Comments on Cranky Fitness: Diets & Cults: is there a difference?

Yep, everyone has to find what works for them.. we...

2009-04-08T01:44:00.000-04:00

Yep, everyone has to find what works for them.. we are all so different with different needs. Good article.

I agree with you. What works for one person may no...

2008-11-19T16:42:00.000-05:00

I agree with you. What works for one person may not necessarily work for the next. Our bodies are so different that it is difficult to speculate that a particular diet will work wonders for everyone!

I don't know, my plan of choice is WW Core (with f...

2008-11-15T08:58:00.000-05:00

I don't know, my plan of choice is WW Core (with focus on the 8 good health guidelines), and I love that it makes everything so easy for me. That doesn't mean I don't have criticisms like why can't I use a serving of walnuts, or teaspoon of coconut oil as a healthy fat; or that I think fat-free cheese should be illegal because it is so awful? Or why is the lady behind the desk such a c*** today?

The thing is that when other people say that the plan is awful, it's like someone criticizing your family (I can criticize my sister all I want, but if you criticize her - watch out!).

I also feel critical about diets such as those that involve tons of processed food and artificial sweetener. I just don't tell people that I think they're poisoning themselves - I say (if they ask) that for me - whole foods are the only way for ME to keep MY mood and energy in check.

Everyone has different body chemistry and that pla...

2008-11-14T15:20:00.000-05:00

Everyone has different body chemistry and that plays alot into what kind of diets work for you:)

"The gut has such a high concentration of nerve ce...

2008-11-13T23:04:00.000-05:00

"The gut has such a high concentration of nerve cells that it has been called a second brain."

Had never heard that before, but makes sense to me. Given my relationship history with food-weight-diets, I must have an extremely low IQ in my "second brain."

p.s. South Beach Diet is for desperate housewives! ;-)

Ah so true, so true. And isn't it interesting.She...

2008-11-13T21:30:00.000-05:00

Ah so true, so true. And isn't it interesting.

She says sounding like the complete nutrition nerd she is.

It's personally felt if you criticise The Diet. The person takes it as a criticism of them.

There's also a lot of emotional investment in dieting. So you're criticising something that is deeply held, cherished and clung on to by the individual.

Looking forward to the review now as well!

I think sometimes we get fired up because we want ...

2008-11-13T16:41:00.000-05:00

I think sometimes we get fired up because we want to defend our choices even to the death on extreme cases. I agree on the cult like trance. It's amazing how diets can get people under like being hypnotized.

No diet is perfect- if it was then it would be eas...

2008-11-13T16:37:00.000-05:00

No diet is perfect- if it was then it would be easy, work for everyone, and obesity would be a thing of the past. Since we all respond differently, we will all have different opinions regarding what diets are good vs. bad, easy vs. hard, crazy vs. normal. It's just human nature to argue : )

Losing weight depends so much on a person's state ...

2008-11-13T16:22:00.000-05:00

Losing weight depends so much on a person's state of mind that the emotional attachment to a particular diet program isn't surprising. And then we all need different things out of life, right? Some people need structure, some people need a lot of social outlets, etc. So the need for different approaches to losing weight shouldn't be a surprise either.

I'm an organized soul, but I detest having my options dictated to me. WW has always worked for me because it lets me incorporate the flexibility I need, while the points system appealed to my need for, well, a system. For some people, that same flexibility would be a danger zone, while others might be system-phobic. Ultimately, as long as it's a healthy program and one that will serve you long term, it doesn't matter which road you take.

I do take issue with these fad diets that insist a particular food group is evil or divine. I knew a woman years ago who ended up with health problems because of her obsession with fat-free and sugar-free only foods. It's been some years now so I'm hazy on the details, but it turned out that her obsession lead to a deficit of something necessary in the diet (or maybe it was a reaction to fake sugar? Well, I did say I was hazy on the deets). Likewise, I read of similar problems with anti-carb fanatics and the pro-fiber crowd. Those are extreme examples, but it shows what harm can be done by diet gurus who - let's face it - are mostly in it for the money from book sales.

Ms. Merry, you are missed.

I don't know what to say. I've been on tons of die...

2008-11-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

I don't know what to say. I've been on tons of diets and never argued about them except with myself.

I think it relates to the fantasy of being thin. P...

2008-11-13T15:22:00.000-05:00

I think it relates to the fantasy of being thin. People go on diets to lose weight, because they're "so fat", and a lot of them think their lives will be perfect when they hit that magic number. They think all their issues will be solved. So, when criticize their diet du jour, you're criticizing what they see as their salvation, their path to happiness, their path to being "worthy" because they're skinny.

I will admit that I sometimes would slip in to low-carb prophet mode, back in the day when my every other thought was "ZOMG IM SO FATZ!!!!1!!" Now that I'm over that, I still love to talk about it--when people ask me--because I think it's fascinating how human biology works in relation to food. I'm sure some people still perceive me as trying to bring them down, though.

Here's a few points Mike made about cults and WW:W...

2008-11-13T14:56:00.000-05:00

Here's a few points Mike made about cults and WW:

Weight Watchers: Very good for accountability and can be helpful in teaching people about portion control.

Weight Watchers cult: Obsessing about points to the degree that it interferes with the ability to choose healthy foods based on their nutrient densities.

If they're diet isn't perfect and right, then it w...

2008-11-13T14:09:00.000-05:00

If they're diet isn't perfect and right, then it won't work and people don't know how to lose the weight. You take away their control (or perception of it) when you show (even a little) that it might be bad. If what they chose is wrong then what's right? Having no "right" it often scary.

This is such a great perspective! (Very amusing ti...

2008-11-13T13:29:00.000-05:00

This is such a great perspective! (Very amusing timing too what with my post the other day). Dieting is very cult-ish. Isn't it fun to discuss things that fire us up? :)

I love this post. Many of my friends follow differ...

2008-11-13T12:50:00.000-05:00

I love this post. Many of my friends follow different nutrition plans and we can compare and contract them to death, but none of us ever take it personally.

I agree with April. Going a bit further, I think e...

2008-11-13T12:07:00.000-05:00

I agree with April.

Going a bit further, I think emotion over a diet is kind of fear based, like people who are rigidly religious and can't tolerate any questions about it because they're afraid it's not really true. When you're obsessed about your weight, you tend to obsess about a diet and don't want to be told that it's not going to work when you've invested so much emotion in it.

And speaking of obsession, I've worked with the WW off and on--I don't think it's a bad system, but I do have to say it was difficult at first because it requires obsessively recording everything and figuring out how many points things are --until you kind of get your routine down, and it eases up a bit. But it's hard to deal with the obsessing about food thing if you're not that kind of person to begin with.

I guess it all depends if you drink the (sugar-fre...

2008-11-13T12:06:00.000-05:00

I guess it all depends if you drink the (sugar-free) Kool-aid, hm?

I would normally not link to a post on my own blog (gratuitously self-serving? bah), but I wrote a recent post hypothesizing that there is such a thing as Dieting Stockholm Syndrome that is actually relevant to the whole My Diet Is My Religion type of thing!

http://aturtlesprogress.com/2008/11/07/diet-stockholm-syndrome/

P.S. I am on Weight Watchers and I totally CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!

I only "judge" when my already too thin friend pan...

2008-11-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

I only "judge" when my already too thin friend panics over a 2lb weight gain and vows too starve herself until it's gone...then I smack the stupid out of here. Kidding, I try to listen and understand and give her some nutrition/exercise tips. For what good it does.
I personally don't care what people think of my diet...is that a good thing or bad thing? Agree with MizFit, obsession = bad.

How do you find out what searches bring people to ...

2008-11-13T11:52:00.000-05:00

How do you find out what searches bring people to your blog?

one of the top three (non porn related) searches t...

2008-11-13T11:51:00.000-05:00

one of the top three (non porn related) searches that bring people to my site is "why weight watcher is wrong" - I wish they'd comment. And click on my ad.

I hate WW, but it works for a lot of people, and honestly, it worked for me when I needed to lose the first 60 lbs. I do get a little heated up when people try to tell me that their crazy restriction diets work, but that's just because I love & don't want them to get all malnourished.

I admit, I have judged some people's diets. But m...

2008-11-13T11:07:00.000-05:00

I admit, I have judged some people's diets. But mostly, I judge them when they seem to be following an untenable diet (where you only eat one food all the time, or something like that). For the most part, I figure, if it works for you, then great! I feel the same way about religion. I don't have a religion, don't want one, don't need one. But hey, if someone else does, more power to them.

I have had trouble in the past with people on certain diets (specifically, vegetarianism) who were adamantly proselytizing their diet, who thought their way was the only way, and really it seemed a touch too much like religious people trying to convert the heathens. I don't like it. I have no problem with eating vegetarian, I think that it really does work for a lot of people, so yay for them. But I don't want to hear about how it's the only way.

I agree with what another poster said about shouting from the rooftops when you find something that fits you. It's easy to take your experience and generalize it to say that that is what works, and everyone should do that. I admit, I have fallen into this pitfall on occasion, and I just have to remind myself that my way of eating is healthy for me, and isn't right for everyone.

Great post! Yes, when people criticize a diet, th...

2008-11-13T10:47:00.000-05:00

Great post! Yes, when people criticize a diet, there is a "gut" reaction to defend the plan, particularly if they attribute their success to that diet.

What they don't realize, I think, is that the success they had is largely tied to... drumroll... wait for it...

THEMSELVES!

They are the ones that stuck to the plan, they are the ones that made the sacrifices, whether it be calories in general or calories from specific types of foods. I think they give the diet WAY too much credit. Setting goals, having a plan and sticking to it is the key. The diet is just a tool in the belt.

As for the question in your title, one determines your afterlife, the the other does not... determining which is which is a harder question!

Ah well - let's face it, a lot of our attachment t...

2008-11-13T10:39:00.000-05:00

Ah well - let's face it, a lot of our attachment to a particular system is about wanting to get others to 'do it with us.' Misery (which is my book applies to most diets) loves company!

Success on Weight Watchers led to my disordered ea...

2008-11-13T10:18:00.000-05:00

Success on Weight Watchers led to my disordered eating issues. I became obsessed ... hence, my blog.

Hi Laura! I don't think your post was anti-WW real...

2008-11-13T09:52:00.000-05:00

Hi Laura!
I don't think your post was anti-WW really, but it seemed like some of the people who left comments thought it might be somewhat non-positive.