Monday, December 06, 2010
If you've been a member of Weight Watchers recently, or if you have simply followed their diet plan, then you have been a point counter. Experts in the fields of diet and nutrition have like the ease and convenience of the approach to eating. Points were assigned based on calories per ser...
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Several years ago, I too lost 45 lbs at Weight Watchers. And the "prescribed system" was to count points. But instead, I learned portion control and the food pyramid and what healthy eating was. And I did it the old fashioned way, by continuing to count calories. I simply ate a healthier and lower calorie diet and began a very rudimentary exercise program. But gradually, the weight came back and I ended up almost where I had started. So two more times, I went back to Weight Watchers for several months and DID count points instead of calories. I was unable to lose any weight at all. I couldn't control what I ate at night and really think I ate so many carrots and green beans that the calories began to add up anyway. I thought at the time that these were "free" but somewhere in the small print it says you can only have 5 servings per day of the "free" foods, not an unlimited amount. I didn't know this at the time and it was never explained or mentioned by the leaders.
Ah well. Losing weight is never an easy proposition under any circumstances. I also went on the "original" Weight Watchers with my mother when I was 12. And you had to eat a certain amount of liver and grapefruit per week. The restrictions were my first attempt at dieting. And not that it was WW's fault, but after that I embarked on a life-long battle with the scales, ending up on the too-low end and the too-high end. All in all, there is a lot to be said for just eating as healthy a diet as you can and then forget it. Get on with your life. Life is more than points and calories and what a tape measure says.
(But I'm still dieting!)
Thanks for sharing - some of your points did put a smile on my face. The reality is that yo-yo dieting is a fact in many people's lives. Getting to the "reason" why you overeat is part of the process. The reason why it can be important is that many people unluckily do develop some rather serious diseases and health complications from being overweight. There's no doubt that some people seem to be genetically blessed and they carry extra weight with seemingly little health consequences - but that tends to be the exception. So somehow, even those of us daunted by cycling weight and our eating issues - have to get to a weight that, though not perfect, is less likely to cause us health issues. Sometimes a 10% weight loss is what it takes - but you have to then keep the weight off.
I do agree that repeatedly trying to get down to a "very specific weight" may just not be a good fit for certain people. Making the goal about portion control, exercise commitment, eating more fruits and vegetables (up to about a total of 10-12 servings daily), choosing fat free dairy products and whole grains and lean meats and non-meat proteins and small amounts of healthier fats, are all good habits to embrace.
I confess I have no memory of "liver and grapefruit" when I attended the early Weight Watchers - I do think the concept of choosing quality foods and not just eating by points is a better approach - clearly portion control even with fruits and vegetables is important - though your "over eating of produce" is rare - most people don;t like produce enough to over eat or they can't handle all the fiber - I have never come across a "produce over-eater" in the 20+ years I've been a Health Coach. Good luck!!
When I was talking about "early" Weight Watchers I meant 1970. You don't look old enough to have gone to WW back then. You had to eat fish, too, along with the liver. But I fished a lot back then with my dad, so we always had plenty in the freezer.
And yeah, I do need to lose weight because of health issues, like hypertension and GERD. But I knew one woman who had lost 115 lbs at WW and was going to 13 exercise classes a week; I'm not kidding. No one can keep up with that no matter how healthy it is. I guess it wasn't bad for her, but I'm guessing it wasn't too good for having a balance of things. Over-exercising or over-eating. Something's wrong there.
I'm just trying to find a balance in my own life. I spent too much of my life putting too much emphasis on seeing just how little I could eat. Then I ended up on a mandatory medication that made me hungry 24x7 and my weight doubled. People started telling me how much better I looked. But I also started having problems making a flight of stairs w/o breathing hard, which scared me.
What I meant to say was it is easy to believe happiness is a number on the scales. And sure enough it makes you happy till you realize you could lose another 15 and be a size 6 and maybe be even HAPPIER. Or it makes you happy until you step back on the scales a week later and have added 5 lbs. Or the gray slacks are still too tight. It just seems like instead of focusing on weight, I am thankful it is not the most important thing on my mind anymore. I am taking my mind off ME and I and MINE and INCHES and POUNDS and DRESS SIZES and investing more quality time in relationships. And finding other ways to be happy.
SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE GOT A GOOD PLAN FOR THE NEW YEAR!!