dr oz's latest weight loss craze
I'm watching Dr. Oz right now. I don't usually watch him these days, because I find him annoying.
Today Oz and his fellow experts are talking about different body types, and how different body types gain weight in different parts of the body. From there, they talk about different foods that each body type should eat, and different exercises that people should do. They're flying through the different lists of foods, exercises, etc. They're getting into types of potatoes, types of oils, veggies, etc. that each group should eat and which they should avoid.
This is one of the things I don't like about Oz. When he first became big, I jumped on the Oz craze, and bought the You on a Diet book. I read about half of it. I started to take notes (because trust me, notes are needed). He talks about hormones, he gives diagrams, he talks about all different kinds of oils, minerals, vitamins and supplements people should take. He talks about ingredient lists in food, and the things you should avoid buying based on which ingredients show up in the first 3 and the first 5 of the list.
It's all too much. In my opinion, this is actually discouraging to people who already think that losing weight is really hard.
When I watch the Biggest Loser, the message is simple: burn more calories than you take in. That's it. From there, they talk about eating food that's good for you: vegetables, white meat, this and that. They don't talk about different hormones, and fish oil, and the shape of your ass. Eat less, eat better and move around. Of course veggies are better for you than chips. If you need a little dip to make it enjoyable, go for it. There are light and fat free versions available. Sure, check the nutrition label. Get used to what a lighter snack looks like, so that when you pick up a two pack of butter tarts and they have 500 calories in two tarts, you may recognize that it's probably not something you should eat for supper. Or by the dozen.
I've been using www.myfitnesspal.com lately to count calories. I want to lose weight fast, I'm done having kids, and I want the extra weight off. It becomes quite clear, quite quickly that if I want to eat enough to be nice and full, that I have to eat good food. For the calories in one pizza pop, I can have a giant salad with lettuce, celery, green onions, a couple of tablespoons of calorie wise ranch dressing, a couple of tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese and a sprinkling of sweetened almonds. It's freaking delicious! I've been craving this lately, not because I'm on a diet, but because it's got a couple of things in it that I love.
I think that Oz & Friends need for their diet plans and advice to be complicated. A normal person doesn't know about the different hormones, supplements, and weirdo health-foods out there. We need Oz to tell us these things. We need him to hold our hands and continue to supply us with this information. We need to watch the show, buy the books, subscribe to his email and join his fitness plan. We need to spend our hard earned money to keep the information flowing, so that we can be skinny and healthy, and not headed right for the big stroke you'll get if you inadvertently eat something on his Big No list.
We all know what junk food looks like. We know that we should cook our own food, and maybe not bake everything in gravy. If we found it in the produce isle, it's probably good for us. If it's made of bread, we should maybe not eat serving after serving of it.
Apple = good, Wunderbar = bad (but oh so tasty).
Running around? Pretty good too.
Today Oz and his fellow experts are talking about different body types, and how different body types gain weight in different parts of the body. From there, they talk about different foods that each body type should eat, and different exercises that people should do. They're flying through the different lists of foods, exercises, etc. They're getting into types of potatoes, types of oils, veggies, etc. that each group should eat and which they should avoid.
This is one of the things I don't like about Oz. When he first became big, I jumped on the Oz craze, and bought the You on a Diet book. I read about half of it. I started to take notes (because trust me, notes are needed). He talks about hormones, he gives diagrams, he talks about all different kinds of oils, minerals, vitamins and supplements people should take. He talks about ingredient lists in food, and the things you should avoid buying based on which ingredients show up in the first 3 and the first 5 of the list.
It's all too much. In my opinion, this is actually discouraging to people who already think that losing weight is really hard.
When I watch the Biggest Loser, the message is simple: burn more calories than you take in. That's it. From there, they talk about eating food that's good for you: vegetables, white meat, this and that. They don't talk about different hormones, and fish oil, and the shape of your ass. Eat less, eat better and move around. Of course veggies are better for you than chips. If you need a little dip to make it enjoyable, go for it. There are light and fat free versions available. Sure, check the nutrition label. Get used to what a lighter snack looks like, so that when you pick up a two pack of butter tarts and they have 500 calories in two tarts, you may recognize that it's probably not something you should eat for supper. Or by the dozen.
I've been using www.myfitnesspal.com lately to count calories. I want to lose weight fast, I'm done having kids, and I want the extra weight off. It becomes quite clear, quite quickly that if I want to eat enough to be nice and full, that I have to eat good food. For the calories in one pizza pop, I can have a giant salad with lettuce, celery, green onions, a couple of tablespoons of calorie wise ranch dressing, a couple of tablespoons of crumbled feta cheese and a sprinkling of sweetened almonds. It's freaking delicious! I've been craving this lately, not because I'm on a diet, but because it's got a couple of things in it that I love.
I think that Oz & Friends need for their diet plans and advice to be complicated. A normal person doesn't know about the different hormones, supplements, and weirdo health-foods out there. We need Oz to tell us these things. We need him to hold our hands and continue to supply us with this information. We need to watch the show, buy the books, subscribe to his email and join his fitness plan. We need to spend our hard earned money to keep the information flowing, so that we can be skinny and healthy, and not headed right for the big stroke you'll get if you inadvertently eat something on his Big No list.
We all know what junk food looks like. We know that we should cook our own food, and maybe not bake everything in gravy. If we found it in the produce isle, it's probably good for us. If it's made of bread, we should maybe not eat serving after serving of it.
Apple = good, Wunderbar = bad (but oh so tasty).
Running around? Pretty good too.
Comments
Weight loss crazes drive me nuts.
A dietitian friend of mine published an awesome list for her community last month called "Weight loss myths that just won't DIE" I'm going to ask her permission to publish it on my blog. I love it.
The message is exactly what you're saying:
Weight loss happens when the amount of calories that go in are fewer than those that are burnt.
Plain and simple.
It's enough to drive a person nuts for sure. I read about these different diets, some of which seem really unhealthy (can we say Atkins?), some of which seem really really complicated. You should read the Oz book, it'd probably get you fuming. I don't know why they don't just simplify. I get that some people really don't have a clue and may need a little more in the way of guidelines. On the other hand, I think that most of us are able to trust our instincts a little.
I like the "shop the perimeter" diet. Okay, it's not really a diet, but a lifestyle choice. Cook your own food, use fresh stuff. You know what really annoys me? Frozen dinners. I never buy them. Okay, the odd pizza pop makes its way in here, but it's more of a treat. For the most part we use meat and veggies and pasta. We've even started buying whole wheat pasta.
Eating healthy can actually be fun. You should have seen my salad tonight, it was not one of those "I'll eat it because I have to" things. I put on it what I wanted, and I enjoyed every last bite!!
I think maybe people have the impression that because he's a doctor what he says is gold. Eat well and exercise? Been there, done that most people would say. But if I eat what's best for "my shape" it's bound to work right? And because it is so complicated I should buy the book so I know exactly what to eat and not eat. (Enter with wallet here).
It's such baloney!