her meetings and finds them invaluable. I found mine to be full of insecure folks who got me into their mindset. That's why I'm online only.
Well, I didn't read the comment thread yet... But I have to say that I mostly agree with the post itself.
WW *works* but it turns me into a food obsessed person. I'm points obsessed, because that's the only way I can do it.
Unfortunately, the minute I go 'off' WW, I gain back more than I lost... have twice now. Mostly because I've got issues!! :D
I'm trying NLP therapy next. I'll let you know how it goes.
:)