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Yes, the success rates ALL suck. When faced with lots of bad choices, the correct approach IMHO is to choose the BEST choice of the lot.
Or perhaps not using a commercial diet program in the first place? My copy of Fat of the Land must be different from YOUR copy...hmmm...because in my copy, Mr. Fumento dedicates half of the book on HOW to lose weight. WITHOUT going broke. One of the reasons, I believe, that Suzanne made me the moderator of the Buyer Beware forum is because I sincerely believe that most folks can lose weight without spending a fortune, without all the gimmicks, without the commercial diet plans - and that would include the VCLD's such as Optifast and Medifast. My goal is to make people here aware that THEY CAN LOSE THE WEIGHT WITHOUT SPENDING A FORTUNE. There IS no secret, there is no magic pill or formula.Originally Posted by bicker
The book clearly shows numbers for HMR, Optifast and Medifast in the 20% range, and Weight Watchers and others in the 5% range. Fumento equivocated the objective numbers with his own personal opinion, but in saying so he was condemning all approaches, because all approaches suck, from his point-of-view. Remember, however, that when all programs are gauged by the SAME success rate criteria: VLCDs, 20% successful; Weight Watchers and others, 5% successful. No getting around those facts.Yes, the success rates ALL suck. When faced with lots of bad choices, the correct approach IMHO is to choose the BEST choice of the lot.
Famous bodybuilder (and Bay Area resident!) Dave Draper has written a couple of motivational books that are worth a read. One of them is titled Your Body Revival. Here's a passage from that book that I like for some reason:
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"There is no magic pill."
1649, a year before the fall of the Empire
First came an announcement from the great balcony that rose on monumental columns of grey stone high above the crowds; a dour figure dressed in thick black fabric bellowed through a cone-shaped device, his voice deep as a pit, as dark, as final, "There is no magic pill." Cold steel silence pierced the hearts. No one moved, dejection too heavy a burden. "There is no magic pill." Clouds moved, swift and ominous, as if roused by the declaration, murderous in its conclusiveness.
One by one the shadowy horde dispersed. "They promised...they pledged, they swore a better way: a pill to burn fat, to lose weight, build muscle and strength and add years to fleeting life. They said yes." The moon rose clear and bright, the stars sparkled, the breeze murmured; night birds sang, the jasmine breathed its lovely fragrance but no one noticed. Beauty failed to stir them. "What will we do?"
We're not among the sorry masses whose backs are without muscle and whose characters know no strength. Hard work and discipline define our journey, challenge and fulfillment our joy. The magic pill - a mix of deception and imagination - is offered on late night infomercials and static-filled radio stations along with fat-burning, muscle-building, waist-trimming electronic impulse devices (give me a break) as a means to the same end, make someone bucks and give the needy false hope. May they wake up tomorrow morning layered with genuine blubber.
Basically what the whole weight loss thing comes down to in a nutshell is calories in/calories out. That's the bottom line. "There is no magic pill."
1649, a year before the fall of the Empire
First came an announcement from the great balcony that rose on monumental columns of grey stone high above the crowds; a dour figure dressed in thick black fabric bellowed through a cone-shaped device, his voice deep as a pit, as dark, as final, "There is no magic pill." Cold steel silence pierced the hearts. No one moved, dejection too heavy a burden. "There is no magic pill." Clouds moved, swift and ominous, as if roused by the declaration, murderous in its conclusiveness.
One by one the shadowy horde dispersed. "They promised...they pledged, they swore a better way: a pill to burn fat, to lose weight, build muscle and strength and add years to fleeting life. They said yes." The moon rose clear and bright, the stars sparkled, the breeze murmured; night birds sang, the jasmine breathed its lovely fragrance but no one noticed. Beauty failed to stir them. "What will we do?"
We're not among the sorry masses whose backs are without muscle and whose characters know no strength. Hard work and discipline define our journey, challenge and fulfillment our joy. The magic pill - a mix of deception and imagination - is offered on late night infomercials and static-filled radio stations along with fat-burning, muscle-building, waist-trimming electronic impulse devices (give me a break) as a means to the same end, make someone bucks and give the needy false hope. May they wake up tomorrow morning layered with genuine blubber.
And what about the cost? How many peeps out there can afford to shell out $5,000 for the Optifast or Medifast plans that are generally NOT covered by health insurance? Weight Watchers might not be as successful (and actually I DO know a few folks who have done well with WW) but at least it's affordable for the vast majority of folks. I know for sure that had I not been chosen for the Stanford study (each participant was required to pay $500, half of which was refunded to the participants who stayed in the study for the entire 18 months) there was NO WAY I would have ever been able to afford the program. But would I have just given up and said "screw it - I am never going to be able to do this by myself"? I'd like to think my answer would be **** NO - I had already started exercising the year before (walking and taking a large-size women's movement class at Kaiser) - I think I would have done it - it would have taken a bit longer but I would have persisted. Doing the Optifast study gave me what the counselor called a "running start" but without my determination, persistence and self-motivation, I would have been one of the 95-97% in the study who relapsed and gained most or all of the weight back at the end of 18 months.
And actually in MY copy of Fat of the Land, Fumento does have some excellent suggestions and resources for losing weight and (more importantly!) keeping it off for good. There's a great book that he recommends that I also heartily recommend called Thin for Life by Anne Fletcher that is WELL worth reading.
Also in my copy of the Fumento book, page 184, he quotes a study from 1990 of women who were able to keep lost weight off and women who weren't - now THIS is interesting stuff:
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Maintainers made decisions to lose weight and then devised personal weight-loss plans to fit their lives. These plans usually included regular exercise or activity and a new eating style of reduced fat, reduced sugar, more fruits and vegetables, and much less food than previously eaten. Maintainers reported being patient, setting small goals that they could meet, and sticking to their personally devised weight-loss plans. Some used ideas from earlier weight-loss experiences, some used diets from books, but all persisted until new eating patterns were established...However, they did not completely restrict favorite foods and made efforts to avoid feelings of deprivation while changing food patterns.
In contrast, few relapsers (36 percent) had exercised to help lose weight. They had lost weight by taking appetite suppressants, fasting, or going on restrictive diets that they could not sustain. They took diet formulas and went to weight-control groups and programs many times. While dieting they did not permit themselves any of the special foods they enjoyed...
Anyway...too nice a day here to go on...more later...Maintainers made decisions to lose weight and then devised personal weight-loss plans to fit their lives. These plans usually included regular exercise or activity and a new eating style of reduced fat, reduced sugar, more fruits and vegetables, and much less food than previously eaten. Maintainers reported being patient, setting small goals that they could meet, and sticking to their personally devised weight-loss plans. Some used ideas from earlier weight-loss experiences, some used diets from books, but all persisted until new eating patterns were established...However, they did not completely restrict favorite foods and made efforts to avoid feelings of deprivation while changing food patterns.
In contrast, few relapsers (36 percent) had exercised to help lose weight. They had lost weight by taking appetite suppressants, fasting, or going on restrictive diets that they could not sustain. They took diet formulas and went to weight-control groups and programs many times. While dieting they did not permit themselves any of the special foods they enjoyed...
