There’s a lot of talk in the Diet World about Ophra’s purchase of WeightWatcher’s stock which caused the value of the stock to soar, to the extent that she doubled her $40 million investment in one day. 

She is now acting as a spokesman in WW advertisements, and the 2016 catch phrase is “Beyond the Scale.”  Allegedly the focus is now “Healthy” eating …although the diet program is … and has always has been… WEIGHT WATCHERS.

As someone with years of participation in that diet program,… between 1972 and 1992 I joined and involved myself as a WW member more than 15 times,….. I am greatly amused by this recent development, and the fact that otherwise intelligent people will no doubt buy into this latest Shell Game.  

My own position is:
Every diet works for someone, but no diet works for everyone.
 
Decades of records show that only a very tiny percentage of WW members have ever achieved long-term weight-loss. (Long-term is 5 years or more.)

This current plan is clearly an attempt to refocus members toward the belief that it’s okay to continue shelling out the big bucks for an unsuccessful diet program because…  “Well, I’m still fat (or fat again), …but NOW I’m healthy.”

As part of my dieting hobby, after a bit of online research, I made a brief visit to the local WW store and bought a few books about the 2016 program. After that review, I was unimpressed, but even more amused when I understood that their “new” point system contains limitations which, if followed correctly, will serve to ban all but the tiniest amounts of sweet, fatty foods.  WW’s new system also penalizes saturated fats despite the tons of current scientific research on that matter.

Originally WW used an extremely restrictive Food Exchange Plan in order to guarantee that memers ate a "healthy" diet while losing weight.  See the detailed 1972 food rules posted below. Over the years the Food Plan evolved into a more flexible Exchange System.

By 1997 WW had changed it's Food Exchange System to a "Point" system, which was highly advertised as a change that was designed to allow a great deal of personal choice in the selections of one's daily foods.

WW’s previous point systems have treated all types of food in a similar manner, assigning about 40 calories as 1 point, however their 2016 new points+ system limits choices of foods such as sweets and saturated fats by assigning them a far higher point number than the points of “healthier” foods which have the same calories. 

Almost all fruits and vegetables are still “free” foods with zero points, (as they were in the most recent past points system). One can eat however much one wants of them every day (as long as they aren’t juiced or dried etc.). 

Upon review, It appears to me that women following the “healthy” recommendations would probably be eating between 1200-1800+ calories daily.  Since my own total daily calorie burn is around 1000 (see my past status reports here at DietHobby), for me…. following the current WW plan would turn into a personal weight-maintenance disaster.

Some of you might be interested in specifics of the original plan WW had when I first joined as a member back in the early 70s.  Instead of Counting Calories or Counting Points, one had to strictly follow a Recommended Food Exchange List.  At THAT time the focus was also on HEALTH as well as WEIGHT LOSS.


The Way It Was...
1972 Weight Watchers Program

THE BASIC PROGRAM
Please follow the Program as given. Eat only the foods listed in your Menu Plan, in the quantities and weights specified and at the meals named. Never skip a meal. Foods may be combined in varied ways, as described in our recipes, but remember to count all ingredients. Keeping a daily food record as outlined later in this book will help you do this.

1.  DIETETIC PRODUCTS  For the most part, dietetic products are not permitted. The exceptions are the artificial sweeteners, carbonated beverages and imitation and/or diet margarines.

2.  USE AS DESIRED  A number of condiments and seasonings, such as herbs, spices, certain prepared sauces, and beverages, may be used as desired. See p. 235 for a complete list. Note that the products listed under #2A are unlimited; those listed under 2B are limited.

3.  VEGETABLES (UNLIMITED AND MODERATE AMOUNTS)  The 3A vegetables are unlimited - nibble on these whenever you're hungry. The 3B vegetables are to be eaten in the amounts given on p. 243. All vegetables in groups 3 and 4 may be used fresh; canned; frozen (without sauce); or freeze-dried (measured or weighed after rehydration.

4.  VEGETABLES (LIMITED)  Select one vegetable or a combination of several (totaling 4 ounces daily) from the list on p. 286, at noon or evening meal. Vary your selection from day to day. A serving is 4 ounces, weighed after the vegetable is cooked and drained.

5.  FRUIT  See your Menu Plan for the amount of fruit you are allowed. Choose one fruit or juice daily at breakfast. Fruits are divided into 3 groups; see pp. 128-130 for lists and details.

6.  FISH, MEAT, POULTRY AND ALTERNATES  Your Menu Plan gives net cooked weight (fat, skin and bones trimmed away from fish, meat and poultry; cooking liquid drained from Alternates.) Do not use natural gravies from any item below except from Group A.

Fish: Must be used at least 5 times a week, counting only lunches and dinners. (Although fish is allowed at breakfast, you don't use enough to consider it a fish meal.) Just once a week, you may select from the special shellfish group and count it, if you wish, as one of your 5 must fish meals.

Meat, Poultry and Alternates: These are divided into Group B and Group C foods. Choose from Group B foods exactly 3 times a week - no more, no less - for lunch and dinner, as you wish. Group B is further divided into two parts, and you are not to choose from the second part more than once a week. Choose from Group C as desired (but allow for must meals).

7.  LIVER  You must eat liver at least once a week - if you have it more often, consider it in the Group C category. Liver from any meat or poultry that's permitted on program may be used: beef, chicken, calf, steer, lamb, pork, etc.

8.  BREAD  You may have bread at mealtime only, as listed on your Menu Plan. Use packaged, presliced, enriched white bread, 100% whole wheat bread, or enriched rolls. Each slice of bread and each roll should weigh one ounce.

9.  CEREAL  You may have one ounce (or cup measure equivalent) of ready to eat (not presweetened) or uncooked cereal with at least 1/2 cup skim milk.

10. CHOICE GROUP  Two or three times a week you may, by omitting one slice of bread from your menu, substitute one item from this group.

11. FATS  Daily, but at mealtime only, you must use one tablespoon of any one of the fats listed on p. 213 (or 2 tablespoons of imitation - diet - margarine). The fat may be used in a spread, salad dressing, or sauce; it may also be used in cooking.

12. EGGS AND CHEESE  

Eggs: Use 4 eggs a week for morning or noon meals only. Cook them in shell, poach or scramble without fat. See p. 73 for additional rules.

Cheese: Cheese and cheese products, while not required, add variety to your breakfasts and lunches. Select cottage cheese made with skim milk. Use no more than 4 ounces of hard cheese weekly.

13. MILK  See your Menu Plan for amounts of milk permitted; you may have skim milk, evaporated skimmed milk or buttermilk, as described on p. 196. Milks labeled "skimmed milk products" are not allowed on Program.

14. Do not eat or drink the following (except, of course, for "legal" recipes as given in this book):
Alcoholic beverages, beer, wine
.
Bacon or back fat (fat back)
.  Butter.
Cake, cookies, crackers, pies. 
Candy, chocolate
,
Catsup, chili sauce
. Coconut or coconut oil
. Corn
.
Cream, sweet or sour
. Cream cheese,
 Fried foods
,
Fruit-dried, canned in syrup or dietetic
.
Ice cream, ice milk, ices and sherbets
. Jams, jellies, or preserves.
Luncheon meats
, Muffins, biscuits. 

Non-dairy creamers or toppings
, Olives or olive oils. 

Pancakes, waffles
. Peanut butter
, Peanuts, other nuts
.
Pizza
, Popcorn, potato chips, pretzels
. Pork products
.
Puddings, custards, flavored gelatin desserts. 

Raw fish or meat
. Specialty breads.
 Salad dressings.

Sardines
, Smoked fish (except finnan haddie and salmon)
.
Soda pop, ades, punch, 
Soups,
 Sugar, 
Syrups.

FOOD RULES

BREAD

1.  Amounts: Woman (1 slice for breakfast, 1 for lunch)  -  Man (2 slices for breakfast, 2 for lunch)  -  Youth (1 slice for breakfast, 2 for lunch, 1 for dinner.

2.  Use packaged, pre-sliced, enriched white bread or 100% whole wheat bread. Slices should be 1/2" thick or about 1 ounce. No thin-sliced, dietetic or specialty bread. Use packaged, enriched white or 100% whole wheat rolls weighing about an ounce each.

3.  The bread must be eaten at mealtime only; never between meals.

4.  Exceptions: When you are having cereal for breakfast, you may either have your bread at breakfast, or transfer a slice to another meal. You may also omit one slice of bread from the menu for one of the Choice Group (but don't do this more than 2 or 3 times a week).

CEREAL One ounce (or the cup measure equivalent) of any ready-to-eat cereal or uncooked (not presweetened) cereal may be used if desired. Cereal must be eaten with at least 1/2 cup milk. If cereal is taken - it is allowed only at breakfast - your slice of bread may be taken at breakfast or another meal.

CHEESE
1. Amounts: Breakfast (1 ounce hard or 2 ounces farmer or 1/4 cup cottage or pot cheese)  -  Lunch (2 ounces hard or 4 ounces farmer or 2/3 cup cottage or pot cheese.

2. Do not use more than 4 ounces of hard (or semi-hard) cheese weekly.

3. Cheeses are "illegal" if they are soft enough to spread evenly and not hard enough to slice easily. Do not use cheese spreads.

4. Any hard or sliceable cheese and any soft cheese which does not spread smoothly are approved. Follow your Menu Plan. The following cheeses are permitted:

Hard or Semi-Hard: American cheese - mild to sharp; Bleu - sharp, spicy; Canadian slices; Cheddar - mild to sharp; Colby and Coon (type of cheddar) - mild to sharp; Edam - mild, nutlike; Farmer (colby type); Feta - slightly salty; Monterey Jack (Monterrey, or jack cheese) - mild; Mozzarella - mild; Muenster - mild to mellow; Parmesan - sharp, piquant; Port Du Salut (oka) - mellow to robust; Ricotta salata; Romano - sharp, salty; Roquefort - sharp and spicy; Stilton - piquant, spicy; Swiss - sweet, nutlike; Tilsit - mild to sharp.

Soft: Basket; Cottage (skim milk variety preferred); Farmer; Pot; Ricotta

CHOICE GROUP

Omit 1 slice of bread from the menu and select one item from this list 2-3 times weekly, if desired.

Beans (fresh) - lima, 1/2 cup cooked; red or white, 1/2 cup cooked; soybeans, 1/2 cup cooked; Cornmeal (1 ounce dry)
Cowpeas and/or black-eyed peas: 1/2 cup cooked; Hominy Grits (enriched): 3/4 cup cooked; Pasta (enriched): 1/2 cup cooked noodles (see note); 1/2 cup cooked pastina (see note); 2/3 cup cooked macaroni or spaghetti; Potato: 1 (about 3 ounces) baked or boiled; Rice (enriched), 1/2 cup cooked. Rice, brown: 1/2 cup cooked. Note: Green noodles and green pastina are permitted.

EGGS

1. Use 4 eggs a week, for breakfast or lunch only, never for dinner.

2. Eggs may be cooked in shell, or poached or scrambled without added fat. Do not eat raw eggs.

3. Egg whites and egg yolks may be prepared in separate recipes, provided that both white and yolk are consumed as part of the same meal.

FISH & SHELLFISH

1. Amounts: Woman, Man & Youth (2 ounces for breakfast; 4 ounces for lunch); Woman & Youth (6 ounces for dinner); Man (8 ounces for dinner) When buying fish, allow 2 ounces extra for shrinkage in cooking and 2 ounces more for bone, in addition to cooked weight.

2. You must eat a minimum of 5 weekly fish meals (for lunch or dinner), but use shellfish only once a week. You may have more fish meals if you wish - follow the Menu Plan.

3. Use fresh, frozen or canned fish (except if packed in olive oil). Drain off oil before using any allowed canned fish.

4. The only commercially smoked fish allowed are finnan haddie and smoked salmon. Raw fish is not allowed.

5. Fish may be boiled, poached, broiled, roasted, baked or browned in a non-stick skillet and the sauce or liquid left in the pan when fish is cooked may be consumed.

6. Fats (see p. 213) may be added by any of the following methods:
a) After fish has been cooked and served on your individual platter, you may add fat. b) After fish has been broiled, transfer it to an individual broiling pan, spread it with "legal" fat, and return it to the broiler for no longer than one minute. c) For luncheon, combine "legal" bread crumbs with fat, and spread on cooked fish in an individual pan, then put under broiler just long enough to melt fat (no more than one minute).

7. Approved fish (select 5 meals weekly from this list):
Abalone, Angel, Bass, Blackfish, Bluefish, Bonita, Bullhead, Buffalo, Butterfish, Carp, Catfish, Chicken haddie, Clams, Cod, Crappie, Cusk, Dolphin, Drum fish, Eel, Finnan haddie, Flounder, Frog's legs, Grouper, Haddock, Halibut, Leopard shark, Mackerel, Mullet, Octopus, Oysters, Perch, Pike, Pompano, Porgy, Porpoise, Red Snapper, Roe (from any fish in this group), Salmon, Scallops, Scrod, Sculpin, Scungilli, Scup, Shad, Shark, Smelts, Snook, Sole, Speering, Squid (cuttlefish), Sturgeon, Sucker, Sunfish, Swordfish, Tile fish, Trout, Tuna, Turbot, Weakfish, Whitefish, Whiting.

8. Choose only once a week, if desired. Crab, Crayfish, Lobster, Mussels, Shrimp

FRUIT
1. Amounts: Woman (3 fruits a day); Man and Youth (5 fruits a day)

2. One fruit must be taken at breakfast. Select 1 daily from List #1 and the others from List #1 or #2.

3. Use fresh, unsweetened frozen or unsweetened canned, packed in its own juice. Freeze dried may be used if equated to fresh fruit.

4. List #1:
Choose 1 fruit from this list daily.
Cantaloupe, 1/2 medium; Currants (fresh), 3/4 cup; Fruit juice: orange, grapefruit, orange and grapefruit, or tangerine, 1/2 cup (4 fl ounces); Grapefruit, 1/2 medium; Honeydew or similar melon, 2-inch wedge; Orange, 1 small; Orange sections with juice, 3/4 cup; Papaya (1/2" cubes), 3/4 cup; Strawberries, 1 cup; Tangelo, 1 small; Tangerine, 1 medium; Tomato juice or mixed vegetable juice, 1 cup (8 fl ounces); Ugli fruit, 1 medium. Note: If tomato juice is used in this way - it is in addition to your daily bonus of 12 ounces tomato juice.

5. List #2:
Choose daily from this list, if desired.
Apricots (12 per pound), 3 whole or 6 halves with 2 tbsp juice; Berries (blackberries, blueberries, loganberries or raspberries), 1/2 cup; Boysenberries, 2/3 cup; Caimito, 1 medium (available in Puerto Rico); Crab apple, 2; Cranberries, 1 cup; Gineps, 2; Guava, 1 medium; Jobo, 1 medium; Mandarin orange, 1 medium; Mandarin orange sections, 1/2 cup; Nectarine, 1 medium; Paw Paw, 1/4 medium; Peach, 1 medium or 2 halves or 1/2 cup slices with juice; Pineapple (canned in its own juice), 2 small slices (or 1 large) with 2 tbsp of juice or 1/2 cup crushed, chunks or diced, with juice; Pineapple (fresh), 1/4 medium; Plums (any type), 2 medium or 1 large; Rhubarb, 2 cups raw or 1 cup cooked; Sour sop, 1/3 cup; Sweet sop (or sugar-apple), 1/2 cup. You may choose from the following daily if desired: Woman (as 1 of your 3 fruits); Man (as 2 of your 5 fruits); Youth (as 3 of your 5 fruits) Apple, 1 medium; Pear, 1 medium

6. List #3: Once a week, if desired, you may substitute one of the following for one of your daily fruits. Do not choose the same fruit every week. Woman and Man (On the day you make this choice, do not include an apple or pear among your fruits); Youth (On the day you make this choice, do not include more than 2 apples or 2 pears among your fruits). Banana, 1 medium; Grapes (any type), 1 cup; Sapote (marmalade plum), 1/4 cup diced; Sweet or sour cherries, 1/2 cup pitted or 3/4 cup unpitted.

LIVER
1. Amounts (net cooked weight): Woman and Youth (4 ounces for lunch, 6 ounces for dinner); Man (4 ounces for lunch, 8 ounces for dinner)

2. Liver must be eaten at least once a week, either for lunch or dinner. It may be taken more often. If so, consider it as a Group C meat, which may be broiled, baked, roasted or pan broiled (without added fat). If liver amount is split, you may not count it as one of your required liver meals.

3. Liver from any meat or poultry that's allowed on Program may be used. This includes chicken and calf liver (the tenderest and most delicately flavored); lamb (not often available), steer and baby beef liver (usually tender and of good quality); and the more robust kinds of liver, which include mature beef, turkey, rabbit and venison livers. This last group of livers are frequently marinated for 30 minutes before they are cooked. Or they may be covered with boiling water, drained after a few minutes, dried and cooked as directed in the recipe.

MEAT, POULTRY AND ALTERNATES
Amounts (net cooked weight): Woman, Man and Youth (4 ounces for lunch or Alternates, 7 ounces; except soybeans, 6 ounces); Woman and Youth (6 ounces for dinner or Alternates, 10 ounces; except soybeans, 9 ounces); Man (8 ounces for dinner or Alternates, 14 ounces; except soybeans, 12 ounces).

Meat and Poultry   1. For each serving, allow 2 ounces for shrinkage in cooking and 2 ounces for bone, in addition to cooked weight. Fresh and frozen meats are permitted. The only smoked (or cured) meat allowed is ham. 2. Remove all visible fat before cooking. 3. Broil, bake or roast Group B Meat on a rack. Broil, bake, roast or pan broil Group C Meat. Meat marked with an Asterisk may be boiled. To do this, pierce first if necessary, then boil until cooked. Drain before serving.

Alternates,  Dried peas and beans, as listed, may be used. Cook them according to package directions. Drain, weigh and serve in the amounts indicated in your Menu Plan. Liquid drained from Alternates may be consumed. Group B (choose only 3 times a week): Beef, Gizzards; Kidney (beef, calf, lamb); Lamb

Choose only once a week, if desired: *Frankfurters (all beef); *Ham; *Heart; *Knockwurst (all beef); *Sweetbreads (beef, calf, lamb); Pork; Beans, dried lima, red or white; Lentils, dried; Peas, dried, black-eyed or cowpeas, chick or garbanzos, split. *Can be boiled, pierce first if necessary, drain.

Group C (choose as desired): Antelope; Buffalo; Capon; Caribou; Chicken; Cornish hen; Elk; Goat meat; Guinea hen; Moose; Pheasant; Pigeon; Quail; Rabbit; Soybeans, dried; Squab; Tripe; Turkey; Veal; Venison.

MILK
1. Amounts: Woman and Man (16 fl ounces skim milk, or 12 fl ounces buttermilk, or 8 fl ounces evaporated skimmed milk); Youth (1 quart skim milk, or 24 fl ounces buttermilk, or 16 fl ounces evaporated skim milk).

2. The skim milk we allow is the instant non-fat dry milk, reconstitute according to label directions; or skim milk labeled either "skimmed milk" or "modified" or "fortified skim milk" with no whole milk solids added. Do not use milk labeled "a skimmed milk product" or "99% ft free."

3. Your daily allowance of evaporated skimmed milk may be diluted with an equal amount of water to make a total of 16 ounces skim milk.

4. The buttermilk may be made from either whole or combination of skim milk and whole milk; Bulgarian buttermilk is not permitted.

5. You may use your milk at any time, at meal times, as snacks, at bedtime, in coffee or tea, or in our popular milk shakes and whipped toppings, but you must consume the amount allotted to you in your menu plan.

6. Mix-and-match your milk if you like. For example, a woman may use 1 cup (8 fl ounces) skim milk and 1/2 cup (4 fl ounces) evaporated skim milk to complete daily requirement.

7. Instant non-fat dry milk reconstitutes to the ratio of 1:3; therefore, if you stir 2 tsp dry milk into your coffee, you must count 6 tsp (1 fl ounce) skim milk.

FATS
1. Fats in the amounts included in your Menu Plan must be taken daily (at mealtime only):

...1 tbsp (3 tsp) mayonnaise; or 1 tbsp (3 tsp) vegetable oil; or oils such as corn, cottonseed, safflower, sesame seed, soybean, peanut and sunflower; or 1 tbsp (3 tsp) liquid vegetable oil margarine or 2 tbsp (6 tsp) liquid vegetable oil imitation (or diet) margarine.

2. Fats may be mixed-and-matched; e.g., you may have 1 tsp margarine and 2 tbsp mayonnaise daily.

3. Any product labeled "mayonnaise" and any oil labeled "vegetable oil" may be used.

4. Two types of margarine may be used. Molded margarines in stick form or by the pound may be used only if the first word on the label ingredient list is "liquid" followed by the name(s) of the vegetable oil(s) used. The second type of margarine which may be used includes those labeled "imitation and/or diet" margarine. These are usually sold in containers.

5. Fat must always be spread with a spatula or knife (not brushed on) so that none will be lost.

USE AS DESIRED

1. Dietetic Products: Two are permitted, in reasonably unlimited amounts: Any artificially sweetened carbonated beverage not to exceed 15 calories per day. If a 12-ounce container of beverage has only 3 calories, you may consume 5 containers in one day. If a 16-ounce bottle contains 8 1/2 calories, you may drink 28 ounces per day. Any dietetic beverage that contains 3 calories per fl ounce must be limited to approximately 5 ounces.  

Artificial sweeteners: There's no limit on the amount allowed (until you reach the Leveling Plan). However, many of the revised formulas for sugar substitutes have changed in caloric content. Check labels: If the packet (equivalent to 2 tbsp or more of sugar) lists up to 4 calories, consider it "legal."

2A. Unlimited - Use as desired the following: Browning sauce (liquid); Clam juice; Club soda; Coffee; Dehydrated vegetable flakes (as seasonings), e.g. celery, chives, onion parsley, not dehydrated vegetable flakes containing carrots or potatoes; Herbs, spices and other seasonings (e.g. shake-on type) for flavor. Shake-on seasonings in which either sugar or starch is listed as first ingredient are not permitted; Horseradish (red or white); Lemon and lime juice, fresh or reconstituted (for flavoring only); Mustard, prepared or dry; Pepper sauce; Postum (limited to 2 cups daily); Red hot sauce; Salt, pepper; Seaweed (agar agar, dulse, kelp, etc.); Soy sauce; Tea (mint, Gossip, rose hip, sassafras, unsweetened instant teas, and usual tea leaves); Vinegar (all vinegars are "legal": Cider vinegar, made from apples, wine vinegar from grapes, malt vinegar from grain, etc.); Water, Worcestershire.

2B. Limited Items - Bouillon cubes, instant broth and seasoning mixes: Not more than 3 per day; Extract and flavors (natural or with added imitation flavor): Use 2 tsp per day. Please note that we use the term "flavor extract" throughout the book to signify products labeled either "flavor" or "extract."; Unflavored gelatin: Up to 3 envelopes (3 tbsp) per day. Kosher unflavored gelatin is permitted; Tomato Juice or Mixed Vegetable Juice: You may use up to 1 1/2 cups (12 fl ounces) daily, if desired. In cooking, 3/4 cup tomato puree or 1/3 cup tomato paste may be used in place of 1 1/2 cups tomato juice reduced to half its volume.

#3 VEGETABLES
1. Use vegetables raw or cooked; fresh frozen (without sauce), or canned, either at meals or between meals (but always have at least one #3 vegetable at lunch).

2. You may eat all you want from Group A. Eat up to 4 cups raw or 2 cups cooked from Group B.
Note that cucumbers, peppers, pickles and tomatoes are counted rather than measured. The number listed (e.g. 2 medium cucumbers) counts as the total daily requirement of #3B vegetables. However, you may mix and match; for example, on the day you use 1 medium tomato, you may also have up to 1 cup cooked or 2 cups raw #3B vegetables.

*3. Please note asterisks designating dark green, deep yellow and red vegetables. You must select from these marked vegetables at least 2-3 times weekly. Vary your selection from day to day.

3A. Unlimited: Capers; Celery; Chicory; Chilies (peppers); Chives; Escarole; Gherkins; Lettuce; Nasturtium leaves; Parsley; *Pimentos; Radishes (Daikon); Romaine; Truffles; Watercress (Peppergrass).

3B. Moderate Amounts: Anise; Asparagus; *Bean sprouts; *Beans, green; Beans, wax; *Beet greens; *Broccoli; Cabbage, red or white; Cabbage, swamp; Cauliflower; Chard (Swiss); Chinese cabbage (Bok Choy); Chinese pea pods (Snow Peas or Chinese peas); Chinese winter melon (Tonqua); Collard Greens; Cucumbers, 2 medium; *Dandelion greens; Eggplant; Endive (including Belgian); Fennel; Fiddlefern (Fiddlehead greens); Finocchio; Grape leaves; *Kale; Kohlrabi; Mushrooms; *Mustard greens; *Peppers (green and red), 2 medium; Pickles (dill, sour), 2 medium; Poke salad greens; Sauerkraut; Sour grass; *Spinach; Squash (summer); Casserta; Chayote; Cocozelle; Cymling; Pattypan; Scalloped; Spaghetti; Straight or Crookneck; Vegetable Marrow; Zucchini; Tomatoes, cherry (1 1/2" in diameter), approximately 10-12; *Tomatoes (green or ripe), 2 medium; Turnip greens.

#4 VEGETABLES

1. You must eat 4 ounces (drained raw or cooked weight) per day, or a combination totaling that amount (for example, 1 ounce each of 4 different kinds). The #4 vegetables may be eaten only at the noon or evening meal.

2. Please note asterisks designating dark green, deep yellow and red vegetables. You must select from these marked vegetables at least 2-3 times weekly. Vary your selection of #4 vegetables from day to day.

3. These may be bought fresh, canned or frozen (except for those frozen with butter or other sauces); they may be eaten raw or cooked.

4. Drain your vegetable before you weigh it, but not down the drain. You may consume the liquid as is, or use it to replace water in making soups from bouillon cubes, etc.

5. The following vegetables belong to this #4 group:
Artichoke hearts; Bamboo shoots; Beets; Burdock; *Brussels sprouts; *Carrots; Celeriac (celery roots); Jicima; Leeks; Okra; Onions; Oyster plant (Salsify); Parsnips; *Peas; *Pumpkin; Rutabagas; Scallions; *Squash (winter) - Acorn, Banana, Butternut, Calabaza, Des Moines, Gold Nugget, Hubbard, Peppercorn, Table Queen or Danish Turban, Turks Turban; Turnips.

               From "Weight Watchers Program Cookbook" by Jean Nidetch
               © Weight Watchers International, Inc., owner of the registered trademark.

 Originally posted on December 30, 2015, updated for new viewers June 26, 2016

See Video Below

 "This Made Me Laugh."

See Video Below

I feel certain that EVERY diet works for somebody, but NO diet works for everybody;  and, that NO “Way-of-Eating”, “Diet”, “Non-Diet” or “LifeStyle” will provide MAGICAL CHANGE.

Here in Maintenance, my own diet/lifestyle is to experiment with a variety of different ways-of-eating-or-not-eating to see what works best for me personally… meaning, eating-or-not-eating in a way that I can enjoy my life, ….or at the very least, will allow me to tolerate my life …. while keeping my weight within a BMI range of “normal”.

I sometimes experiment with Low Carb, Paleo, or Ketogenic Diets, (as well as many others), but, up to this current date, I’ve not yet found any one of them to be an ongoing, sustainable way-of-eating for me personally.   However, while no diet is "magic", every diet seems to work some of the time, for some people.

The author of the article below is a Calories-In/Calories-Out, Fitness guy, an anti-low-carb, big-time-advocate of: Exercise/Physical Activity, while eating a Moderate, “Balanced Diet” of "Primarily Whole Foods".  Up through this present date, I’ve found counting calories with minimal exercise to be the most sustainable way for me to personally deal with losing weight and maintaining weight-loss, and I haven’t found James Fell’s specific diet and exercise recommendations to be workable for ME.

The article below says some interesting things about Dieting as a Religion, in an amusing way.  Although the author frames this issue from an anti-Low-Carb point of view, there are many things about the author's  own "way-of-thinking, or personal truths"  that I disagree with.  One thing that I’ve consistently observed is that Diet Zealotry is NOT limited to any one specific type of diet, but, instead, seems to exist within EVERY type of “Diet, Non-Diet, Way-of-Eating, or Lifestyle Change”.

LOW CARB & PALEO DIETING ZEALOTRY
                               by James Fell  @ Bodyforwife.com

Some believe Dr. Atkins was the greatest thing since sliced bacon. I am not one such idolizer.

Perhaps Gary Taubes will issue a fatwa, proclaiming me an infidel and demanding I be publicly pulverized with frozen steaks for daring to question the validity of the Lord Atkins bestowed prophecy.

Or maybe I’ll just get some hate mail.

Some low carbers love to defend their faith, and there are many interesting parallels between low carb and paleo dieting and religious zealotry, but first I wish to provide a brief explanation about my opinions on religion.

I am friends with and related to some devout religious people. In my experience, people of faith are often the kindest, most giving and decent folk I’ve met. I think much of the negative stereotypes seen in the media – the kind that get viewers and clicks – shows the warped minority that in no way represent the majority of believers of a variety of world religions. You know, good folk I’d be happy to hang out with.

Sure, there are the, “You’re going to burn in hell,” kind of religious people, but I’m convinced they’re far less common than the, “Here, take half my sandwich,” type. Likewise, I suspect that the majority of people who follow low carbohydrate diets are polite and decent. Unfortunately, like with religion, it’s the loud mouth asshole minority we hear the most from. I’m not trying to create a straw man argument here. This article is about comparing a vocal minority to a vocal minority.

For any decent religious folk I offend with this post, I’ll happily make you a yummy sandwich in atonement. And yes, it will contain bread.

 
Humans are Hardwired to Believe

Before getting into paleo dieting, let’s first look at Stone Age behaviors from a different perspective: trying to make sense of the world.

Troglodytes were too ill informed to understand what stars, the moon or lightning is, so they made stuff up in order to cope with the unknown. We evolved to seek some kind of otherworldly protection from strange and fearful things. It has also been suggested that there are important collective benefits to shared spirituality, and so it has been naturally selected for over the millennia.

We seek answers to that which we do not understand, and many people don’t understand why they can’t lose weight so they constantly grasp at straws from the variety of bullshittery available in the weight loss field. They are programmed to believe.

In 2011 the FTC launched yet another survey of consumer fraud in the U.S. and once again weight loss scams were found to be the number one form of fraud people fall victim to. It’s not all “bank inspectors” and pyramid schemes; fraudsters scammed millions of Americans wanting to lose weight by selling pills, powders, machines, wraps, creams and even “weight-loss earrings.”

Are people who believe such things stupid? 
Not necessarily.

In his 1997 book Why People Believe Weird Things, Skeptics Society founder Michael Shermer asserted “smart people” could be more susceptible to outrageous claims than others, “because they are skilled at defending beliefs they arrived at for non-smart reasons.” These non-smart reasons can include peer pressure, sibling and parental influences, life experiences, cultural pressure and even genetic predispositions. Shermer further explained: “More than any other, the reason people believe weird things is because they want to. It feels good. It is comforting. It is consoling.”

I had a chat with Shermer to get specific details.

“Weight loss is so susceptible for fraud because it’s so hard to do and the signs of progress are so slow,” Shermer told me. “The reward is not enough for most people. Anything that appeals to shortening the process is going to sell.”

The publishing industry sure knows this. I had a weight loss book published by Random House last year. While shopping it around, my agent received the following rejection letter from a major publishing house:

"There’s so much I really like here, David. James has a brash and audacious voice, and a sensible and straightforward message. His column in the LA Times is great, and I like the way he approaches the material … But my main concern, I hate to admit, is the sensible, measured nature of his program. Despite his flashy prose, he actually writes like the informed journalist that he is … sane, levelheaded, with proven advice. And while that’s great journalism, I worry that it’s not as salable of a diet plan."

And people wonder why they can’t lose weight. Scams are what sell.

Now I’m not saying low carb dieting is anywhere near the level of fraud as selling a flat belly in earring or cream form, but am simply providing some perspective on how gullible people can be when it comes to falling for weight loss fraud. And there is often a scammy component to low carb, at least when proponents proclaim that weight loss is something other than creating a consistent caloric deficit.

See, there are many low carb proselytizers who would deny …

 
The Law of Weight Loss

It’s quite simple. If you have a caloric deficit, you lose weight. If caloric balance is positive, you gain weight. Energy balance is a direct representation of the first law of thermodynamics, the one that says energy can neither be created nor destroyed.

We’re not talking about a hypothesis here, or even a theory, but a physical LAW OF THE UNIVERSE. Ever hear of the law of gravity? A law is something scientists are so damn sure of there is no disputing it. You can’t deny the first law of thermodynamics any more than you can deny the fact that if you jump out of a high-flying airplane without a parachute, gravity will not be your friend. (Note to fans of The Secret: the “Law of Attraction” is not a real scientific law.)

And yes, I do know there are bestselling low-carb authors who question this law. They present themselves as “controversial.” They assert that years of accepted science is wrong. Let me ask you a question: The next time you get into an airplane, would you rather it was designed, built and tested in a scientifically proven manner, or a controversial one?

I thought so.

Excess fat can’t be blamed on insulin, carbohydrates or the Loch Ness Monster. Gaining body fat comes from taking in more calories than you burn. Anyone who can prove otherwise will surely win a Nobel Prize in physics for disproving the first law of thermodynamics. I am unaware of that particular Nobel having been awarded.

Back on planet Earth, the link between weight loss and calories has been proven myriad times.

Rudolph Leibel et al. conducted a carefully controlled study in 1992, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and asserted: “Variations in fat intake from 0% to 70% of total energy under conditions of equal energy intake produced no significant changes in body weight over periods of observation averaging 33 days.” In language that we can all understand: Leibel’s study put participants on balanced energy diets: they controlled to ensure that the participants took in the same number of calories that they burned over a 33-day period. The participants got a varied range of overall fat content, from 0 percent to 70 percent, but everyone’s weight stayed the same, once again proving the first law of thermodynamics.

Why did the participants’ weight stay the same? Because they were on maintenance-level calories. It does not matter what percentage of protein, carbohydrates or fat you consume in the grander scheme of weight loss and gain. It is all the simple formula of calories in minus calories out. Golay and Bobbioni, in their 1997 article “The Role of Dietary Fat in Obesity,” agree: “… fat is almost exclusively used or stored in response to day-to-day fluctuations in energy balance.”

In 2004 Buchholz and Schoeller looked at the published data to answer the question “Is a calorie a calorie?” The results were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They conducted a thorough metabolic analysis of the effects of diets that varied in fat, protein and carbohydrates and came to assert, “We conclude that a calorie is a calorie. From a purely thermodynamic point of view, this is clear because the human body or, indeed, any living organism cannot create or destroy energy but can only convert energy from one form to another.”

Beyond this, there is so much research that proves the whole calories in vs. calories out rule that any arguments claiming that weight loss is something other than an energy balance issue are as real as professional wrestling. What’s more, in my job as a syndicated fitness columnist I’ve interviewed a number of the world’s top obesity researchers, and for every one it’s a “Well, duh!” that weight loss is calories in versus calories out, regardless of the type of calories.

If you eat 2,000 calories of chicken wings and butter-fried pork rinds a day, yet burn 2,500 calories a day, you will lose weight. You will also be one unhealthy bugger.

If you eat 3,000 calories of spinach, kale and egg whites a day, yet burn 2,500 calories a day, you will gain weight. Harsh, but true.

Is this sinking in? Although it didn’t qualify as an official study, Mark Haub’s experiment bears consideration. Haub is a nutrition professor at Kansas State University, although you may know him better as “Twinkie Guy.” In 2010, Twinkie Guy proved he could lose weight living mostly on Twinkies, Doritos, Oreos and other treats just by consuming fewer calories than he burned. He lost 27 pounds in two months, though I imagine that due to the low satiety factor and high reward value of the food, he must have felt he was starving the entire time. He didn’t do the experiment to endorse a junk food weight loss program but to prove a point: calories are all that matter to weight loss.

So how do people have the audacity to still question the first law of thermodynamics? The same reason people seek to dismiss evolution as “just a theory” and promote an alternative “scientific” explanation. Which brings us to …

 
Low Carb Dogma as Intelligent Design

Okay, you’ve got your weight loss claims like those frequently made by the likes of Jorge Cruise who asserts you can lose up to 14 pounds in 14 days with his “belly fat cure,” and Jillian Michaels saying you can lose up to 5 pounds a week doing yoga.

Almost a pound a day of weight loss from yoga? Right.

Such proclamations are in the realm of creationism, being about as likely as the earth having appeared six-thousand years ago, when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden because God got sick of cleaning up all the mess left behind from their pet tyrannosaurus.

The reality is that the only people who can lose a pound a day weigh almost as much as a Smart Car. For someone who is say, 40 or 50 pounds overweight, in order to lose a pound of fat a day they’d need to drastically restrict calories and run an entire marathon every day. That’s neither realistic nor advisable.

But what about the guys like Gary Taubes, who make seemingly plausible claims and science up their declarations with cherry-picked research?

Intelligent design proponents assert there is an “evidence-based scientific theory about life’s origins.” They do indeed assert that intelligent design meets the qualifications to be called a theory. The Union of Concerned Scientists has a problem with that, asserting that ID doesn’t meet a number of criteria to qualify as a theory, including that it “cannot be tested by observation and experimentation in the natural world, and the existence of an ‘intelligent’ agent in the origin of life can not be tested nor is it falsifiable.”

At least low-carbers got one thing right by referring to their alternative to the first law of thermodynamics as the “insulin hypothesis” and not a theory. Championed by Taubes, it proclaims that carbohydrate ingestion causes a spike in insulin, which in turn causes fat storage to be increased in fat cells, and this is why people are obese, not because of excess calorie consumption.

And the amount of cherry picking and misrepresentation of science is rife in both camps. The theory of evolution has been supported with repeated testing and is accepted as a valid explanation in scientific circles. Intelligent design has not and is not. The first law of thermodynamics, represented as calories in vs. calories out in terms of weight loss, as already mentioned, is indisputable. The insulin hypothesis is not only disputable, it is just plain wrong.

And yet, the faithful are unswerving in their belief.

 
The Apocalypse is Nigh

Some people believed the world was going to end on December 21st 2012. One of my sister’s friends (and said friend’s boyfriend, who I happen to know is a first-rate tool, but that’s not relevant) spent a small fortune traveling around prior to the Mayan apocalypse date to “say goodbye” to all their friends because they were certain there would be no December 22, 2012. In related news, these two people are fans of the quacktacular website NaturalNews.com.

And there are plenty of other fringe religious groups talking about the upcoming rapture, like, it’s gonna happen this weekend. I mentioned one such rapture in an LA Times column because I was nearing the end of some hard race training, and the proposed end of the world was right before my race. I would have been pissed if all that training was for naught.

Sure, we can scoff at such silliness, but people are far more likely to believe apocalyptic proclamations about what you eat. Wheat Belly was a bestseller, and I have no doubt the recently published Grain Brain will hit the New York Times list of bestsellers as well because the author spouts inflammatory nonsense to garner attention, like “Gluten is this generation’s tobacco.” Really, Dr. Perlmutter? How many deaths can you prove are caused by gluten each year? Only 1% of the population is celiac, and yet, according to the World Health Organization, tobacco kills 50% of regular users. And don’t forget how Dr. Lustig has made a career out of demonizing sugar – the stuff is toxic, don’t ya know?

Demonizing food groups is a major tenet of low carb. Eating bread is sin.

Blogger Melissa McEwan wrote an excellent piece of satire to prove how easily people could be duped into believing outlandish nutritional claims using cherry-picked research. Entitled, “Just Kale Me: How your Kale habit is slowly destroying your health and the world,” the author had many people buying into her hypothesis before she felt guilty and posted an update telling everyone that it was all a joke made to prove a point.

And what was that point? That the statement erroneously attributed to P.T. Barnum was nonetheless correct: “There’s a sucker born every minute.”

 
Selling Tickets to Heaven

Gary Taubes is well known for stating that exercise is useless as a tool for weight loss, erroneously claiming that exercise works up an appetite and stalls weight loss. On the other side of the issue, I’ve made my career out of extolling exercise as an absolutely critical component for sustainable weight loss because of it’s power to transform you into a better eater, not to mention all the other health and physique improving benefits it imparts.

Read those two articles and decide whom you believe.

Unfortunately, people would rather have just a diet prescription to lose weight than a diet and exercise prescription. That’s why the majority of weight loss books are just about diet, with most either only paying lip service to physical activity, or ignoring its role in healthy weight loss completely. For proof, visit your local bookstore.

It’s a sad truth that the majority of people hate to exercise. Only 23% of Americans engage in minimal exercise, and when people hear there is some kind of metabolic miracle by ingesting a mythical macronutrient ratio, it’s like a ticket to weight-loss-while-being-a-couch-potato heaven akin to atoning for your sins via a confession, a conversion, a donation, or some Hail Mary’s.

 
Faith Healing as Proof it Works

When people go on low carbohydrate diets they remove things such as doughnuts, muffins, highly processed cereals, sugary treats and other processed crap that is high in calories, low in satiety, and super tasty so as to promote over-consumption.

And so, often, they lose weight. It’s a miracle!

This isn’t some type of metabolic advantage from low-carbohydrate dieting, nor is it proof of the insulin hypothesis. The carbohydrate restriction creates a de facto restriction of many problematic junk foods (while often also removing good, unrefined carbohydrates), and so, calories are reduced and weight is lost.

This isn’t that different from those who believe their medical condition was cured via prayer. They prayed, they got better, and therefore it must have been the prayer that did the job. Just like some low-carbers think it was cutting carbs that lead to weight loss instead of simple caloric restriction, some faithful think it was prayer that healed them instead of a physician using science-based medicine.

The one thing I wonder is, if prayer does heal people all the time, why won’t it re-grow limbs on amputees?

But just like Jehovah Witnesses have died by refusing blood transfusions while being told to prayer harder, there are those who are being made sick by paleo who are told to “Grok harder.”

It’s a clear case of inflexibility of dogma. You dare not question that which is known. Instead, spread the glorious word, and create a support group for your beliefs. Speaking of which …

 
Evangelizing, the Blog as Church, and Defending the Faith

Low-carbers love winning over converts. It means more page views for their blogs, more books sold, higher sales of package foods with the Atkins symbol on them, and high prices on gluten-free cardboard food.

There is something called the International Paleo Movement Group, and Jimmy Moore does regular love-ins with his favorite low carb heroes on his blog. I can find tons of low carb groups of Facebook, but for some reason can’t find a single “high carb” one. There is much love to go around in the low-carb community, as long as you are one of the chosen people. It’s a great support structure for those seeking the nutritionally like-minded.

And like religion, there is also infighting amongst various denominations and sects, where “My god is better than your god” becomes “My Grok is better than your Grok.” There are apostates as well, who are shunned for leaving the fold.

And the missionaries go out into the world to spread the word. I remember one person who went by the handle “jhklat” who, every time I mentioned the word “calories” in an LA Times article, went on a rant about how it wasn’t calories, but carbs, and that we should all read the New Dietary Testament known as Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.

Low carb fanatic Fred Hahn seems pretty determined to evangelize as well, generating much fun on Dr. Spencer Nadolsky’s Facebook page, and the butt-hurted holy warriors came out in force to crusade against respected nutrition expert Alan Aragon in the comments of his interview criticizing paleo diets, like he was an invading heathen who had taken Jerusalem.

 
Ketogenic Diets = Snake Handling
Potentially dangerous, and I just don’t see the point.
 

The Perils of Dating Outside Your Dietary Religion

Many try to find a mate with their own religious beliefs, hence the existence of sites like JDate and Christian Mingle. Apparently, paleo eaters have their own dietary preferences for whom they will become romantically involved with, and there are rules to follow on how to date a paleo. Even though that article says you shouldn’t feel pressured to convert, they’d probably still like you to convert.

And that’s not the only article about advice on how to date a low-carber. There are also some on Match.com. And many people express their love of low carb on their dating profiles, so it’s a field you can select for.

Because in relationships, you only have to deal with the issue of what happens on holy days about once a week, but meals happen with much higher frequency. If you’re not in alignment, it can be a source of conflict.

Can you imagine the discussion between a paleo and a vegan on how they will raise their children?

 
Follow the Money

If aliens showed up with indisputable scientific evidence that there is no god, would churches suddenly close their doors and say, “Whoa. Guess we all need to find new jobs now.”

No, they’d dig deeper not just because of their faith, but because money and jobs are at stake. A few years ago a post at 180 Degree Health explained why Jimmy Moore continued to dig deeper into low carb even though it appeared to be harming his health and not allowing him to sustain his weight loss, saying, “His (Jimmy’s) websites, business, and life are all dedicated to eating a low-carb diet. How does he escape? What else can he do but perpetually eat fewer and fewer carbohydrates …”

In both religion and low carb, there is a lot of money at stake. Atkins Nutritionals, the rapid growth of gluten-free products, paleo products … changing dietary dogma means a massive loss of income, and people like to keep the money rolling in. They depend on it. And so, they are resistant to the idea that their dietary choices might be wrong.

 
My Beef with Too Much Beef

Don’t get me wrong, I love cow. And pig. And lamb. And chicken. And a host of other tasty critters that walk the earth, fly the sky, or swim the seas.

But I limit meat in favor of lots of unrefined carbohydrates. I do this because I exercise. I don’t just exercise, I quest for enhanced physical performance. Low carb sucks for that.

I know low carb works for some people, primarily the obese who are either sedentary or minimally active.

“There is not a lot of extra room for carbs when training volume is low,” Alan Aragon told me. “When you’re cutting calories for weight loss, carbs are going to have to bear the brunt of the restriction because you can’t cut too far into protein or fat or you’ll lose muscle and inhibit certain hormone functions.” But note that he said, “When training volume is low.” Aragon states that low carb is not a good choice for a physically active person.

I don’t think anyone’s training volume should be low.

I’m an evangelizer too. I preach the gospel of an active lifestyle, and for that, you need carbs. There is a pile of evidence which shows higher carbohydrate intake being preferable for those who embrace the exercise lifestyle.  Anecdotally, I’ve interviewed numerous Olympic champions and professional athletes, and without exception they extolled the virtues of high carbohydrate intake to fuel their athletic endeavors.

The National Weight Control Registry in the United States tracks several thousand people who have successfully maintained weight loss. The average amount lost is 66 pounds, and these people have kept it off for an average of 5.5 years. Eighty-nine percent of these successful losers use a combination of diet and exercise.

And there is much additional evidence to show that people who exercise regularly in conjunction with dietary changes have more success with sustaining fat loss than those who use diet alone, not to mention that exercise ensures it’s fat being lost and not fat-free mass. So it just makes sense to fuel appropriately.

Yes, I am an evangelizer; I encourage you to move your ass. At what, I don’t care, although I discourage exercises that have a high risk of injury. Find your fitness Zen and endeavor to get good at it.

Choose whose advice you want to follow. While not scientific proof of a lack of efficacy, many of the leaders in the low-carb camp don’t exactly have impressive physiques. Dr. Michael Eades admitted to needing to wear a girdle before he could appear on TV. And excuse me for being silly, but I’ll stack my midsection up against that of Dr. Wheat Belly any day.

Low-carb can work okay for people on low or no exercise, but you can aspire to better than that. You can aspire to not just losing weight but to being physically fit. Low-carb diets don’t fuel exercise performance, so it’s a half-assed way to lose weight.  My way is better, so choose my way. Choose full-assed.

 
Conclusion

This is the conclusion, and some of you have likely concluded that I am an atheist. I am not. I am open-minded on the subject, and if God chooses to speak to me, I shall listen. If you must fix a label to my spiritual beliefs, put me down as “Undecided,” although Pastafarian does seem to fit nicely with my choice of diet.

Some atheists are vocal assholes. I could name names. Some people who are anti low-carb are equal in their assholery, and just as fundamentalist in their beliefs. I could name some of those names as well. But certainly not any vegans. Vegans never proselytize or guilt-trip anyone over the evils of animal holocaust. They’re too busy studying China, or something.

Dietary fundamentalism is not limited to low-carb, but the LC crowd seems to be the most vocal and dogmatic. Part of this I believe stems from the fact that LC is not all it’s cracked up to be. It gets mediocre results, there is difficulty in sustaining it, and it’s not a wise choice for the physically active. And so, they need to create powerful, vocal support groups to convince themselves that they’re doing the right thing.

And here is where low-carb fundamentalists are significantly different from most religious organizations. The LCers are motivated for selfish reasons. Many religions follow the tenets of helping those less fortunate, providing food, shelter, clothing, and other tangible support to those in need. They are the aforementioned “Here, take half my sandwich” kind of people, and I respect that.

And that’s where the analogy ends. Low carb preaching serves to perpetuate low carb eating, and that’s about it. Most of what they’re “giving back” to the community is a bunch of factually inaccurate information. I am fine with their right to exist, but excuse me for being tired of all the noise.

James S. Fell, CSCS, is an internationally syndicated fitness columnist for the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and AskMen.com. He is the author of Lose it Right: A Brutally Honest 3-Stage Program to Help You Get Fit and Lose Weight Without Losing Your Mind, published by Random House Canada