Well most of y'all know that I'm usually in bed by 9 or so, but I stayed up to watch this show which started at 9 pm in my area. Figured if it started to get boring or something, I could just switch it off and go to bed.
As it turned out, I ended up watching the whole thing (instead of
The Swan which was on at the same time on Fox - yet another makeover show...)
VERY interesting show. The reporter, Steve Talbot, actually played Gilbert on
Leave it to Beaver, a show I admit to having an addiction to while growing up!
(Of the Beav's buddies, I actually preferred Whitey, remember he was the boy who persuaded Beav to climb up and into the big soup bowl on the billboard to see if there was actually soup in there?? Gilbert was Whitey's replacement I think - of course of all the Cleaver boy's pals, no one could beat Eddie Haskell IMO!) His dad, Lyle Talbot, was also a movie actor and TV star - playing Ozzie's buddy on
The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet - had a brief weight problem but took the weight off 'effortlessly' and died in his 90's.
Steve T. did mention that Jerry Mathers who played Beaver Cleaver has been battling his own weight problems in the past decade or so. The Jenny Craig commercials featuring "the Beav" were shown. From the way he spoke, it seems as though Steve and Jerry had lost touch over the years, as Steve said that he 'learned on the Internet' that Jerry is still battling his weight and now has Type II diabetes on top of it. He mentioned that when they were kids filming the show, they would eat Bob's Big Boy burgers, fries, and shakes 'without a second thought'. Of course they were very active as kids back in the 50's, prior to the onset of 24-hour TV, Internet and video games.
There's a synopsis on the website (link above in my first post) but if it's on again, it is well worth viewing. He started out going to a WW conference featuring the Dutchess of York (BTW is she still allowed to call herself that officially?? Just wonderin'.).
Steve T. had a weight problem himself - at 5'11", at the beginning of the show he was 210 pounds. During the show he slimmed down to 195 and was heading for a goal weight of 180. He did that by working exercise into his daily routine ("walking, swimming, jogging, lifting weights, whatever I could manage") and researched different diets. Of course, since low-carb is the rage right now, he spent a lot of time on the Atkins and South Beach diets. Low fat was represented by Pritikin. Speaking of low-fat, he also went to the food lab at Cornell University where it was shown how those low-fat products popular in the 1990's are made - of course the fat was replaced by carbs, including sugar!
Also touched on was the new pedometer 'craze' (I hate using that word because I think using a pedometer to keep track of the steps you take is a good thing, but I can't think of a better term at this particular moment) and the growing obesity and inactivity problem in our school kids.
At the end of the show, Steve had his birthday dinner - staying away from the bread basket and allowing himself two bites of chocolate cake. I must say, that even with *just* fifteen pounds gone, he looked MUCH better, much slimmer in the gut, than at the beginning of the show!
I thought THIS insight was very interesting - he stated this at the end of the show and it's also on the website:
Quote:
|
So, how did I do it? I am reluctant to divulge specifics for fear of seeming to endorse any particular diet plan. One of the things I've learned from this experience is that all diets are essentially gimmicks -- you lose weight because you give up something. And at least in the short run, if you cut down calories by forsaking something -- whether it's fats or carbohydrates or limiting the size of the portions you consume - you are going to lose weight. In that sense, most diets work. They can deliver that quick hit of weight loss, which can be very exhilarating.
|
He went on to say that he did his own modified version of South Beach in the beginning, then just did his own thing, which he continues to do:
Quote:
The trick, of course, is to keep the weight off, now that I have lost it. Easier said than done. This is where most of us mere mortals fall from grace. I sense that my reedy producer, Jon Palfreman, who was wonderfully supportive throughout my dieting test (except when he ordered cocktails on nights I couldn't drink!) is secretly convinced I will puff up like a Macy's balloon soon after this documentary airs. I realize that reaching and maintaining a healthy weight requires a discipline I have not shown in recent years, as well as constant vigilance in an American food environment that seems to conspire to make us all obese.
So far -- and I realize it's only been three months -- I am enticed by the rewards. My wife and friends tell me I look better. I even get a kick out of slithering into old jeans I had discarded in the back of my closet.
I have resumed drinking red wine with dinner, I eat the occasional slice of whole grain bread, I even nibble bittersweet chocolate when I have a craving. I'm mixing "good fats" with "good carbs." I may never drink another Coke. When in doubt about conflicting diet advice, I just follow common sense, or what my wife, Pippa, has been patiently telling me for years: eat moderate portions of healthy food and exercise regularly.
|
All in all, worth catching. The show website has a feature where you can check your local PBS listings to see when it's on again - and starting on Saturday, 10 April, you can watch it online at the website. Pretty kewl.
Diet Wars on PBS - this sounds pretty interesting!
)
