Monday, April 25, 2011

Weight Loss Support Group Rant


So, having had a baby (and a c-section no less) 2 months ago, I'm back on the road to continuing my weight loss. Eating well, exercising. I'm starting to read my favorite fitness, health and nutrition blogs again, and even have joined a couple weight loss communities on Facebook. I did, however, come across one group (who will remain nameless) on there that after a week of being on there, drove me nuts with the posts.

First off, I know that losing weight for some is difficult. I went a number of years never having the motivation or desire to eat right and exercise, yet complained about my body and my weight. I get it, and I understand it. It can take a while to get on the right track. This group however flat out made me irate. First off, it was a group for only women, and although some seem to "get it", there was a number of gals that were/are obviously looking for the quick fix. Every day I went on there, there were posts about body wraps, pills and even one system that included some kind of shake, where when I went to the page, had a disclaimer on the bottom that said not to take it while pregnant, lactating or on blood thinners. Seriously? How "healthy" is that friggin' shake if it puts your baby at risk?

Now, not only were these products endorsed by these women, they were all consumers and sellers in the multiple MLM companies that sold these products. Most of these women were stay at home moms that used these MLM's to try to make some money. I'm all for working from home, but how can someone compromise not only their own health, but the health of those they come in contact with by promoting this type of weight loss? I boggles my mind!

I had one person criticize me because they saw I was going after my bachelors in Nutrition Science, after I made a comment about people needing to get off the science bandwagon and get back to natural things. Let me make this clear. There is a difference between chemical science and nutrition science!

These products are chemically made in a lab. What I study is how FOOD works in and for the body, not how some pill or shake that isn't even FDA approved is going to help you lose weight. And as for the body wraps... that's only water weight people! You're not going to lose fat or turn it into muscle by wrapping yourself up in a cocoon.

Lastly, these products also have the disclaimer that the weight losses shown on their website are not typical, and most should experience a weight loss of 1-2 lbs a week with proper diet and exercise with their product. HELLO!?!?!? Proper diet and exercise for ANYONE that is overweight will result in a 1-2 lbs weight loss a week. Why add chemicals to your body in order to do something that naturally it does on it's own?

Unfortunately, I ultimately left the group. I could not listen to these women talk about their quick fix successes and wonder what they will look like in a couple years when they reach their goals and stop taking whatever it is they were taking. They will not have learned how to eat properly, portion control, calories in/calories out, proper exercise, etc. There's only one true way to lose weight and get healthy people. It's so simple, yet people continue to try to make it so complicated and not accept that truth.

I love the fact there are support groups online for people trying to lose weight. Studies show that those with a great support system lose more weight and have more success than those that don't. My only problem is promoting anything other than proper diet and exercise.

Ok... rant over. Have a great week! :)


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