Maybe you’ve seen the late-night infomercials for the following: creams that “erase” wrinkles…diet pills that magically burn fat…and acne creams that will get you laid.
Aside from the bold claims, what’s the common thread among these items?
They’re all made for quick consumption — and can be used up over time. This means, if you like the product, you’ll have to buy more…and more…and more. It’s a very profitable model for product sellers.
Guthy Renker, one of the heavyweight infomercial producers, switched to this model almost exclusively some years back to take advantage of the automatic repeat business.
Diet programs, not coincidentally, also find success by selling annual memberships and meal programs that need to be purchased again and again. It’s genius, really. For a few hundred dollars annually, plus hundreds more per month in meals, you get a prepackaged roadmap to health — without the “hassle” of trying to figure it out on your own.
Take Jenny Craig, for example. It’s a very polished system that includes meals that you’re encouraged to buy, a popular community forum, and consultations with real-life Jenny Craig “partners” — and it’s all sold using high profile celebrity success stories. (Valerie Bertinelli, is a recent example — as is Jason Alexander of Seinfeld fame.)
I have no doubt that the weight loss success stories promoted by Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem and similar plans are legitimate. However, once you pull back the gilded curtain, it’s really just simple calorie restriction that produces weight loss.
I don’t have an axe to grind specifically with Jenny; “she” just happens to be a good example of where I’m headed with this…
Here are the two chief issues I have with diet plans where you’re goaded to buy meals, pills, shakes and cookies.
1. Nutrition — real nutrition — takes a back seat to portion size and calorie restriction.
2. The implication is that success can only be achieved by using their products; they never tell you that it’s something you can do entirely on your own — without the expensive products and the continuity program.
Let’s look at the first one: Nutrition. In fairness to Jenny Craig nowhere could I find an actual ingredients list for any of their “Jenny’s Cuisine” menu items (WTF?) — so it would be difficult for me to pass judgement on the whole deal, on that basis.
However, they do publish sample menus showcasing things like the following: blueberry mini loaf; frosted oats cereal; and cookies ‘n’ cream cheesecake. Now, again, no ingredients published, but I have a hard time believing any of this “diet food” is made with stuff that’s genuinely good for me.
So, then, is eating frosted oats cereal really the way to optimal health as Jenny Craig would suggest? Of course not. But, if the portions are small enough, and you can handle the starvation thing well, then you might lose weight.
Score! Mission accomplished…at least temporarily.
How long can someone really go…eating only 1,200 calories (or less!) a day — before falling off the wagon and gorging themselves silly? I ate 1200 calories before 9 AM this morning, for goodness sake! Starvation is not the answer.
Let’s head over to item 2: Success on their terms only.
I get it. The promise of health and/or weight loss in a shiny new box is very attractive. It’s positioned as a blueprint for weight loss success — provided you continue to buy the meals, vitamins, consulting, etc., of course.
I’ve touched on this before in a previous post about perfect diets. My stance is that any program that requires or “encourages” you to spend money to buy their weight loss/muscle building products should be seen as suspect.
Nobody has the one right answer to health/wellness — and they certainly don’t have it in a pill…or powder…or a fancy little blueberry mini loaf.
Unfortunately, many folks too easily buy into the promises of “effortless” weight loss and radiant health, or the promise of the one, last way that’s going to be the permanent solution for them.
I know I’ve been guilty of it in the past.
Some people so blindly believe this shit that they’ll shout it from the rooftops even though their own results have been less than stellar. I had an obese woman tell me a few months ago at a business lunch — with a straight face — that I shouldn’t be eating anything after 8:00 PM or I would suffer terrible weight gain. As if 8:00 is the fucking witching hour for food consumption or something. Some of my biggest meals are after 10 PM, and I’ve never had a problem.
The secret is that there is no secret. When you’re done with all the hype and noise you realize that all you really have to do is make better choices at the grocery store and move around a little more — then make these your new habits.
Unfortunately, I doubt there will be any high profile ad campaigns for broccoli and coconut milk anytime soon. Cookies ‘n’ cream cheesecake is just an easier sell — especially if George Costanza is doing the selling.
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