Active Low-Carber Forums - View Single Post - Oprah is starting a new diet and she has a lot of money in it

Quote:

Weight Watchers is facing a mounting backlash for opening its doors to teenagers.

In February, the world's oldest and largest weight-loss company announced it will offer children ages 13 to 17 free summer memberships as part of its strategy to more than double revenue and memberships by the end of 2020.

"They will have free access to Weight Watchers when they join with an adult, helping them develop healthy habits at a critical life stage," new CEO Mindy Grossman said during an employee event in New York on Feb. 7.

~snip~

Both the National Eating Disorder Information Centre of Canada (NEDIC) and the National Eating Disorders Association in the U.S. have condemned the offer.

NEDIC spokesperson Kelsey Johnston said dieting is a significant risk factor in young people for developing eating disorders. The organization said approximately one in five Canadian teenagers is already dieting.

"[Weight Watchers] stated that it is not a diet program, but with a name like Weight Watchers ... we think that preoccupation with body image is problematic for young people," she said.

The social media campaign #WakeUpWeightWatchers and a petition on Change.org call on the company to rescind its offer to teens.

In response to the pressure, Weight Watchers offered assurances that its teen weight-loss program will be responsible.

~snip~

Toronto university student Katelynne Edmonds, who is recovering from an eating disorder that began in her teens, agrees that minors joining Weight Watchers is not a good idea.

"Introducing young teens to a diet culture is such a slippery slope."

I don't know if they're planning to give 13-17 year olds a daily points allowance, but that's what they do for all the adults, so why wouldn't they do the same for underage members? And even if they don't give them a point allowance, since they need to join with an adult, I'm sure that even if the company itself doesn't give them a point allowance, the adult member with whom they join WW will gladly figure out their point allowance for them.

Granted, with the extensive free list they now have, they could still put together a very decent eating plan - eggs, chicken, seafood, lots of veggies, some fruit, and use all their points for added fats, so that total calorie intake is only limited by how many foods from the free list they want to eat on any given day.

But how many teenagers are going to do that? I'm thinking none of them would want to eat mostly from the free list. (just like most adults are not going to want to eat primarily from the free food list - if they liked that WOE to begin with, they wouldn't have needed to join WW to learn about it) I'm thinking the teens would see oprah eating tacos in the WW ads, decide that's the way to do it because of the freedom to eat that way, so they'd skimp on the real food, and decide to use all their points for tacos, pizza, chips, and donuts.