Firstly, the basic point of a diet is an issue for me. To make short term changes to lose some weight without any thought about the wider picture of your health is not a great place to start. Yes some people can manage to keep the weight off after a diet, but for a great number of people, they lose the weight then put it back on (and often more) so look for a new diet to try next time to lose that weight again. Here at LHB we're all about getting healthy first, then making tweaks to move into weight loss.
SW do say that 'it's not a diet' and WW say they want people to 'change their relationship with food' which are promising starts, but what about if you look deeper?
To talk about every aspect of their plan(s) would be the longest blog post ever, so I will keep it brief and only look at some aspects which I have the most issue with.
Syns
The idea of syns puts me off before I even look into it. Saying that certain foods are OK to eat but considered a syn/sin is not a good attitude to have. Some foods shouldn't even be on your radar when you are looking to eat healthily; promoting them as low or no syn isn't helpful. For example:
Let's have a look at the Chinese Style as they are 'free' so must be a good choice, right?
Ingredients list from their website:
Dried Noodles (60%) [Durum Wheat Semolina, Salt, Egg White], Dried Glucose Syrup, Potato Starch, Flavourings (contains wheat, soya, celery), Dried Vegetables (1.5%) (Sweetcorn, Mushrooms), Yeast Extract, Palm Oil, Milk Protein, Acid (Citric Acid), Dried Chives, Emulsifiers (Dipotassium Phosphate, Mono- and Di-glycerides of Fatty Acids).
Nutritional info (selection): 167 cals, 5.3g protein, 2.7g sugars, 0.7g fat.
So the main ingredient is processed wheat which is something I would recommend staying away from where possible as it has virtually no nutritional benefit and raises blood sugar pretty heftily. There is the grand total of 1.5% dried vegetables in the form of mushrooms and sweetcorn which isn't worth mentioning and then a selection of other yummy things like dried glucose syrup and a selection of emulsifiers. This is not food!
And then we have recommendations for Alpen Light
bars for a 'breakfast on the go'. Another product I would never recommend.
Ingredients from Weetabix's website (Chocolate Fudge):
Cereals (37%) (Whole Oats, Rice, Whole Wheat), Oligofructose Syrup (30%), Fudge Pieces (12%) (Sugar, sweetened condensed milk, glucose syrup, humectant: glycerol, vegetable oil, Milk Butter Fat, Emulsifier: Mono and Diglycerides of fatty acids, salt), Plain Chocolate (8%) (Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin, Flavouring), Cereal Flours (Rice, Wheat), Sugar, Grape Juice Concentrate, Glucose Syrup, Humectant: Glycerol, Vegetable Oil, Malted Barley Extract, Flavouring, Dextrose, Salt, Emulsifier: Soya Lecithin, Antioxidant: Tocopherols.
Nutritional Info (selection) per 19g bar: 65 cals, 1.2g fat, 4g sugar, 0.9g protein.
Wow that's a long ingredients list! Again processed wheat plays a major part, as do a large selection of sugars or sugar products (unsurprisingly as the product is 20% sugar). 30% oligofructose syrup didn't sound particularly appetising and I had to look it up to find out what it was. Added fibre for those who are interested but too much can cause bloating and diarrhoea and it only takes 3 of these bars to reach these levels so beware! Only 65 calories, practically no protein and 20% sugar;all in all, not what I could consider anywhere near a healthy breakfast, on the go or not.
Fats
Annoyingly (although unsurprising), fat is still demonised by SW despite plenty of evidence showing that it is not the evil we were previously led to believe it was. They recommend using unsaturated fats high in Omega 6 such as sunflower and corn oil whilst saying that "fats have a lot to answer for". Yes some of them do, but not in the way that they are implying. A good quality beef burger (which contains saturated fat) is a mile away from a McDonalds Big Mac for example.
If there is one thing I would like tattooed on my forehead it would probably be "fat does not make you fat" as there are LOTS of studies now showing that fat is fine (even saturated fat), that it doesn't clog arteries, isn't as responsible for heart disease as earlier thought, and that raised cholesterol isn't necessarily a bad thing either. Don't just take my word for it, check out these links too:
http://authoritynutrition.com/top-9-biggest-lies-about-dietary-fat-and-cholesterol/
http://authoritynutrition.com/top-8-reasons-not-to-fear-saturated-fats/
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/the-knowledge/saturated-fat-does-not-cause-heart-disease/
In Summary
Pros Cons
Better than just staying with your normal Processed foods allowed/recommended.
rubbish way of eating. Outdated advice on fat.
Group support works for some people. Can be confusing to follow for some.
Doesn't have to be super expensive. Syns doesn't promote healthier habits
Idea of 1/3 veg/salad/fruit for a meal is relating to food choices.
a good basis. OK to have artificial sweetener.
Focus on weight rather than health.
Again to cover everything would be unrealistic so I shall stick to my major issues.
Points
The basic concept of Points isn't bad as such, but leaves it open to abuse in that you can theoretically eat whatever you like as long as it is within your points allowance. Yes if you have a Mars bar for breakfast and lunch you won't have many points left for dinner so are likely to be hungry, and I would hope this isn't a realistic situation!
My main issue with Points is the 49 (or so) which you get as an extra over the week. My Points amount was around 27 a day, so it was OK and encouraged to eat almost 2 days worth of food on top of your normal daily allowance. That makes no sense to me! I appreciate it is supposed to cover treats, eating out, special occasions etc but I don't feel that's an adequate enough excuse for eating that much extra.
WW Brand Products
Weight Watchers have a vast range of their own products which tend to be a lower calorie/fat version of other foods. A small selection of these products include yoghurts, bread, cakes, ready meals, soup, beans and cheese. My issue is that I cannot see how advocating or recommending cake bars, white bread, ice cream or chocolate biscuits can be a part of any self-respecting weight loss programme. One of my fundamental philosophies as part of all of my plans is that you should not eat low-fat, diet or light products as they can't be considered food and provide limited (if any) actual nutrition.
Case in point, fruit yoghurts:
This is the ingredients list for a 4 pack of 'Weight Watchers Fat Free Yoghurt - Dessert Recipe'. Admittedly all 4 flavours are covered in the 1 ingredients list which is why it looks so long but let's pick out the high(low)lights.
Apple flavour - 2nd ingredient on the list glucose-fructose syrup, followed by caramel, biscuit which includes sugar, 2 types of sweetener and caramelised sugar. As well as carrageenan which should be avoided (http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/carrageenan-natural-ingredient-you-should-ban-your-diet)
How can this be promoted as a good thing to eat?
By way of comparison, this is the ingredients list for greek yoghurt (which you could add fresh fruit or fruit puree to).
Each one weighs 16.7g and contains 6.5g of sugar which equates to 39% sugar. I have no words so need to move on!
In summary:
Pros Cons
More recently included a variety of plans. Outdated low calorie/low fat advice.
Good support network. Processed foods allowed/recommended.
Plenty of information. Points system open to abuse.
Doesn't have to be expensive. Weight focused rather than health.
Online option too.
The plans follow the same basic principles but can be tailored to each person as the weeks go by. There is up to 90 minutes a week of face to face support time, plus access to your Buddy by phone/email/text/FB message at other times to ask advice or questions.
The main difference is that calories are not mentioned, low fat is considered a swear word, and you are able to eat foods which have traditionally been scrubbed from healthy eating plans (butter, full fat milk etc). The plans are based on up to date research rather than just a new regurgitation of the low fat/eat less information over the past 30/40 years.
Yes the plans can be more expensive than SW or WW, but work out at less than 1 personal training session a week (which people are often willing to shell out for with no problem). The point is, as we look at the bigger picture and include issues such as sleep, stress, toxicity etc, it doesn't need to be a continuous plan and therefore could work out cheaper in the long run. Once you get the correct healthy habits ingrained and can make the right choices, there should be no need to start again every January. If you need some extra help after the initial plan has ended, then there is a Maintenance Plan which still gives you access to your Buddy (but without the face to face sessions) as well as emails and newsletters to keep up the motivation.
If you prefer group support then you can start up or join a Group Plan which is available for up to 4 people to be able to continue the personalised aspect.
But what can I eat?
It's true that Caramel Mallows and Mug Shots won't be on the menu (thank God!) but there are plenty of foods for you to enjoy. For example:
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| Sweet potato and sprout hash with eggs |
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| Baked Apples |
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| Steak with mushroom and onion sauce, sweet potato chips and veg |
Generally the only foods that are not recommended are anything processed or fake. That opens up a whole world of foods for you to try or get back to eating!
In summary
Pros Cons
Focus on health first. Can be more expensive short term, but
Aim for long term not short term gain. better value long term.
Lots of support available. New service, not as established as others.
Personalised plans available.
Based on recent research.
No calorie or points counting or food
combinations needed.
So there you have it. Obviously I think my service is better (although I am willing to acknowledge some issues) but now you can have a more informed idea of the different options.
I look forward to getting some of you on board for a healthy 2015 and beyond!
