• Please Remember: Members are only permitted to share their own experiences. Members are not qualified to give medical advice. Additionally, everyone manages their health differently. Please be respectful of other people's opinions about their own diabetes management.
  • We seem to be having technical difficulties with new user accounts. If you are trying to register please check your Spam or Junk folder for your confirmation email. If you still haven't received a confirmation email, please reach out to our support inbox: support.forum@diabetes.org.uk

The Men Who Made Us Thin

Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Northerner

Northerner

Admin (Retired)
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
BBC2 now, discussing the diet industry. There's also a repeat of The Men Who Made Us Fat at 11:20
 
Well, whilst most of it was OK, I thought that it was a bit weak when he started having a go at weight watchers by saying that it didn't work forever, and that most people relapsed after 5 years. Doesn't mean it's not worth doing and at least it is 16% of people who HAVE turned their lives around after 5 years.
 
I went to weight watchers, while you are there and doing it the support is great but once you attain your target weight you are cut somewhat adrift. There are people who are able to maintain their 'ideal' or 'target' weight but not all of us can. A lot of people make money out of the weight loss industry.
 
Caroline said:
I went to weight watchers, while you are there and doing it the support is great but once you attain your target weight you are cut somewhat adrift. There are people who are able to maintain their 'ideal' or 'target' weight but not all of us can. A lot of people make money out of the weight loss industry.
Click to expand...
That's one of the things I like about Slimming World. As long as you stay within 3lbs either side of Target, it's free for life. Also, there aren't any brand tie-ins, and they actively encourage cooking stuff from scratch using fresh ingredients.

I don't think Carl Heneghan's summary was fair, in that it only really looked at the dropout rate. Those who make a commitment to change for life can succeed.

Because the programme made no useful suggestions for people who really want to lose weight healthily, I suspect a large proportion of the audience will switch off and say 'why bother to try?'.
 
Hadn't realised it's a series - there's another episode on next Thursday.
 
Northerner said:
Hadn't realised it's a series - there's another episode on next Thursday.
Click to expand...
Yeah. Next week they'll be banging on about what a con the exercise industry is. Ho hum... at least I'm more likely to agree with them. I prefer my exercise free and taking me somewhere (work, the shops, etc).
 
LeeLee said:
Yeah. Next week they'll be banging on about what a con the exercise industry is. Ho hum... at least I'm more likely to agree with them. I prefer my exercise free and taking me somewhere (work, the shops, etc).
Click to expand...

I do agree. I used to go to a gym, but to use the machines - I used to run there and back and much preferred the run! Always amazed me to see rows of people on treadmills on beautiful days! Well, any weather really!
 
Northerner said:
I do agree. I used to go to a gym, but to use the machines - I used to run there and back and much preferred the run! Always amazed me to see rows of people on treadmills on beautiful days! Well, any weather really!
Click to expand...

I have not used a treadmill but I'm I correct in thinking that running on a treadmill must be totally different from running on the open road. could be wrong tho.
 
Donald said:
I have not used a treadmill but I'm I correct in thinking that running on a treadmill must be totally different from running on the open road. could be wrong tho.
Click to expand...

No, you'e absolutely right Donald. Treadmills can be programmed to slope up periodically, but don't have the constant small changes or ups and downs of a good route outdoors. With a treadmill, there is also an unnatural tendency to have to keep compensating your balance to avoid flying off the end of it. You can't vary your pace at will on a treadmill either. It was good for me to use one when I was first recuperating from my broken femur though, as it was a good controlled environment with no surprises. My first run after breaking my leg in June 2004 was in December 2004 on a treadmill - I managed 400m! 😱
 
I was first recuperating from my broken femur though, as it was a good controlled environment with no surprises

It must have helped you rebuild the strength of your leg
 
Donald said:
It must have helped you rebuild the strength of your leg
Click to expand...

It did Donald. I was also very lucky to find a good sports physio who got me back running again. It was pretty scary learning to run again given the circumstances in which my leg broke (it snapped at mile 23 of the Stockholm Marathon 😱), and I do still wonder about it when I feel a twinge! But it has lots of titanium scaffolding in it now, so it's probably the other one I need to worry about 🙂
 
Well, the main findings of the programme this week were that exercise alone is a very inefficient way to lose weight (surprise surprise for those who have tried it), and diet pills are bad for you.

This does make me wonder what they are going to propose as a method of successfully losing weight, having already rubbished my beloved slimming club that did (and does) work brilliantly for me and my fellow Target members, and shattered my illusion that cycling to work has contributed a lot.
 
LeeLee said:
Well, the main findings of the programme this week were that exercise alone is a very inefficient way to lose weight (surprise surprise for those who have tried it), and diet pills are bad for you.

This does make me wonder what they are going to propose as a method of successfully losing weight, having already rubbished my beloved slimming club that did (and does) work brilliantly for me and my fellow Target members, and shattered my illusion that cycling to work has contributed a lot.
Click to expand...

I haven't watched this weeks yet, but so far I've found it interesting but quite depressing - it just seems to be re-iterating that none of the diets work, but without suggesting an alternative, and even the science seems to be saying you'll just put it all back on again (in which case why bother?) :(
 
Pretty shocking tonight, especially the bloke with the tube 'outlet' device 😱
 
LeeLee said:
Not in queue for surgery then Northey?:D
Click to expand...

I'll stick to running 🙂 Maybe if the NHS pay the surgeon to chase me with the contraption it would give me extra incentive! 😱 Have to say, I do agree about the pouint being made about fit versus fat. I have known many, many people who would be deemed 'overweight' who are much, much fitter than me, they are just their natural size and perfectly healthy. Where the danger really lies is in being unfit. I was interested that the presenter had a BMI of 27+. He's pretty much the same build as me, but I know that I am carrying excess weight around my abdomen (the only place I gain weight), yet my BMI is currently 24.7. Yet the scientist who revised the values claimed it was the best way of assessing the health of populations - what poppycock!
 
The presenter should have challenged the 'expert' with details of athletes who have an over-25 BMI due to muscle mass.
 
I think the idea of fitting a tap to your stomache to drain away the food that you have just eaten is just yet another in a list of 'get thin without effort' ideas.

I did like the idea that it is sometimes better to be fatter and fit than thin and unfit. The whole BMI thing is a statistical red herring. I've been reading genetics research papers for over ten years now and the success of any species depends on diversity because some variants do better than other variants in certain circumstances and, as we know, circumstances change all the time. Human populations have crashed many times due to famine, disease and conflict. The population regulator with the greatest effect has always been the food supply. Diversity keeps the species going or, as we say in Yorkshire, 'it takes all sorts'.

New insights into the genetics of body shape
 
Last edited:
LeeLee said:
The presenter should have challenged the 'expert' with details of athletes who have an over-25 BMI due to muscle mass.
Click to expand...

Quite. BMI is measured in Kg per square metre. I've never seen any flat people. It is entirely based on one type of body shape. You may as well say, all humans should be of uniform height and have one skin pigmentation, hair colour and eye colour.

"a camel is a horse designed by committee"
 
BMI is at best only a guideline; it's based on the assumptions that the person is around average height (1.7m or 5'8") and their body mass is mostly fat. BMI is calculated on the square of the patient's height, instead of the cube as it should have been, so those who are a healthy weight and very tall falsely come up as overweight. Those who are overweight and very short falsely come up as healthy. Also, as already mentioned, very muscular people come up as overweight because muscle is denser than fat.

Probably better to get one's actual body fat content measured.
 
Status
This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
Back
Top