Following Oprah to Weight Watchers? Plan to Fail!
Oprah is an amazing women, a huge success in both business and entertainment, but don’t take her advice when it comes to dieting and weight loss. Oprah is not a fitness expert, and by her own admission, she has a history of diet failure.
Oprah’s latest attempt is a paid endorsement deal with Weight Watchers. Now the problem with Weight Watchers, and similar programs, is that they tell you “No Food Is Off Limits”. The first item they show you when you click on “Food” is Chocolate-Espresso Mousse Shots. They want you to think “sign me up, I can lose weight and I can eat whatever I want”. This type of thinking is real dangerous considering that most people who have weight issues have an addiction to food. You can’t tell an alcoholic “we can cure your disease and you can still drink what you want”.
The reality is, and I know this first hand, that weight loss is tough. There are no quick fixes. You must make sacrifices. The sacrifices include changing the foods you eat and adjusting your lifestyle accordingly. People who have an addiction to food, do not understand a point system. People like me don’t just have one scoop of ice cream; they buy a half gallon at the store and finish it in a week (or less). Perhaps we go out for ice cream, a cone isn’t enough, I want a sundae. The solution is that there are just some foods you can’t eat.
Exercise! As mentioned above, any weight loss strategy must include sacrifice. This means that you must carve out time in your schedule and dedicate yourself to reaching your fitness goals. Don’t be fooled by Weight Watchers claims that “our new fitness approach meets you where you are…You’ll earn FitPoints™” which they allow you to trade for food. Sure and everyone gets a trophy! DON’T BE FOOLED BY WEIGHT WATCHERS MISLEADING ADVERTISING (Read the fine Print). ALL THE SUCCESS STORIES POSTED ON WEIGHT WATCHERS.COM LOST THE WEIGHT ON PRIOR PROGRAMS. If you read the stories, it makes you believe that the weight loss results are due to Weight Watchers. The truth is the weight loss results that they show on their website is a result of prior plans. For example, two ladies on their website, Nichole and Sarah, lost 60lbs and 91 lbs on prior programs. I’m sure Oprah will have a personal trainer.
What should you do? Consult a personal trainer who is both an expert on fitness and nutrition. Understand that weight loss and physical fitness requires sacrifice and a lifestyle change. You can’t eat what you want whenever you want. I consulted with Andrew Noble of Smart Fitness who put together a plan that covers both diet and exercise. Bottom line, if it sounds to good to be true it probably is. Get the right advice from a source who understands fitness. Oprah knows books, not diets. For more information on Smart Fitness Programs visit www.gosmartfitness.com; for more articles visit my blog at www.askmarcjablon.com.
