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Hi Steph:
You mentioned the Weight Watchers Diet in the 70's. I remember going on it back then. It seemed to work, but I wasn't committed to really losing wieght back then. Now that I'm more focused, I started looking for it, but can't seem to find it among all of my memorabilia. If you have a copy of it, or can give me the basic legal fruits and vegetables (the daily one cup variety), I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks in advance.
Carron
With two-thirds of the nation's population now overweight (according to the the U.S. surgeon general), millions of Americans are desperate to try anything to shed excess pounds.
The latest trend in weight-loss mania is high-protein, low-carbohydrate dieting. While we have the late Dr. Robert Atkins to blame for popularizing the concept in the 1970s, plenty of enormously successful me-too books have followed in recent years. A recent survey found as many as 48 percent of Americans are cutting back on carbs or plan to go on a low-carb diet in the next year.
Now, some of the heaviest hitters in the food industry are standing up and taking notice. That's because there are big bucks to be made by cashing in on a trend that's gone way beyond the diet-fad stage. The Nutrition Business Journal estimates that sales of low-carb foods totaled $1.4 billion in 2003 and could eventually reach $3 billion. Other forecasts are even more optimistic, projecting sales of $30 billion by 2004.
The processed food industry is churning out low-carb products by the truckload, introducing more than 600 new items last year alone. Apparently, no product is too absurd to go low carb: Everything from pasta to ketchup to ice cream is being reformulated and re-introduced. Even beer companies are fighting over whose light brew contains fewer carbs.
Supermarkets are setting aside entire low-carb aisles, and low-carb specialty stores are cropping up everywhere -- even in the Bay Area, land of crunchy granola and gourmet bread. Castus Low Carb Superstores has two local shops and plans to open 5,000 franchises around the world by 2008. And 7- Eleven has partnered with Atkins Nutritionals, displaying its "Low-Carb Revolution" banners, and selling 50 brands of chocolate bars, cookies and shakes.
Because going low-carb won't stop America's obsession with eating out, restaurants, especially fast-food chains, are also jumping on the bandwagon. Burger King, for example, will begin selling bunless burgers, and Donatos Pizza is offering a "NoDough" pie with a crust made from high-protein soy crumbles. Even more astonishing are the fast-food industry's efforts to spin these menu innovations as a response to consumer demand for "healthier options. "
This week, LowCarbiz is hosting the first national low-carb business summit in Denver. Among the hundreds attending are representatives from such food giants as Frito-Lay and General Mills, and retailers such as Wal-Mart. Topics up for discussion include "The Low-Carb Economy: Understanding Just How Large and Dynamic the Industry Really Is," "Opportunities and Risks in the Low- Carb Industry," and my personal favorite, "The Scientific Case AGAINST Low Carb: Know What the Industry's Detractors Are Saying and How to Respond."
But beyond the low-carb hype, consumers are being sold nothing more than savvily marketed snake oil. Many nutrition and health experts agree that high- protein diets are not only dubious as a long-term approach to weight loss, but also potentially dangerous. That's why no major health-care organization has embraced high-protein diets, and why they've been publicly denounced by both the American Dietetic Association and the American Heart Association.
To maintain their competitive edge, food makers must continually come up with new products and marketing gimmicks. The "low-carb revolution" represents an opportunity similar to the low-fat diet craze of the 1980s and 1990s, in which other kinds of highly processed foods were touted as "the answer" to our expanding waistlines. Then, years later, we learned that eating SnackWells didn't result in weight loss after all. How long will it take before we realize that eating low-carb cookies won't either?
The Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Source sensibly tells us that many foods rich in whole-grain carbohydrates are good sources of essential vitamins and minerals and recommends that "whenever possible, replace highly processed grains, cereals, and sugars with minimally processed whole-grain products." In other words, eat brown rice and other whole grains in their natural state. But that's not the message the processed food industry wants you to hear, because that won't sell any highly priced, "value-added" products.
Michele Simon is a lawyer and founder and director of the Center for Informed Food Choices (www.informedeating.org), a nonprofit based in Oakland that educates about the politics of food.
OY, I remember my mom putting me on a diet in the late 70's. She broiled.....BROILED I say, a hamburger, or shall I say a hockey puck and gave me a whoppin sh*t load of string beans. Dry Dry Dry, no butter, no katchup nothin. I couldn't figure out why I was being punished. My poor father would almost choke trying to eat it. They told me I HAD to eat the string beans, and I did and I threw them up. Sad what we went through and it never worked.
I am following Atkins because it makes me feel good physically.
BUT!!!! I am a firm believer that it all comes down to calories.
Its nice to have Low Carb choices in the stores, but I approach them with extreme caution. If its too good to be true, then watch it.
UUGHH!!! Third time is a charm, right. I’ve lost this response twice, so now I’m typing in a Word document and will cut and paste my reply!
Carron… I don’t have the old WW diet. I was in 5th grade and did it w/ my Mom. We both lost weight … she lost 42lbs and met her goal, I lost about 25 (which was all I needed to lose at the time.) I do remember my Mom had a hard cover book which described the diet, and had some history and also some recipes. The author was the founder of WW, Jean Neidich (I think that’s how it’s spelled.) You might want to check out used book sites, such as www.alibris.com.
I’ve found this thread quite interesting and learned a lot.!! Thanks to all who contributed, especially those of you who took time to reference other articles.
As for me … I’ve just recently started my weigh loss journey AGAIN. I obviously didn’t get to be 260 lbs by eating healthy foods. BUT, for me the real trigger to over eating (as opposed eating normal portions of unhealthy foods) is not sugar or fat, but STARCH. I could always stop at one donut, or one scoop of ice cream and gave up buttering my veggies and bread when I was quite young … but when it comes to rice or pasta or bread, I don’t stop eating until either it’s all gone OR I’m souncomfortable that I can barely move! I am afraid that low-carb versions of starchy foods will be no different for me. So, I’m not rushing out to buy them.
I’ve tailored my own eating plan this time, taking from my past experiences of what has worked and what hasn’t. I DO start each day w/ starch … in the form of cereal with a reasonable amount of fiber (grapenuts, oatmeal, bran flakes) and that’ generally the only starch I eat. I finish the day w/ lots of veggies, some fruit and some protein. I also eat one container of yogurt sweetened with real sugar most days. I despise the aftertaste of the aspertame-sweetened yogurts and decided I wasn’t getting enough calcium and that I would go the sugar route, since, for me, it’s not a trigger.
OK … this started off as an educational thread and I’ve made it about me. I apologize!
I think I've been on a low carb diet all my life because I'ma voracious meat eater and I really have an aversion to pastas and breads. At Mc Donald's as a kid I'd always eat the meat and leave the bun! But let me tell ya, I'm 181 pounds so obvioysly taking carbs out isn't the best idea, lol It's never THAT easy.
I absolutely do not believe in denying yourself certain foods. I am all about portion control. Eat what you want in moderation. That's what I'm doing with Weight Watchers. They also incorporate learning to cook, eating veggies, drinking lots of water, exercising, no "emotional eating" etc. It's an all around program I can actually live with because it addresses all of those areas.
"I was in TGIF's this past weekend and the whole front of the menu was dedicated to low carb and Atkin's friendly meals. I thought at the time "Gee, I never saw them do this for Weight Watchers!" And it's because it's the new marketing craze. "
WOW That is SO true! You know what I was thinking? Every time I see a new "LOw Carb" sign or label go up, I wonder if it's JUST the manufacturers doing that. Do people ACTUALLY even cut their carbs? It feels like a mass conspiracy to make people think they need to jump on the bandwagon. You're so right that we never see restaurants offering low point foods or telling us how many pts is in a given dish. Why not?
I'll tell ya why not! Because WW isn't a fad. Because WW is about lifestyle and Low Carb is about THE NOW. It's temporary. I bet you that in a few months we will not see those "low carb" ads anymore.
And anyway I have learned that no matter what you do with food there will be a trade-off. You either pick higher sodium or higher fat -- the taste has to come from somewhere. I try to balance everything. I have some lower fat items because they're lower pts but I sure won't deny myself a nice pat of regular butter on some mashed taters now and then or a nice squishy marshmallow snowball
I just don't believe the low carb thing is a good idea. I think also that those people are being manipulated and urged to join the diet by people who seek to gain moolah from them.
Thanks, Dazzled, for your thoughts about low-carb diets. Unfortunately, marketing has gotten a hold of this and we will continue to see it everywhere. I don't think it will be gone in a few months.
What gets me are the people who complain when, at company functions, there isn't anything for Atkins Dieters! I was at a paid luncheon the other day and one of my coworkers was complaining mightily that there wasn't anything for Atkins people and that nearly everyone is on that diet! Well, I'm not and I don't go for the fad diets.
You are so right that eliminating certain foods from your diet doesn't do it. It really is about portion control, exercise, and eating right. That's why I also love WW. I lost 30 pounds and it's almost two years.
I'm very concerned about people having kidney problems, too. What the Atkins folks don't tell us is the high incidence of kidney stones. I know two people personally who've had them while on this diet. Also, folks aren't supposed to stay on it for a long period of time.
I just wanted to see if anyone else watched this on TV:
My mom said she watched ummmm .... Dateline or 60 minutes maybe where she said they took a hidden camera and went around to all the chains that are offering "low carb" meals like BK, Subway, etc. and tested their carbs.
It turned out alot of the places FAILED!!!! They questioned the places about the results and they said that "that day they run out of the right yeast, grain, etc." and covered their butts.
Now don't get me wrong b/c she said some chains were right on but that alot of them failed.
In my WW meeting, my leader said she had bought a loaf low carb bread, thinking to see what it was like. She paid over $4 for a loaf of bread that she said tasted like cardboard, and wished she had stuck with their light brand, since it was cheaper and tasted far better.
But I wonder how many people will buy it, thinking that since it carries a low carb monniker, that it is good for them. And I wonder how long this fad will last.
Any bets?
elaine
I am doing low carb and it's not just a diet for me but a way of life. I have PCOS and a low carb wol is highly recommended. I have yet to buy anything that says LC on it, because of several things:
1. The price is outragous
2. The food taste like cardboard
3. I rather cook and know what is going into my meals, instead of eating processed foods with added things.
I don't see a problem with low carb, but I for one would rather cook, make my own meals and not buy into the "LC products that are out on the market".
I actually welcome low-carb restaurant meals. It has made it a lot easier for me to get actual vegetables without being looked at like I'm nuts. :lol Ruby Tuesday now has a large selection of veggie sides.
The main reason low-carb diets work is that they force you to give up things like sodas & junk food. Personally, I try not to eat things with more than 4g sugar a serving, and have found that limits me to pretty good foods. Kind of hard to justify a chocolate cake with that guideline!
FWIW, I have managed to lose weight on a reduced-carb, as opposed to Atkin's-type low carb, diet, & I do have PCOS. Tried truly low-carb once & it made me mean.
Steph and Weight Watchers Diet
I apologize! 
It's never THAT easy.
