From: jsl+@pitt.edu (John S Lundberg)
Newsgroups: alt.support.diet
Subject: Re: Diet Methods
Date: 6 Nov 92 04:58:24 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <16896DE56.MOSTERBE@cmsa.gmr.com> MOSTERBE@cmsa.gmr.com writes:
>Have any of you tried the Deal-a-Meal Plan by Richards Simmons?  

I have to admit watching the Deal-a-Meal "infomercials" many times
before starting my current program.  Perhaps it was the prospect of
Richard Simmons hunting me down in a grocery store and giving me a
hug that turned me off but I was particularly struck, for some reason,
by a comment made by a man in Brooklyn who had lost some amazing
amount of weight (400 lbs? perhaps more). He said that he'd enjoyed
all of his favorite foods, while on his diet, but just not on the
same day.  In other words, you don't have to subsist on gruel the
rest of your life, you just have to learn to moderate your daily
intake.   For some reason, this comment helped me.

The approach seems pretty reasonable to me--monitor intake using
a system, exercise, work on motivation and attitude.

>I recently started the Plan and have lost 10 lbs. in 3weeks!!
>Of course, I also exercise about 3 times a week (45 min. each time). Reading
>this group encouraged me to go for it and lose weight.

Outstanding--it's really encouraging to hear about people who
are having success.

>I wanted so much to lose weight and checked out all possibilities.  Jenny Craig
>(very expensive), Medical Weight Loss (also expensive), Nutri-Systems (ditto)
>and I just didn't have the money to spend to join any of those.  The only other
>system I've tried before was Weight Watchers and usually did okay with them for
>a little while.  Then I'd give up and "fall off the wagon."  Anyway, just
>curious as to how all of you are losing weight. 

I'm really convinced that each individual has to find an approach that
works for him or her.  It seems that many people find the programs such
as you mentioned to be an effective way of losing weight.  If they work
and you're comfortable with the approach then that's the way to go.

But I wonder whether what the programs offer is really all that special
and whether there isn't some value in finding one's own approach to
food that works rather than trying to fit into someone else's scheme.
Anyway, here's the view of food and dieting that I've developed over the
past few months:

I think there are three broad categories of "dieting."  Category A is
simply learning to stop overeating behaviors that are clearly "wrong."
An example of this would be eating a entire pizza or bag of cookies.
Category B dieting is reduction of calories substantially below one's
metabolic requirements to induce the body to use its stores of fat
for energy.  Category C dieting is modifying the mixture of foods one
eats to reduce fats, increase fiber, etc., without necessarily
adopting a daily caloric intake below metabolic requirements.

In my opinion, most people should simply adopt category C "dieting"
and not worry about specific reduction in calories.  I think it's
possible that people who use category B dieting and then never move
to category C dieting are doomed to ultimate failure.

Someone who is abusing food needs to focus on Category A dieting
before moving to the other phases.  It isn't really realistic to
expect someone to shift abruptly from eating quarts of Ben and
Jerry's to munching on pita bread.  One step at a time.

Someone who has a substantial amount of weight to lose perhaps
does not have the luxury of using Category C methods but should
gradually move from B to C as he or she approaches a goal weight.

In my case, I started with A and never really planned to go to B
or C or anything of the sort.  Back in June I decided that whatever
else I did or didn't do that I had to simply STOP the nonsense.
After a few weeks of that I began to feel that I could diet
successfully.  But without going through that "A" phase I don't
think I would have made it to B.  So now I'm in "B" and hope to
move to "C" sometime in 1993.

I guess my point in presenting my view of the different kinds of
diets is to suggest that each individual has to figure out which
is the right approach for them based upon their situation.  Most
of the programs seem like type "B" diets to me and I guess my
view is that only people who need to lose a lot of weight should
be dieting in that way.  Most others should be in "C."

I don't think exercise is all that important for someone trying
to succeed in Category "A" dieting except perhaps for motivational
reasons.  Someone in category "B" may be adopting certain
exercise patterns specifically to lose weight while "C" dieters
are trying to adopt exercise habits that will last a lifetime.

All this, of course, is nothing more than the musings of someone
does not claim to have the answers about dieting.  But I've found
that what I call an "adaptive" approach to dieting has enabled
me to begin to make progress for the first time in years.  In the
past I never had the luxury of "adapting" my diet:  I had made
a plan and I had to stick to it or else it was a FAILURE.  There
is only one thing that I would consider a failure and that is
a return to extreme overeating behaviors.  And IF that happens
I simply go back to "A" until I get under control and then resume.
-- 
John Lundberg  
jsl@unix.cis.pitt.edu 
Newsgroups: alt.support.diet