Comments on: Is Gary Taubes The Opposite of Weight Watchers?

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 22:04:06 +0000

With regard to the cut and paste from the article, I think that what it comes down to is calories in/ calories out and finding a way of eating that can be sustained for long term. I've done just about every commercial diet around (except any of the pills). Sure, I lost a bunch of weight on Atkins but when I wasn't able to sustain the proscribed eating plan I gained the weight back. Weight Watchers works for me because it is a sustainable way of living for me. I mostly eat filling foods but helps me to know that if I want a cupcake for a friends birthday, I can have it as long as I work it into my points. This is one of the things that has helped me succeed on Weight Watchers.

BenJ, it's great that you can cut back on calories and loose weight without tracking what you eat but for a lot of us that just isn't a reality. I wouldn't have come this far (lost 91 lbs) without keeping a food/exercise journal. I need it to hold myself accountable and as a record of what has been successful or unsuccessful for me in the past. I hit several plateaus while losing weight this time around and it was very helpful to be able to go back and see what I did or didn't do that helped break the plateau. It's not for everyone but it shouldn't be completely discounted as a useful tool.

By: Kim

Kim — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 19:29:38 +0000

BenJ, WW may sound like a PITA to you, but it's FAR less a pain than the 60 extra lbs I used to carry around on me. The whole point of WW is to re-think your behaviors about food AND activity. It kind of irks me when people who have never been to a meeting equate WW with a food plan. It's not. It's support to make sustainable behavior modifications. Not just "how am I going to get this weight off?" but "how am I going to make lifestyle changes to support a healthy weight". Food is only a piece of that. That's why I've been at goal for over 4 years.

And Laura, YES! Moderation, not Deprivation is my mantra for exactly this reason. I eat almost exclusively Filling Foods (formerly known as Core foods) but telling myself that I could never have wine or chocolate again would be a recipe for disaster.

By: BenJ

BenJ — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 18:39:44 +0000

Huh ... I keep my weight down, and loose weight if I cut back on calories, without tracking what I eat. I just don't eat unnatural foods (carbs!)

Weight Watchers sounds like a PITA.

Gary Taubes isn't a diet writer. He hasn't "completely ignored the emotional aspects" -- he doesn't care about the emotional aspects. That's not what his book is about!

The comments on that other post are hysterical, I will give you that. Almost as fun as politics.

By: angela

angela — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:14:52 +0000

That’s what I like about Weight Watchers, even though I do it on my lonesome…it really does encourage more fruit and veggies and even lean protein because you get more food for less points…thus more filling. At least that’s how it works in my brain when I’m keeping track….