When I was in fifth grade, I was friends with a girl who was rather large - as in, she was probably already well into the obese category at that tender age. At one point she decided she was going to lose weight and so she started eating fat-free twinkies at lunch time. She was convinced this would help her because they were fat-free!
I was reminded of this story today when I almost got in a debate with a good friend. She stated she was hoping to get a full 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies each day and I suggested the Machine drinks by Naked (Blue Machine, Green Machine, Red Machine.) These particular drinks are full of fruits and vegetables, some in juice form and some pureed from the whole fruit/veggie. They easily have 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies in them and have no naughty ingredients. Other than being high in sugar (from the natural fructose found in the fruits), they are extremely good for you. However, this friend is on Weight Watchers and these drinks are worth 4 points each (probably due in part to the juices added which aren't as good for you as the whole fruit or veggie), and so she said she couldn't drink them.
This thought greatly confused me as some other women in our same circle had been discussing just the day before how great it was that a boxed cake mix mixed with a can of Diet Coke or Sprite made a dessert that was barely any points. It struck me that this summed up my problem with points systems quite nicely - they encourage you to eat things that may not be good for you (as I assure you a boxed cake mix most certainly isn't!) because they are low in points but discourage you to eat anything that is high in points even if they are really good for you.
In all fairness, I hadn't ever looked into what exactly Weight Watchers stands for, so before I made up my mind too firmly, I decided to research it some. My first problem with the program is that there was very little I could find out from their own website without signing up for the program. I also have a problem with paying to get healthy, but I do recognize that it can be a motivator for weight loss for some people.
I decided to do their free assessment which brings me to my next problem with the program: they claim
****UPDATE 3****
Instead of posting a new update, I decided to completely re-do the whole article in an attempt to better clarify what I'm trying to say, as well as give the program credit for what I like and some statistics about the program. View it here.
I was reminded of this story today when I almost got in a debate with a good friend. She stated she was hoping to get a full 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies each day and I suggested the Machine drinks by Naked (Blue Machine, Green Machine, Red Machine.) These particular drinks are full of fruits and vegetables, some in juice form and some pureed from the whole fruit/veggie. They easily have 6-8 servings of fruits and veggies in them and have no naughty ingredients. Other than being high in sugar (from the natural fructose found in the fruits), they are extremely good for you. However, this friend is on Weight Watchers and these drinks are worth 4 points each (probably due in part to the juices added which aren't as good for you as the whole fruit or veggie), and so she said she couldn't drink them.
This thought greatly confused me as some other women in our same circle had been discussing just the day before how great it was that a boxed cake mix mixed with a can of Diet Coke or Sprite made a dessert that was barely any points. It struck me that this summed up my problem with points systems quite nicely - they encourage you to eat things that may not be good for you (as I assure you a boxed cake mix most certainly isn't!) because they are low in points but discourage you to eat anything that is high in points even if they are really good for you.
In all fairness, I hadn't ever looked into what exactly Weight Watchers stands for, so before I made up my mind too firmly, I decided to research it some. My first problem with the program is that there was very little I could find out from their own website without signing up for the program. I also have a problem with paying to get healthy, but I do recognize that it can be a motivator for weight loss for some people.
I decided to do their free assessment which brings me to my next problem with the program: they claim
You don't have to give up any of your favorite foods to lose weight!
I actually have two issues with this statement. First, what if my favorite foods are McDonald's, pizza, ice cream, chips, and cookies. Really? I don't have to give up ANY of those to lose weight? And second, the goal shouldn't be to lose weight, the goal should be to be healthy. In order to become healthy, you have to give up unhealthy foods, many of which top most people's list of favorite foods.
Finally, I have a problem with the accountability of the program. They say they encourage healthy options, but unless you regularly attend their meetings, the only accountability is in the Points system. They use this picture to show how you can eat more if you eat better things (sounds suspiciously like trading in your "favorite" things):
But when I look at this picture, my only question is what's to stop you from eating the meal on the left? They're both worth 11 points, so why should I eat the rather disgusting-sounding pasta salad and soup when I can enjoy the childhood favorite of PB&J with chips? What if the meal on the left was 10 points? Would that make it a better option than the meal on the right? Unless there is a goal for how many fruits and veggies to eat each day, how much meat and dairy and grains (remember the Food Plate from last week?), people could stay within their points range every single day and still gain weight. Because I'm sorry, but if you're struggling with your weight, I can almost guarantee you that you'll have to give up at least something in order to see any success. A 2-point chocolate cupcake with Diet Coke is not better for you than a 4-point organic fruit and veggie drink. A fat-free Twinkie is still a Twinkie.
One thing I think they do have right, they incorporate exercise into the program, although, to what extent I'm not sure.
To be fair, there may be more that I have missed, but as I stated, this was the most I could learn from their own webpage without signing up for the program. To their credit, I do think they have really delicious recipes, but as it turns out, you can make them even if you're not on the program.
****UPDATE****
Due to some of the immediate response I got, let me clarify a few things:
1. I don't want to discount anyone who follows this program the way it is designed to be done and sees results. I'm sure if you follow it exactly as recommended, you can see results if your goal is weight loss. However, my goal is Whole Health, and for that, there are things I have to give up. For example, is it ok for me to eat carcinogenic ingredients as long as I only do it every once in a while as a treat? I really don't think so. This program may teach you about fat, protein, carbs, portions, etc. but does it teach you about healthy ingredients? Personally, I feel that things with poisonous - I refer to these as naughty - ingredients should not be allowed, not just take up more points. My point with this article is that unless you're going to their meetings, the accountability relies on the Points. The accountability to follow their recommendations and guidelines depends entirely on your will power, making it no different than than just watching your portions and eating a well balanced meal. That you can do on your own, you shouldn't have to pay for that. Having someone tell us what we should and shouldn't eat in order to lose weight is not what the problem is for most of us. The majority of people are probably aware that an Oreo is worse than an apple. We - or at least I - don't have to pay for that.
2. If I had gone in and met with one of their specialists, I may very well have learned more about their program, but I feel if they're going to offer an online option, then you should be able to learn everything you need to know online before signing up.
3. I'm not sure where people are getting the idea that I recommended cutting out entire groups of food - I am not saying to cut out carbs or dairy or anything like the sort. And I do think that total deprivation of something you like, on the path to weight loss, will lead to binge eating and mess up your "diet" even more. Let me make this perfectly clear: I AM NOT ON A DIET. I am on an adventure to find Whole Health. So yes, allow yourself a treat, just make sure it doesn't have naughty ingredients in it that may kill you no matter how thin you are.
4. I suppose I should not have started with a program called WEIGHT watchers, but as far as I'm aware, there is no program called HEALTH watchers. If weight loss is your goal, and you have the will power to make the right choices on your own, then I'm sure you will succeed with this diet and that it will be sustainable over the long run, in part because of their incorporating indulgences into the program. If you have seen results using Weight Watchers, congratulations!
****UPDATE 2****
Please read Janis' comment to this post. She is a Weight Watchers success story but is still able to help clarify what I'm trying to say. Maybe it will seem less offensive or judgmental if it's coming from someone who has not only done the program, but seen a lot of success with it. I'm not trying to say you can't lose weight with this program, all I'm saying is that you can lose a lot of weight with it without necessarily getting any healthier.
I do know, from my own mother who is currently on the Weight Watchers program (as is my grandma - I'm not against people on the program!!), you can apply a point value to anything using only the fat, carbs, protein and fiber. The actual ingredients do not matter. So when they encourage you to indulge every once in a while so as not to feel deprived, you can turn to Oreos or Chips Ahoy. By not discouraging these foods, they in a way do encourage them as an option for your indulgences. It'd be far better to indulge in a homemade cookie than a prepackaged cookie. What's worse, they do encourage low-fat or sugar-free or low-calorie alternatives, which as Janis very clearly stated have a much naughtier ingredient list than their slightly more fattening counterpart. Points are a good guideline, but should not be the determining factor. No one should look at a healthy fruit drink and think of it as "wasting points." Follow the points, but also look at the ingredients and know what you're eating.
****UPDATE****
Due to some of the immediate response I got, let me clarify a few things:
1. I don't want to discount anyone who follows this program the way it is designed to be done and sees results. I'm sure if you follow it exactly as recommended, you can see results if your goal is weight loss. However, my goal is Whole Health, and for that, there are things I have to give up. For example, is it ok for me to eat carcinogenic ingredients as long as I only do it every once in a while as a treat? I really don't think so. This program may teach you about fat, protein, carbs, portions, etc. but does it teach you about healthy ingredients? Personally, I feel that things with poisonous - I refer to these as naughty - ingredients should not be allowed, not just take up more points. My point with this article is that unless you're going to their meetings, the accountability relies on the Points. The accountability to follow their recommendations and guidelines depends entirely on your will power, making it no different than than just watching your portions and eating a well balanced meal. That you can do on your own, you shouldn't have to pay for that. Having someone tell us what we should and shouldn't eat in order to lose weight is not what the problem is for most of us. The majority of people are probably aware that an Oreo is worse than an apple. We - or at least I - don't have to pay for that.
2. If I had gone in and met with one of their specialists, I may very well have learned more about their program, but I feel if they're going to offer an online option, then you should be able to learn everything you need to know online before signing up.
3. I'm not sure where people are getting the idea that I recommended cutting out entire groups of food - I am not saying to cut out carbs or dairy or anything like the sort. And I do think that total deprivation of something you like, on the path to weight loss, will lead to binge eating and mess up your "diet" even more. Let me make this perfectly clear: I AM NOT ON A DIET. I am on an adventure to find Whole Health. So yes, allow yourself a treat, just make sure it doesn't have naughty ingredients in it that may kill you no matter how thin you are.
4. I suppose I should not have started with a program called WEIGHT watchers, but as far as I'm aware, there is no program called HEALTH watchers. If weight loss is your goal, and you have the will power to make the right choices on your own, then I'm sure you will succeed with this diet and that it will be sustainable over the long run, in part because of their incorporating indulgences into the program. If you have seen results using Weight Watchers, congratulations!
****UPDATE 2****
Please read Janis' comment to this post. She is a Weight Watchers success story but is still able to help clarify what I'm trying to say. Maybe it will seem less offensive or judgmental if it's coming from someone who has not only done the program, but seen a lot of success with it. I'm not trying to say you can't lose weight with this program, all I'm saying is that you can lose a lot of weight with it without necessarily getting any healthier.
I do know, from my own mother who is currently on the Weight Watchers program (as is my grandma - I'm not against people on the program!!), you can apply a point value to anything using only the fat, carbs, protein and fiber. The actual ingredients do not matter. So when they encourage you to indulge every once in a while so as not to feel deprived, you can turn to Oreos or Chips Ahoy. By not discouraging these foods, they in a way do encourage them as an option for your indulgences. It'd be far better to indulge in a homemade cookie than a prepackaged cookie. What's worse, they do encourage low-fat or sugar-free or low-calorie alternatives, which as Janis very clearly stated have a much naughtier ingredient list than their slightly more fattening counterpart. Points are a good guideline, but should not be the determining factor. No one should look at a healthy fruit drink and think of it as "wasting points." Follow the points, but also look at the ingredients and know what you're eating.
****UPDATE 3****
Instead of posting a new update, I decided to completely re-do the whole article in an attempt to better clarify what I'm trying to say, as well as give the program credit for what I like and some statistics about the program. View it here.
You're right. You missed a lot. Weight watchers drives home the fact that this is the real world and we need to learn to live healthy in the real world. Their point in saying you don't have to give up foods you love is that it should be eaten in moderation. You learn to budget your foods and make swaps like the above photo suggests. This is absolutely a healthy way to teach people to eat better. There are also daily guidelines such as getting in your healthy oils, water, veggies, fruits and dairy. I am able to eat very healthy on weight watchers but still have my splurges kn beer, McDonald's etc at times. In the long run, you are more likely to stick to a plan if it's realistic.
ReplyDeleteYou should probably do the research before you write the post, because nothing your wrote here is correct. The Good Health Guidelines teach the best ways to use your points. Also, Naked Juice might be 4 points, but fruits and vegetables are 0 points. It is much, much healthier to eat the whole fruits and veggies rather than drinking a juice and getting a blood sugar spike and a fraction of the fiber.
ReplyDelete@deanne, I agree that it's easier to stick to a plan if it's realistic and that moderation is key. but my point was that the accountability is tied to the points, not the guidelines. Just because they recommend that, doesn't mean people will follow that. Like I said, the accountability for eating a well balanced meal inside of your points appears to be tied to the meetings and for anyone who is trying to do it online, it will depend on their will power.
ReplyDelete@Ashley, if you read the article, you would notice that twice I said that was all I could find from their webpage without paying to sign up. I deliberately chose not to read what anyone else had to say about it as I wanted to make sure I had it right and I figured the best way to do that was to go straight to the source. Unfortunately, that was the most they gave me. Also, if you'd read the article again, I mentioned that whole fruits and veggies are better than juice - my point was that juice is better than cake regardless of how many more points it has.
Weight watchers was my saving grace. I had gained over 40lbs right at the end and after college. I didnt sign up, i didnt go to meetings. I bought some resources on ebay and from people i knew who had done the program. It changed the way i see food and quite frankly my life as it relates to food. The research shows that by restricting your food and not allowing yourself to eat certain things because you are "dieting" sabotages the progress youve made and will make the weight come back on faster when you are done "dieting". Weight watchers taught me how to eat appropriate portions by understanding how calories, fats, and proteins interact. I would eat healthy during the day and if i had leftover points i could go get a donut...was that a healthy snack? No, but i deserve a treat even though im trying to lose weight. Without a treat of a fat free twinkie or a piece of boxed cake...my lifestyle wouldnt have changed because i would have felt burdened by the pressure to restrict only. I am at my goal weight and have been for a while...but still operate on the idea of eating well and treating myself if i do so. If i have a burger and fries, im probably not going to snack before bed. But if i had chicken, rice, and broccoli in an appropriate serving...you better bet im letting myself have a hoho. Its not like other "diets" that make you eliminate the things your body needs or that your brain wants. Its a lifestyle change that is an amazing source of education and success for many. I liked your post in pointing out why it doesnt work for you and isnt your preference but i was a little put off by its judginess and refusal to look at the experiences of others to keep a "pure" and admittedly very limited knowledge or understanding of what its about.
ReplyDeleteI like it that you have put so much thought into this, but from my personal experience,would like to share.
ReplyDeleteI have been on the weight watchers program in the past and am just beginning again. I no longer have to go to meetings, because I have all the resources, so it does not cost me anything to follow the diet
In defense of weight watchers, they do not encourage you to eat those fat free items in place of healthy foods. Their logic in regards to drinking your fruit drinks instead of eating - while they may be the same calories, you are not getting the satisfaction of eating, nor the real value of the fruit to your body, especially your digestive system.
The picture you show represents eating choices. You are not locked into eating the meal on the right, but they are a good representative of choices. Would eating that one on the left fill you up - maybe, but I'm guessing I would be hungry in about an hour. Just the process of eating tells your brain you are getting full. Most of us have been taught to "eat slow" for years. Again, our brain tells us we are full when we take the time to eat.
When we do not have that full feeling, often we search for those "quick" foods, even if in truth we have had enough to eat. Usually those quick foods come with a much higher calorie count than a healthy choice, like a piece of fruit.
Along with the idea of not giving up the foods you love... I guess if you have great will power and are willing to give up those foods for the rest of your life, you are an amazing person. Most of us do not have that will power or desire - me included. I love ice cream. Real ice cream. The idea of eating that substitute that is made with something that resembles milk does not appeal to me at all. If I am going to eat ice cream, i want the real stuff. So, on those days that I really want a little ice cream, I will pay very close attention to everything I eat, so that I can count those points (or calories) so that I don't over eat that day. Probably will eat a lot more vegetables when I have the munchies. But truly, they don't always "satisfy" that feeling within me.
You have always been able to eat unlimited amounts of veggies. They now do not make you count the points for fruit. The truth is, if you do not eat moderately, you will not loose weight, whether you are eating an apple or a granola bar.
The ultimate goal in weight watchers is learning to make healthy life choices. In reality, I do not know very many people that have gained excessive weight because they overdose on fruits and vegetables.
Along with all that food watching, exercise is encouraged. And, if a special occasion or holiday is coming up that you know you will be eating a little more than normal, they do teach that with ramping up your exercise, you can burn even more calories. Maybe you will not loose weight, but during those times, sometimes the "win" is not gaining weight.
Ultimately, the goal is to get healthy. And the long-range goal is to stay healthy.
maybe this helps clear a little bit up?
Nancy
Unknown and Nancy, thank you for your comments! I added an update to try and clarify where I'm coming from somewhat. For me the goal is not weight loss or to get skinny, but to be healthy. Certain foods just should not be allowed no matter how infrequent you have them because they have harmful ingredients in them. I'm sure as a weight loss tool, this program can be very effective and sustainable if you have the will power to follow it correctly.
ReplyDeleteAndie, I did Weight Watchers for a year and a half and lost 45 pounds on it. As far as weight loss programs go, it is probably one of the best out there. WW really teaches people how to make healthy decisions about what they're eating and emphasizes portion control, which is a huge problem for many people. Their point is that if you are eating as many fruits and vegetables, proteins, and healthy grains as you're supposed to, you'll be so full by the end of the day that you won't have room for junk food. The other great thing about the program is the meetings. They provide accountability, and, frankly, who couldn't use more accountability in their lives? Plus they encourage people to get off the couch and get active.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest beef with the program is your point exactly. When you want to eat food that is high in calories/fat/carbs, they recommend the fat-free/diet/low-cal alternative. And because you have a finite number of points in any given day, you may be tempted to choose a less healthy alternative because who wants to waste points on avocado when you can have a WW twinkie? In fact, they have a whole line of WW foods available for sale at their meetings. I picked up a box once and read the ingredient list and it was frightening. There may have been one or two legit ingredients at the top of the list, but that was it. It was simply a long (and I mean long) list of chemical additives and the likes. That box went right back on the table. No thank you.
Why not teach people that if they're going to have chocolate cake, have 2 bites of grandma's homemade from scratch cake, but only have it a few times a year. Allow yourself to eat these things - because you know you are - but in extremely small portions and very infrequently, and when you do eat them, eat them slowly and savor each bite, because all you really need to satisfy that craving is to smell it and have a few bites of it, not eat half the cake. And then, if you had your 2 bites of chocolate cake last night, don't think it's ok to have 2 bites of something equally as tempting every night of the week. Yes, sugar is your enemy, but so are saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, and that whole army of chemical additives and preservatives that have invaded our food supply in recent years.
Here's a good reason why I don't buy the whole fat-free thing. Take sour cream for example. Here's the ingredient list for Daisy brand sour cream: Grade A cultured cream. The fat-free alternative is something like this: non-fat milk, modified cornstarch, thickeners, and flavoring agents. Hmmm...Which one should I choose? I opt for the real thing, maybe 1/4 of the amount I would have normally eaten, but please give me the real one instead of loading my body up with a bunch of chemical additives that my liver doesn't know what to do with. Why choose something that tricks my taste buds into thinking I'm eating something indulgent when in fact I'm simply increasing my chances of developing a metabolic disorder or even cancer?!?!
While Weight Watchers is a good program, and if done correctly, you can have a lot of success on it, remember they are a business, so caveat emptor. Stay away from their line of foods (and pretty much everything that has ingredients in it you can't pronounce). Personally, I've decided to choose foods that haven't been processed to death, and if I end up eating something that has some fat in it occasionally, it's better for me than the alternative.
Weight Watchers is a good transitional diet program. I'm glad to see that many on here are maintaining their desired goals (whether it be weight or healthy choices). From a statistical standpoint, WW is designed for people who want to lose 20-40 lbs, and it does help in this endeavor. However, MANY (approximately 64%) will gain the weight back. The highest rated diet - by doctors and scientists - is the DASH Diet, because it's rate of regaining weight is relatively low compared to WW and many other mainstream diets. I'm not pushing the DASH diet, I'm only pointing out the facts. My personal problem with WW is that it totally neglects the most important aspects of real health - body composition. When one focuses exclusively on weight, so many variables of good health are ignored. For example, many people can lose 10lbs using WW and be in worse shape health wise. How could this be? Well, all calories are not created equal. That's the fallacy WW and other diets want you to believe. Eating foods low in nutritional value moderately may serve the bio-chemical-hormonal (a quick dopamine rise), but those calories should never be treated the same as whole food calories. From a bio-chemical standpoint, our bodies do not count calories internally. This is a man-made mechanism. Our bodies ONLY use what's good for us and then those calories that are not are used AGAINST our body's optimal performance. Furthermore, a vast majority of WW adherents have no idea the composition of their bodies, i.e. fat % vs. lean muscle %. This is one of the truest markers of good health, not how much you weigh. WW is popular because it's easier than everything else. People will lose weight on it, but it's statistically proven NOT to serve well long-term for the majority of people. Your best chance at long-term, disease-free-living, is educating yourself on what you're actually putting in your mouth on a daily basis. If you can stick with a whole-foods diet, free of processed chemicals and synthetic fillers, you will be healthier than anyone on any fad diet - even when eating non-whole foods as treats in moderation. The problem is, this kind of approach takes time and a considerable amount of effort, which is obviously in short supply in America these days.
ReplyDeleteWow, Mr. Free Speech, I couldn't thank you more for your post. Using the correct terminology, reasoning, and statistics, you beautifully said what I was trying to say. If you eat a 100 calorie candy bar and then burn 100 calories in a run, do the two cancel each other out? I don't think so!! I will definitely look into this concept more as I'm sure there is a scientific answer that explains more than "burn more calories than what you consume." As for your comment about body composition, I couldn't agree more. My post, Weight is Just a Number talks more about that.
ReplyDeleteFat-free, and low fat food at grocery stores with nutritional facts at http://healthygrocery.blogspot.com
ReplyDelete