Sunday, January 06, 2008

Die Vs. Diet

Flipping through the current issue of Fitness magazine and found their survey of 1,000 women, on how, when, and why they diet.  Yeah yeah, diets are all the rage after the holiday binges.  But they did have some juicy data points:
 
The most popular weight-loss plans are:
  • Slim-Fast (35%)
  • Weight Watchers (34%)
  • Atkins (25%)
Our #1 dieting trick?
  • Drinking water constantly (67%)
  • Chewing a lot of gum (20%)
  • Smoking (15%) -  !!
30 - the minimum number of pounds most women want to lose.  Typical target weight?  131 to 145. 
 
Anecdotally, I saw a new Weight Watchers ad campaign in NYC last month that flashed catch-phrases such as "Diets are mean" and "Take a diet from dieting" on subways and cabs. 
 
Ironically, there are fellow human beings who're malnourished and struggle to survive, while we fight the battle with fat.  Is this all happening on the same planet?  What can we do to level the playing field?

3 comments:

Mary said...

Hey Kristen, Happy New Year! Interesting about the dieting stuff. It seems to be the constant struggle to eat what one ones but maintain a certain weight. I have noticed since I starting eating a bowl of oatmeal (with ground flaxseeds) every morning that I have maintained a lower weight. Also I have managed to reduce the amount of food I eat, especially the stuff like cookies etc. I can be satisfied with one cookie instead of 3. With my upcoming dental implant surgery I will once again be on a soft chew and will most likely lose some weight . . . What about you, are you planning to diet? M

Maggie said...

Hi Mary - Happy 2008! Nope, no diet for me. I just want to eat healthy. Been eating oatmeal for breakfast for over a week now, it tastes great, and completely satisfies my constant craving for something warm, somewhat soupy, and substantial. :) Your one cookie vs. three really struck a cord with me. Someone once said - "I let myself TASTE whatever I want." While that might be extreme, portion control is definitely the way to go!

When is your dental implant surgery? Are you nervous? Will you be taking time off work? I hope you won't end up losing too much weight - you already look good and very slim in your photos! :)

Anonymous said...

Dieting? Pah, just have jaw surgery! at the moment I'm keeping in mind that I'll soon have to have enough weight on so I can lose it. It's great, I eat whatever I want..;-)