tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380136761770650017.post8229240920795651173..comments2023-08-26T08:08:27.767-04:00Comments on The Hungry Little Caterpillar: All the Things They Don't Tell Ya...Lynnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13102363251376084521noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3380136761770650017.post-88030772274572986792008-01-07T10:08:00.000-05:002008-01-07T10:08:00.000-05:00Ooh ooh, me! I know!The reason those success stori...Ooh ooh, me! I know!<BR/><BR/>The reason those success stories are not "typical" is because they are above what Weight Watchers actually recommends as a healthy rate of weight loss. Let's play math games, shall we?<BR/><BR/>16 months at 4 weeks per month is 64 weeks. 140 pounds divided over 64 weeks assumes approximately 2 and a quarter pounds lost each week. <BR/><BR/>Compare that to what your meeting leader will tell you is the recommended rate of weight loss: an *average* of 1-2 pounds a week. Which means, when you get to maintenance and you aren't trying to lose anymore, if you take the total you lost and divide it by the number of weeks it took to lose it, it'll be about 1-2 pounds. <BR/><BR/>That doesn't mean you should expect to lose 1-2 pounds every single week, not even if you follow the plan to the letter. Some weeks you might lose more, some you might lose less, some you might not lose any, and some weeks you might even gain a little. As you might imagine, that last is the most frustrating. The fact is, a human being's body weight just naturally fluctuates by a pound or two on a weekly, and sometimes even daily, basis. But overall, if you track your weight on a graph, there should be a definite downward trend. <BR/><BR/>So that's why the disclaimer on the success stories. Because there are people that will take the 140 pounds in 16 months as gospel, and quit after the first couple times they maintain or gain. <BR/><BR/>It'd be nice if they did show some of the success stories of people who did it the recommended way. I'm not sure why they don't. Perhaps the marketing company they hired is full of those skinny little size 0 hummingbirds that never feel a need to eat anything but protein bars and water, so they just go for the big impressive numbers. <BR/><BR/>There are studies out there that show that, as diet plans go, Weight Watchers is one of (if not the top) the most successful plans in terms of people losing the weight and keeping it off. Because of the whole "it's a lifestyle change" thing. Breeds good habits and all that. <BR/><BR/>But yeah, until the habits get changed? It's hard as all get out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com