the weight-loss industry

okay, i know i'm going to ruffle some feathers with this, but what else is new, right?

the vast majority of people here seem to be trying to lose weight in healthy, sustainable ways.  we're looking for the proverbial "lifestyle change" - not a quick fix.  but on a regular basis, threads pop up about weight-loss drugs, radical medical interventions, and commercial diet programs.

i just want people to think about this for a minute: if jenny craig, nutrisystem, LA weight loss, etc. worked, wouldn't those programs put themselves out of business very quickly?  if their claims were true - that you could sign on, lose weight, and keep it off for the rest of your life, wouldn't you just write one cheque and never go back?  isn't it more beneficial to them if you have to write ten cheques?  or twenty?  don't you think they want you to believe that their programs "worked" and then you went off them and "failed" so that you have to go back for more?

as for the medical methods, of course there are legitimate applications.  but increasingly, the providers are businesses.  has anyone else noticed that the "before" pictures in the adds for private weight-loss surgery providers are getting smaller?  they're no longer marketing just to the morbidly obese; they're trying to make surgery a viable option for people who are only moderately overweight.  do you think their first priority is your health, or do you think it's the bottom line?  a private surgery is a high-overhead product, and the key to keeping costs down is high volume with minimal risk.  lap-bands for low risk patients?  yeehaw!

and we all know the pharmaceutical industry is out for profit.  a weight-loss pill that works is the holy grail of pharmaceuticals.  short of that, one that might work for some people is a license to print money.

just something to consider.

I totally agree with you that these programs are just out to make money, and that there is no magical pill. I think that things such as LA Weightloss and Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem DO work...but they're designed so that you HAVE to stay on it pretty much forever in order to see lasting results. Pretty much you have to pay Jenny Craig $40 every four weeks (plus the cost of food!) or whatever they're charging now, FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Because as you said, it's all about the all-mighty dollar.

So I second the "you go girl!"

You are not going to ruffle my feathers that is for sure you are just getting me heated up and I feeling like standing up tall and yelling you go girl say it teach it.

I agree with your post 100%, the answer has been in front of all of us for such a long time it’s just that most do not want to see it. There is no magic pill or a eating system fad diet that is ever going to really work. Find me a person who has been on weight watchers for 20+ years and is happy you WONT. The problem is they teach you nothing and as soon as you stop the program you are right back where you started. Sure you can take a pill and loose some weight but are you going to take that little pill for the rest of your life? I sure hope you are not going to.

If you want to read it like it needs to be written then read this little article it is by far the best! It says everything that needs to be said! However not many have the balls to say this!

It’s all true and you know it:

WHEN IT COME TO HEALTH AND FITNESS (IN GENERAL) THERE’S 3 GROUPS OF PEOPLE.
THE FIRST GROUP IS, PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW BETTER.
THEY HAVEN'T COME ACROSS THIS INFORMATION YET. THEY'RE STILL BUYING INTO WEIGHT WATCHERS, NUTRISYSTEM, HERBAL LIFE AND OTHER PROGRAMS THAT WORK AS LONG AS YOU USE THEM.
BUT I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY WHO'S BEEN DOING WEIGHT WATCHERS FOR 15 YEARS.
THEY’RE "WEIGHT LOSS ONLY" PRODUCTS THAT ARE TEMPORARY FIXES.
THESE SAME FOLKS ARE BUYING STUPID AB CHAIRS, AB LOUNGES AND SOME ROTATING PUSHUP STANDS. THIS STUFF IS SUPPOSED TO CHANGE YOUR ENTIRE BODY?
GIVE ME A BREAK!
THEY DON'T KNOW BETTER SO THEY GET TO BE STUCK.
THEN THERE'S CATEGORY 2
PEOPLE THAT COME HERE AND UNDERSTAND THAT EXERCISE HAS TO HAPPEN 5_6 DAYS A WEEK. VARIETY WORKS!
THERE HAS TO BE INTENSITY AND CONSISTENCY.
THESE PEOPLE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT HEALTHY FOOD IS PART OF THE EQUATION. WHEN FOLKS IN CATEGORY 2 DISCOVER THIS INFORMATION THEY UNDERSTAND IT'S IMPORTANCE LIKE AIR AND WATER AND LIVE IT.
FAR TOO MANY PEOPLE (THERE ARE SOME OF YOU THAT ARE IN THIS CHAT ROOM) ARE IN CATEGORY 3
PEOPLE WHO KNOW BETTER BUT AREN'T WILLING TO APPLY THE INFORMATION.
IT'S LIKE KNOWING HOW TO BREATHE BUT DECIDING TO CONSTANTLY HOLD YOUR BREATH TO BE MISERABLE.
IT'S SUCH A BUMMER.

THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE ARE THE SADDEST OF ALL.
NOT FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, BUT FROM THEIR OWN.
DOES THIS SOUND LIKE IT MAKES SENSE TO ANYONE IN HERE?

I have tried every fad diet ever.

Nutrisystem worked--until 6 weeks into in when I couldnt stand to see the sight of their prepackaged food.  Then I gained 40lbs when I started eating real food again.

Weight Watchers worked--I actually really like the concept of weight watchers, but you cant just eat within your points and lose weight.  Point counting stopped working for me after I lost 10 lbs.  I couldnt figure out why.  I later found out that I was insulin resistant--so the weight wasnt going to come off until I started getting my condition treated, even if I counted points.

South Beach Diet--the concept works well for my insulin problems, but Im not into having my life divided into phases.  I dont think its realistic.

Atkins diet worked--except when I would eat any small amount of carbs, I would get the most excruciating pain in my stomach as if I'd just eaten poision.  I think they call that ketosis.  It also made me do really weird things like chew up a piece of bread for the taste, and then spit it out because I wasnt allowed to actually eat it (totally gross, I know).  I lost 20lbs in two weeks, and gained about 50 when I started eating normally again.

Body for life worked--except I ate nothing but chicken and potatoes for three weeks.  It was unrealistic for me.

The thing that has worked for me is eating less processed foods and limiting my carbs.  I dont follow any specific plan, I just do what feels good.  I also dont even have to count calories, because I actually feel full when I eat low carb, so I dont ever really overeat.  I think my insulin problems have to do with my success just cutting carbs and eating more naturally.  My doctor even told me that this was a good lifestyle for me. 

Ketosis: A lot of people are confused by the term "ketosis." You may read that it is a "dangerous state" for the body, and it does sound abnormal to be "in ketosis." But ketosis merely means that our bodies are using fat for energy. Ketones (also called ketone bodies) are molecules generated during fat metabolism, whether from the fat in the guacamole you just ate or fat you were carrying around your middle. When our bodies are breaking down fat for energy, most of the it gets converted more or less directly to ATP. (Remember high school biology? This is the "energy molecule.") But ketones are also produced as part of the process.

Hope this helps, I was also a Atkins person it worked but it's not a healthly life style. What also has worked for me is knowing what to eat when to eat and how much to eat. My moto is eat when you are hungry but do not eat until you are full.

I agree with this. (:

I'm agree with you that fad diets dont work.  How do you feel about something like, herbal magic; they do blood test and then get you to keep a food journal and you go and privately speak with a nutrionist/dietian every two weeks (i think).  but the thing is, they also "suggest" supplements/herbal pills to take whilst on this custom diet they put you on.  i haven't tried it but it seems to have worked for various people i know, even after they stopped taking the supplements, they kept off the weight just by the diet reccomendations they made. 

swamp_rat, i don't know anything about herbal magic, but i do believe that any program you have to pay for by definition has other priorities than your well being. 

if you think about it, repeat business is the lifeblood of any sales-based enterprise.  and in weight loss, "repeat business" can only mean one thing.

Agreed.

I find this with healthcare professionals sometimes.  I recently went to a new chiropractor (after having moved) and she told me that i need to go in three times a week for at least 4 weeks at 55$ a visit.  all because my back had seized a while ago and was still tight.  i went twice and didn't follow her ice reccomendations and then stopped going, 4 days later my back felt good as new; she has called three times to book more appointments, total cash grab...i miss my old chiro :(

I think when someone has got so far out of whack matching food intake to exercise level that they are very overweight then they might need a little outside help to work out where it's gone wrong and how to get things back to normal.   I'm 100% in favour of education.  Educated people make better decisions.

What the diet industry does, however, is not education but indoctrination.  There's always a 'system'.... deliberately convoluted, expensive or reliant on certain special 'products'.  They are designed around the creation of passive dependence.... because passive dependent people will stay with your scheme out of fear of the alternative.

Bottom line, the solution to weight-control is very, very simple.  Eating a little less, eating a little better, moving around a little more.  And that's not a book or a business, it's a sentence.  Of course, it's made more difficult because we're human beings, we're lazy, we get easily distracted and we find it tough to change our ways!... but that's a side-issue.   And also because we're human beings we can't believe the answer is, frankly, as boring as 'eat less, eat better, move more...'   In an age where we expect a short-cut, high-tech way to do anything this is mediaeval horse and cart stuff.  There has to be an easier, cleverer, more 'scientific' way!!!!  And the search for that means there's a diet industry.....

Oh, I completely agree.  Barring a medical condition, the best way to lose weight and keep it off is to figure out how many calories you burn, and eat less than that, and of course eating healthier foods and exercising helps.  I have a friend who's always trying to find some easy way to do it, whether it's phentermine pills obtained from a sketchy health clinic, a juice-only diet, apple cider vinegar pills... of course, none of it works.  I've quit suggesting that she keep track of what she eats because that's too much effort.  There is no easy way!

It all just goes to show that the best things in life are FREE! YAY CC!

All I have to say if I see another comercial of "Who stole a cookie from a cookie jar" I am going to throw something at T.V.

UD

I agree with you. I would also say that the weight loss industry has figured out how to market to people very, very well... but there's a reason why the marketing works so well. It takes a lot of work, introspection, effort and willpower to truly change yourself the way that most of the people on this site have. 

But our society is fueled a fixation on 'quick fixes'. People want their problems fixed NOW, not 1-2lbs a week. And for the most part, most would rather NOT confront their underlying self-esteem or food issues. Why would they when they could just buy the MagicPill 2000 and have a beautiful beach-ready body, with nooooo effort!

Pgeorgian, I think you have a good point, I have bought some diet books and products including the Zone several years ago, on which I lost a lot of weight. I've also tried SlimFast, briefly, and bought some workout videos online.  Right now I am reading the book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  I would say that all of the diet books I read were educational in some way, and so is this site which thankfully is free.

I think diet products are good in that they get people excited about losing weight, give them something to do, and it gives you something to talk about with other people who are dieting.  But most of these commercial diets that sell packaged food products would be hard to stick to for the long term.  I know that SlimFast starts to taste gross after a while.

I guess by spending money on a diet or fitness product it makes you feel good and like you are doing something healthy.  I think it is ok as long as you get some use or result out of it or learn something. 

What is funny to me is that buying healthy foods, rather than overprocessed, packaged foods, eating smaller portion sizes, and cooking at home more and eating out less actually saves a lot of money!  Anyway I agree that it seems like the darker side of the diet industry doesn't seem to care if people succeed in their weight loss goals or not, because as you said if they were really successful they would go out of business.

Original Post by swamp_rat:

I'm agree with you that fad diets dont work.  How do you feel about something like, herbal magic; they do blood test and then get you to keep a food journal and you go and privately speak with a nutrionist/dietian every two weeks (i think).  but the thing is, they also "suggest" supplements/herbal pills to take whilst on this custom diet they put you on.  i haven't tried it but it seems to have worked for various people i know, even after they stopped taking the supplements, they kept off the weight just by the diet reccomendations they made. 

 Just the name makes me cringe. Magic & weight loss to me = Scam!

It all comes down to what company can put a twist on something that works. Thier system might work but at what cost?

What matters the most is learning how to eat.

Body for life worked--except I ate nothing but chicken and potatoes for three weeks.  It was unrealistic for me.

Just wanted to defend body for life, they do not limit you to chicken an potatoes. They actually give you food lists of lots of kinds of proteins, veggies and healthy carbs...basically unprocessed foods in portions that are common sense based. Any diet where you limit  yourself to only a few kinds of foods is going to bore you and you are going to abandon it.

Body for life also is heavy into a 12 week regimented cardio and alternate days of weight training. I don't think it is a fad diet to line someones pockets. You buy your own food, you work out with what you have. Anyone can do it.  It does however, take self-disclipline. Like anything else worth doing usually is.

Original Post by monarch777:

Body for life worked--except I ate nothing but chicken and potatoes for three weeks.  It was unrealistic for me.

 

Just wanted to defend body for life, they do not limit you to chicken an potatoes. They actually give you food lists of lots of kinds of proteins, veggies and healthy carbs...basically unprocessed foods in portions that are common sense based. Any diet where you limit  yourself to only a few kinds of foods is going to bore you and you are going to abandon it.

Body for life also is heavy into a 12 week regimented cardio and alternate days of weight training. I don't think it is a fad diet to line someones pockets. You buy your own food, you work out with what you have. Anyone can do it.  It does however, take self-disclipline. Like anything else worth doing usually is.

 

 Yup just like p90x :)

One thought that most of the posters above would probably agree with is "they can't scam you unless you are looking for a magic pill or regime".  There is nothing magic to be found.  Eating healthy quantity and quality combined with exercising is the answer for most of us..................and remembering that weight does not come on suddenly for no reason and it will not come off suddenly with little or no reason. 

The only magic that happens with weight loss businesses is in their bank account. Let's not contribute to their net worth!  There is freedom in knowing you control your destiny whether the meeting happens, the postman delivers the package, the guru's new book is lost and all the mutitude of quick fixes go away!

Thanks ladies for your good thoughts!

Barbara

i do think that books are a little different.  no one (almost no one) buys the same book twice, and most of us share good books with our friends.  so for a weight-loss book to be truly successful, the people who buy it have to have some success, otherwise the book will never make it to a second printing.

Original Post by pgeorgian:

i do think that books are a little different.  no one (almost no one) buys the same book twice, and most of us share good books with our friends.  so for a weight-loss book to be truly successful, the people who buy it have to have some success, otherwise the book will never make it to a second printing.

 Sorry, no intention to put books down............now that would be radical!  But we know there are fad books and there are good books.  My point is that you need not be dependent on any source outside of yourself for the ultimate solution..............that and friends ofcourse!