Weight Watchers: Is it a Diet or Not?
The word "diet" is so last year... so every diet company out there is scrambling to call their diet a lifestyle change or some other nice-sounding phrase.
Weight Watchers has provoked some thoughtful(?) response with its new advertising campaign.
The new slogan is: "Stop dieting, start living. Weight Watchers works because it is not a diet."
A blog by Michelle May has a few good reasons why Weight Watchers is a diet:
- If it’s not a diet, then why do they tell you how many points you can eat each day?
- If it’s not a diet, then why do you have to earn the right to eat more by exercising?
- If it’s not a diet, then why do you have to be weighed in?
- If it’s not a diet, then how come vegetables are “free” instead of just good for you?
- If it’s not a diet, then why is everybody on it talking about food ALL the time?
- If it’s not a diet, then why do you have to weigh, measure and write down your food? (unless of course you choose their “Core” plan - then you can eat as much as you want of the foods they say are allowed).
I’m not saying Weight Watchers isn’t a “lifestyle change.” I’m just saying, who wants that kind of lifestyle?
Again we come to the point of what exactly is "a diet" - and how the word "diet" (or lack of it) can be used to manipulate us: "Diets don't work - eat healthy instead".
I suspect that any form of restrictive eating will often have the opposite affect. If I told you NOT to think of a pink elephant - could you do it?
True freedom is the ability to make empowered choices about how we treat our bodies - and gaining the deeper insights into what drives us to make poor choices.
"I can't eat that... I'm on a lifestyle".
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Am I the only one who finds the term "lifestyle" much more inherently loathsome and depressing than the word "diet"? Eating with a specific purpose (other than appeasing hunger or for enjoyment of flavor) is DIETING.
More than the old diet vs. lifestyle argument, the element of the new WW television ads that bothers me is the sarcastic statement "What am I supposed to eat while I am reading the first 107 pages?"---about a diet book which begins giving menus on page 108.
The idea that reading a third of a book is too strenuous---argh. So instead we should all take ourselves down to WW where they will give us nice, short pamphlets written at the 8th grade level.
ReplyNow, THIS year, Weight Watchers is NOT a "diet"??...All of a sudden? They called themselves a "diet" for how many years? Best, Dr. Dave @ fat2trim.
ReplyWell, it's not a diet in that you do it for 6 weeks to drop 10 lbs. It really is a lifestyle change. I for one can't figure out the damned points system, so it's not a plan *I* follow, but I did do the WW thing back in the day when you had so many grains allowed, so many fruits and veggies, so many proteins, etc. and lost 70 lbs. Wish I still had all the paperwork...
ReplyToo an overweight person eating healthy is the same as a diet. The points plan helps you eat healthy. they suggest you eat a certin amount of fruits and vegtables, dairy, water and so forth. You weigh or measure your food because an overweight person apparently does not know the idea of portion control. I am on weight watchers now, and I dont feel hungry. I have been to 2 meetings so far and lost 1o pounds so far. Even after you reach your goal you need to follow the same steps, portion control and eating healthy. So call it a diet if you will, but I call and introduction to a new healthy life style.
ReplyAnything you choose to put in your mouth begins to constitute a diet. If you eat nothing but junk food than you are on a "junk food diet". If you don't eat meat you're on a "vegetarian diet". The question I ask people is...if you're overweight, do you have any clue what a "healthy diet" looks like? Probably not, and even if you do your not following it. So focusing on food is not a bad thing with WW if food is your issue. If it's a different issue, and you use food as an excuse, then you probably need a therapist, not someone to teach you how to eat healthier.
ReplyThere is nothing unhealthy about Weight Watchers, you don't have to eat "their" food, and depending on your leader you may never hear any pushing on WW products (as with my leader, who encourages eating healthy core foods even if your on the points plan).
If you can't quit shoveling ice cream and brownies into your mouth (and believe me I've been there) it isn't the plan's fault (Atkins, WW, or otherwise). That's one great thing about WW. You are accountable for what you choose to put into your body. WW encourages you to learn how to create a "diet" that will work for you...a diet you can live with (for most of us that includes the occasional brownie...)
All eating can be considered a diet as their are healthy ways of eating (healthy diet) and the opposite. I think weight watchers is great as it assigns a high point value to high glycemic and high fat based foods. Combine that with a support system of the meetings and accountability of weighing in, you definitely increase your changes to adapt your lifestyle to include more healthy ways.
Replyi think it is a good program to lose weight more people need to use it more often
Replythis program is good and im goin to give it to one of my friends
ReplyA GP has recently had Weight Watchers remove the misleading "Stop diets, start Weight Watchers" ad removed via the ASA.
See:
http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_45834.htm
Reply