this is kind of sad.

Well....I think it's just indicative of the kind of society we're
living in currently that puts such a value on aesthetics like being
thin and pretty. Why doesn't anybody ever want to be smart?? Argh.

I mean, I am here because I want to lose some weight. Probably like
everybody else - but I also wouldn't want to go back to being
depressed, or become an alcoholic or lose a limb to get there. That all
actually kind of makes me sad. But I also don't want to be "thin" for
the sake of being skinny and pretty or whatever, but because I want
more energy, I want my clothes to fit better, I want a lot of things
beyond just the "skinny" archetype.

the diets that are considered when someone just wants to be pretty and
thin never work.

then diet the way you wish, no one is stopping you.

on the smart part... one must look out for that themselves.

In article , Willow
Herself wrote:

"soulthing" wrote in message
oups.com...
Well....I think it's just indicative of the kind of society we're
living in currently that puts such a value on aesthetics like being
thin and pretty. Why doesn't anybody ever want to be smart?? Argh.

I mean, I am here because I want to lose some weight. Probably like
everybody else - but I also wouldn't want to go back to being
depressed, or become an alcoholic or lose a limb to get there. That all
actually kind of makes me sad. But I also don't want to be "thin" for
the sake of being skinny and pretty or whatever, but because I want
more energy, I want my clothes to fit better, I want a lot of things
beyond just the "skinny" archetype.


A lot of people have unrealistic ways of looking at the whole weight thing.
I had a member that was yelling at me, absolutely furious because she hadn't
lost a lbs in 3 weeks... after some researching, she wasn't following the
program, she even admitted eating 3 PACKS of Oreo cookies per day. But since
she was paying 10$/week to Weight Watchers, and taking out of her busy
schedule to come to meetings, she should be losing weight.

You also have members in their late 50s who look at the Bowflex bikini
grandma (remember the commercial?) and want to look like that after a whole
life of overeating and being sedentary. Most of the time they come in in
April to get the "bikini body" by summer... You need a plastic surgeon, not
WW...

And then some... People have irrealistic views of the whole thing, they want
a miracle, nobody's used to work for anything anymore.. it's like a pepsi
machine, put a dollar, get a pepsi, nobody would ever think about working
for anything, because they never have to... kinda sad really..

I see those people everyday, come to WW, find it to be too slow, too much
work, too whatever... they declare they found the magical trick and
disapear.. then you see them a few months later heavier than ever and
completely discouraged..

I just got lucky, I've seen my Mom do the same thing her whole life and
swore I would never. I did gain some weight when I injured myself, about 80
lbs, but time came to lose it I found a healthy way to lose it and LEARNED
what a healthy lifestyle is. I'm not perfect, that's for sure, but I didn't
starve myself, I didn't cut a limb.. I ate less and moved more... and as the
Queen would said repeated forever (well I plan to!)

That's the only part of my job I don't like, seeing those unrealistic
expectation lead people to do stupid things that messes with their health
and their feelings. there isn't a thing I can do about it though... ( WW
isn't the only way I know..it's MY way.. but for g.. sakes.. if it looks too
good to be true IT IS !
Will~

Sorry Willow, but i am 75, exercise regularly and "look like that" and
I love it.

http://www.angelfire.com/on4/diva_dog/

Willow Herself wrote:


That's the only part of my job I don't like, seeing those unrealistic
expectation lead people to do stupid things that messes with their health
and their feelings. there isn't a thing I can do about it though... ( WW
isn't the only way I know..it's MY way.. but for g.. sakes.. if it looks too
good to be true IT IS !


Amen Willow!! This is the same stuff I hear from overweight people who
declare that it's so easy for Oprah or whatever celebrity of the day to
lose weight because they can afford a chef and a trainer, etc. What they
fail to realize is that all the chefs and trainers in the world will not
help the person who doesn't get up and move and who stops off at the
drive-through on the way to work.

As Oprah so eloquently put it (paraphrasing here): It doesn't matter how
rich you are and what kind of chef/trainer you can afford, you're still
the one who has to get your ass around the track.

While I have gained back some of my weight (as people who read my
initial post have heard), I am still 90 pounds lighter than I was 8
years ago. It is interesting because whenever people ask me "how did
you do it?" and I say it was by controlling what I ate and exercising,
they look disappointed - I think they expect me to give them a miracle
cure to something that isn't miraculous at all...just common sense
(though easier said than done as I haven't been able to break my own
recent gains).

Susan

"Susan" wrote in message
oups.com...
While I have gained back some of my weight (as people who read my
initial post have heard), I am still 90 pounds lighter than I was 8
years ago. It is interesting because whenever people ask me "how did
you do it?" and I say it was by controlling what I ate and exercising,
they look disappointed - I think they expect me to give them a miracle
cure to something that isn't miraculous at all...just common sense
(though easier said than done as I haven't been able to break my own
recent gains).

Susan


Hi Susan,

I'm starting to get the same kinds of questions, "How did you do it?" It
would be handy to have a bottle of snake oil to sell, but I just tell 'em
the truth. They're always a bit disappointed.

What helped me more then anything else, in the beginning, was keeping a food
log. I learned a lot about my eating habits that way. Now I just count
calories. I'll probably go back to a food log sometime soon, so that I can
improve the quality of what I eat. I've got quite a learning curve to go
through on that. Baby steps.

Re. Willow's comments: been there done that. I belonged to a gym for quite a
while, exercised regularly but didn't permanently change my eating habits.
Yah, I lost weight for a while, but it all came back. Permanent is the key
word. A person has to change the way they eat and their relationship with
food. Its not like you can lose x pounds and go back to eating the way you
did before -- you just gain the weight back.

Mike

Sinequanon wrote:
Amen Willow!! This is the same stuff I hear from overweight people who
declare that it's so easy for Oprah or whatever celebrity of the day to
lose weight because they can afford a chef and a trainer, etc. What they
fail to realize is that all the chefs and trainers in the world will not
help the person who doesn't get up and move and who stops off at the
drive-through on the way to work.


Sinequanon (GREAT screenname, btw!!) - that's so true.I think people
just see Oprah or Lindsay or some star of the moment just had a baby or
whatever, just magically appear in public again, somehow weighing less
than they did when they got pregnant, and think that it can just poof!
happen to them. As much as I mock the celebrities for being so image
conscious and spending so much on training and special diets - they do
spend like five hours a day in the gym (they have the time!) and do all
sorts of other things that a normal person could never expect to do.
And nobody that I know can do that kind of stuff (I certainly can't).
So everybody expects overnight results and nobody wants to think about
how you have to work for it - and I think that's why people get
depressed about real dieting, becuase they expect it to just take off
the extra weight automatically.

Mike90732 wrote:


I'm starting to get the same kinds of questions, "How did you do it?" It
would be handy to have a bottle of snake oil to sell, but I just tell 'em
the truth. They're always a bit disappointed.


That's my experience as well. Everyone wants to hear about the magic
solution. There just isn't one.


Yah, I lost weight for a while, but it all came back. Permanent is the key
word. A person has to change the way they eat and their relationship with
food. Its not like you can lose x pounds and go back to eating the way you
did before -- you just gain the weight back.


Permenant is indeed the key! My mother-in-law is constantly telling me
about whatever diet she's on and how she "went off her diet" or
whatever. I'm amazed that she doesn't realize that diets don't work.
They just don't. You have to make permenant changes with your
relationship to food or you're pretty much doomed. You don't lose 50
pounds and then start scarfing the food down. You'll just gain the
weight back.

Other things I've noticed with my mother-in-law, and others too, is that
everyone wants to think that my 50-pound weight loss is attributed to
some personal characteristic about me like I have the time to exercise
(I make the time. Having and making are two different concepts) or
whatever. That way, they can justify why they haven't done it too
despite their claims of wanting to lose weight.

soulthing wrote:


Sinequanon (GREAT screenname, btw!!)


Thanks

happen to them. As much as I mock the celebrities for being so image
conscious and spending so much on training and special diets - they do
spend like five hours a day in the gym (they have the time!) and do all
sorts of other things that a normal person could never expect to do.


It is true that celebrities may have more time to spend in the gym or
whatever, but I've found that a good 60-90 minutes in the gym each day
does wonders. I think some people look at celebrities and think "well, I
can't spend five hours in the gym, so it will never work for me..." when
in truth, it's not an all or nothing concept. Five hours in the gym
isn't necessary, but heck how about 30 minutes to start?


So everybody expects overnight results and nobody wants to think about
how you have to work for it - and I think that's why people get
depressed about real dieting, becuase they expect it to just take off
the extra weight automatically.


This is a total instant gratification society hence the problems with
obesity in America. We just can't accept that you can't have everything
now, now, NOW!!! You've got to work a lifetime program to lose weight. I
don't necessairily judge people for not getting that. Took me a long
time to understand the concept that healthy eating is the way to go, not
dieting.


SQN
190/140.5/130

You look awesome )

Will~

"Carol Frilegh" wrote in message
...
In article , Willow
Herself wrote:

"soulthing" wrote in message
oups.com...
Well....I think it's just indicative of the kind of society we're
living in currently that puts such a value on aesthetics like being
thin and pretty. Why doesn't anybody ever want to be smart?? Argh.

I mean, I am here because I want to lose some weight. Probably like
everybody else - but I also wouldn't want to go back to being
depressed, or become an alcoholic or lose a limb to get there. That all
actually kind of makes me sad. But I also don't want to be "thin" for
the sake of being skinny and pretty or whatever, but because I want
more energy, I want my clothes to fit better, I want a lot of things
beyond just the "skinny" archetype.


A lot of people have unrealistic ways of looking at the whole weight
thing.
I had a member that was yelling at me, absolutely furious because she
hadn't
lost a lbs in 3 weeks... after some researching, she wasn't following the
program, she even admitted eating 3 PACKS of Oreo cookies per day. But
since
she was paying 10$/week to Weight Watchers, and taking out of her busy
schedule to come to meetings, she should be losing weight.

You also have members in their late 50s who look at the Bowflex bikini
grandma (remember the commercial?) and want to look like that after a
whole
life of overeating and being sedentary. Most of the time they come in in
April to get the "bikini body" by summer... You need a plastic surgeon,
not
WW...

And then some... People have irrealistic views of the whole thing, they
want
a miracle, nobody's used to work for anything anymore.. it's like a pepsi
machine, put a dollar, get a pepsi, nobody would ever think about working
for anything, because they never have to... kinda sad really..

I see those people everyday, come to WW, find it to be too slow, too much
work, too whatever... they declare they found the magical trick and
disapear.. then you see them a few months later heavier than ever and
completely discouraged..

I just got lucky, I've seen my Mom do the same thing her whole life and
swore I would never. I did gain some weight when I injured myself, about
80
lbs, but time came to lose it I found a healthy way to lose it and
LEARNED
what a healthy lifestyle is. I'm not perfect, that's for sure, but I
didn't
starve myself, I didn't cut a limb.. I ate less and moved more... and as
the
Queen would said repeated forever (well I plan to!)

That's the only part of my job I don't like, seeing those unrealistic
expectation lead people to do stupid things that messes with their health
and their feelings. there isn't a thing I can do about it though... (
WW
isn't the only way I know..it's MY way.. but for g.. sakes.. if it looks
too
good to be true IT IS !
Will~

Sorry Willow, but i am 75, exercise regularly and "look like that" and
I love it.

http://www.angelfire.com/on4/diva_dog/