Weight Watchers: In the End, It's Still a Diet

I've written in the past about how I hate the word "diet" (see Want to Lose Weight? Forget the Word "Diet") and a visit to my mother's for dinner the other night confirmed my feelings. To me, the very word "diet" implies a temporary fix, and my own experiences with them substantiate that claim. Most diets require us to follow regimens that are out of our normal comfort zones and eventually the regimens become too restrictive or uncomfortable to follow and the diet falls by the wayside.

One of the oldest and most popular diets out there is the Weight Watchers Diet. I don't have anything against Weight Watchers. They've helped a lot of people with their programs as you can see from their success stories here, but I've personally known people who've been successful with it, only to fall off the wagon eventually.

How Does Weight Watchers Work?

The most popular method used by Weight Watchers participants is the "Points Plus" program. The plan assigns point values to foods using a scientific formula that takes into account all of the weight-related factors that are connected with eating foods. Participants are assigned an individualized daily point "target", allowing them to eat what they want, as long as they stay within that number. Sounds easy enough, right?

Well, as I've said before I've known people who've been on the Weight Watchers program and every single one of them has seen success followed by an eventual return to their old eating habits . The rigors of following any type of diet program, however simple, almost always become arduous in the end. Never mind attending the weekly meetings and weigh-ins, measuring food and counting points is okay when it's fresh and new, but sooner or later it's going to wear thin. Case in point, my mom's the other night:

My mom and my two sisters have been following the Weight Watchers diet since the New Year. My sister's friend, who began the program with the rest of them, had already dropped out of the race by then. As soon as I walked into the house I was greeted by my mother, telling me she'd lost somewhere in the neighborhood of 5.2 pounds.

"Can you tell?" she asked as she turned to show her profile. I hesitated for a moment, not wanting to lie.

"Well ma, to be honest, that's not enough yet to see a big difference." To my relief, she took it well and let it go, only after telling me how a coworker had noticed a change just a couple of days prior. Next it was time to sit around the table for macaroni and meatballs, a Sunday staple for ours and many an Italian family.

Within moments of sitting down, the measuring cups and notepads were taken out in preparation for the ritual they must go through every time they wish to consume any type of food.

"How many points if I put cheese on my macaroni?" my mom asked my sister.

"I'm not sure, let me check..." she flipped through a Weight Watcher's pamphlet and gave my mom the answer she wanted to hear. "Only one point." Mom added the cheese to her pasta. When she was done with her first dish, she wondered aloud if she should have another helping of pasta or a meatball. She turned to me.

"We're allowed extra points for the week on top of our dailies, so we can eat a little over if we want." She reached for a meatball.

"Ah, I see." I was just taking it all in and happy that I wasn't on Weight Watchers.

And so went the meal. I was amused at how anyone could suffer this way through life and I knew deep inside that this diet, like all diets, is doomed to eventual failure. How could anyone make this a daily ritual for a lifetime? After dinner, my point was proven as mom was tallying her daily points as my sister counted pretzels, her dessert.

"Anna, I did alright today, only..."

"Ma," my sister was angry. "I lost count and now I gotta start all over again." She dumped her pretzels from her cup back into the bag and started her count all over again. The frustration was evident. Who knows how long it will last this time. The truth is, there's no big secret to losing weight. Exercise is always a key ingredient, and of course a more permanent change in eating habits is necessary. Slow and steady always wins the race! If only they could see the truth about dieting...

For more articles on weight loss from this author, check out these titles:

Want to Lose Weight? Forget the Word "Diet"

Tips for Shopping Healthy

Losing Weight in 2010: What Worked

Gilad's Bodies in Motion

Basic Abdominal Exercises for a Flat Stomach

Sources:

http://www.weightwatchers.com/index.aspx