Great article! I especially liked this line:
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I suggest that everyone who participates on this site become a Contributor. You get a lot for your money, including incredible and helpful resources "for free" from our resident advisor, Janet (Jey100). Thank you very much! |
I remember weight watchers. Even in my ignorance way back in the 80's I knew there was something wrong with people being told that if they just lost weight all their dreams would come true. I didn't stick with it for very long. I think it was the public shaming aspect of it that really got to me. I hadn't yet figured out that their dietary advice was bad too.
Jean |
I could never stick with WW very long...been there, but never got the badge. :lol:
Too. Darn. Hungry. Yet I would go back! Maybe five or so times? Quote:
Short memory! |
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I had a good friend who did WW again and again, and she reached her goal weight ~ at least three times! :lol: I remember being invited to a party at her house one time when I had not seen her for about 6 months and when I got there I was *shocked*. She looked utterly dreadful. Her skin was dry and grayish, she looked frail and weak. She looked a good ten years older than she had six months previously. I was terrified to learn she was suffering from cancer or some other fatal wasting disease. But no, she had been on WW again and had lost 70 pounds. She was so proud of herself and of the expensive jewelry her husband had bought her as a reward. But she had looked worlds better at 180 than she did at 110. But she gained it back again, and once again looked healthy. :) I completely lost respect for WW when they accepted my sister as a client. She is six feet tall (or 5' 11 3/4" as she puts it) and most of her adult life weighed in the 120-125 range and always looked rather skeletal. When she hit menopause she began gaining weight and got up to 135, and was so depressed at how "fat" she had become that she joined WW, and they accepted her and gave her a goal weight of 125! How insane is that? That's when I knew for sure it was only about the money. And I can't imagine what folks suffering from true weight issues thought when they saw someone like my sister come waltzing into their meeting. Nonetheless WW did not help her either and she continued to gain, finally stabilizing at about 145 to look the best, IMHO, that she has looked in her adult life. But she still wails and moans about how dreadfully fat she is and that no matter what she does she can't lose an ounce. I told her "welcome to my life". |
Debbie, I sympathize with you having a sister who's skinny and doesn't "get it." On the other hand, I have two sisters (older and younger) who also struggle with weight management. We've arrived at different solutions, but we all know it ain't easy.
WW isn't the only "health" organization that is all about money. January is coming, when Fitness Centers (they seem to be springing up on every corner!) anticipate a rush of memberships. Christmas is the bonanza for most retailers. For Fitness clubs? It's January resolutions! By March, all those newbies are gone. My sister hires a personal trainer to come to her house. I don't know how much she pays to get yelled at, but it isn't the trainer doing all the work! :lol: Meanwhile, I've spent a reasonable amount of money to set up a workout space in my house--mat, weights, bench, tv for videos. I make myself go there for free at least 3 times a week. I think I'm getting a better deal. From time to time, you may get a Free Lunch. But there's no such thing as a quick-and-easy, one-size-fits-all, medical or surgical or even dietary solution to weight management without relentless personal commitment for life. Even Oprah with all her resources hasn't figured that out. Cheers to us. |
And you know that Oprah has a personal chef but that doesn't stop her from getting into the chips, ice cream and driving though McDonalds with Gail in tow... :lol: :lol:
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Good for her. She has struggled her whole lifetime it seems. Maybe this will work for her. She's not one to just "sign up"...she likes to take a bull by its horns. If she's not successful, maybe we'll see her over here ;)
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Everything works for Oprah! Trouble is, she can't stick with anything.
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I imagine like many of us, she values her size and health above wealth! Everybody wants to be NORMAL and COMFORTABLE in their own body! We have found something that works and is manageable long term. Like Janjfree I hope Oprah finds the same. She will only find it herself. So many do gooders will be trying to get her on their wagon though. I guess I might be tempted, not by the money but by thinking this step might just be the one that helps me crack how to maintain the weight loss. I wonder if that is the real reason she is making it so public. |
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I remember reading an interview with Lucille Ball (this was, of course, years ago) and she said she kept her weight down by only eating what her cook served her. I can't remember the brand name, but there used to be (still is?) a plan where you buy all the food from the company & eat only that. I knew only one person who tried that, but he ate between meals so was unsuccessful at losing any weight. |
http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/1...k.html#jumpLink
Oprah’s Investment in Weight Watchers Was Smart Because the Program Doesn’t Work One section from article ..."In fact, those same studies found that only Weight Watchers participants reliably lost more weight than people in control groups who were not enrolled in a diet program at all. At first glance, Weight Watchers works. But the truth is a bit more complicated: Winfrey’s venture is, in fact, a brilliant investment, although not necessarily for the reason she thinks. It’s brilliant not because Weight Watchers works but because it doesn’t. It’s the perfect business model. People give Weight Watchers the credit when they lose weight. Then they regain the weight and blame themselves. This sets them up to join Weight Watchers all over again, and they do.".... |
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Perhaps this is only because Weight Watchers can't really be called Weight Watchers unless it's actually Weight Watchers. An Atkins, Zone or Ornish intervention can be "here's a book," or a printout etc., "see you in six months." Is that a test of the diet, or of the support provided? |
In my extensive experience with weight management and other life challenges, having a support group, or at least a reporting community, is one of the least appreciated and most effective forms of success through accountability. As long as it isn't shaming.
A community like this one gives me and others a chance to share, compare, question, celebrate, learn, fail, and succeed, with like-minded friends along the way. It isn't as impersonal as it might seem, being online and all. Because it's so convenient--a 24/7 talk fest!--it's easy to maintain the connection, unlike meetings. And here you can pick the people you want to engage with, or not. From the article above: Quote:
I'm a regular reader of O Magazine. I could only wish to be followed around by Oprah's stylist and airbrush artist! :lol: The magazine is in perpetual "self-help" mode, but it is wildly contradictory. All the advertising and many of the articles tout expensive beauty products, clothes, jewelry. The "makeover" articles (I admit I love them!) suggest that being more beautiful or fashionable is the key to success. In our culture, probably it still is. :o Back to the topic: weight management is all about personal accountability. Nobody else can decide from day to day what you put in your mouth or how much you exercise or what products you use to promote good health. No magic there. I reinforce myself by registering accountability here, and NOT wanting to "fail" the people who might find a success story (mine?) inspiring. And when/if I begin to backslide, I know that one of the danger signs is this: I stop going to my favorite forum. :wave: So...go Oprah. Hope springs eternal. |
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^^^^^^^ What Barbara said! |
Oh my, there are so many comments I could make on this article about Oprah, Weight Watchers and Beyond the Scale I don't know where to start :lol:
Weight Watchers’ Plan: Don’t Call It a ‘Diet’ http://www.wsj.com/articles/weight-...diet-1449441791 Quote:
Another story had her comment about being fed-up with No Carb (because she likes them! and is addicted to them ;) ) http://abcnews.go.com/Health/weight...ory?id=35584563 Found some details of plan here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-rele...-300188665.html Quote:
Wasn't the unlimited fruit and low saturated fat what lost many members when they switched to PointsPlus?? Went crazy with hunger with no limit on fructose and little fat to balance it. |
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