Evaporated cane juice is just one of the many names used by manufacturers to hide sugar. Using multiple forms of sugar also helps them to avoid having sugar as the first ingredient.

There are many brands, just like Kashi, that are marketed as health food despite being processed and high in refined carbohydrates (just to name a few concerns). Some of these foods are even certified organic which shows that organic doesn’t always mean healthy.

This is the statement that I found the most upsetting:
‘in my opinion, people who rely on the Weight Watchers, or any other similar type of system, are only taking partial responsibility for their health.’

I say this because someone who takes full responsibility for their health will eventually educate themselves to the point of being able to make healthy food choices without needing a point system. I think it’s great if Weight Watchers helps people get to this point, but a lot of people don’t want to put in the extra effort and would rather just follow the point system without being fully aware of the quality of the foods they choose.

As I’ve explained in the article, the primary problem that I have with Weight Watchers is the potential for the point system to be interpreted as a prioritization of portion size over nutritional quality. Regardless of the principles that Weight Watchers teaches, this potential still exists, especially with some of the processed foods that they put their name on and how their point system sometimes favors processed foods over whole foods.

In addition, the principles behind Weight Watchers as well as the formulas behind the points system seems to be based on the USDA Food Pyramid guidelines which I think leave a lot to be desired. I think the Food Pyramid puts too much emphasis on eating grains and dairy and avoiding fat, and for many people, I think the recommendation for carbohydrate intake is too high.

Regardless of all this, the better one eats, the less they have to worry about portion sizes or counting calories. It’s quite difficult for most people to overeat when the majority of their diet consists of whole foods such as meat, fish, and vegetables. Based on this, the better one eats, the less need they should have for a structured program.

In regard to a 12 ounce steak, it may not be an appropriate portion for you, but that doesn’t mean it’s not for anyone else. For example, it’s a great portion size for me, but certainly not my wife who is not only smaller than me but also doesn’t have a metabolism like mine for which a higher intake of protein and fat is favorable.

I appreciate that Weight Watchers has helped you, and I’m sure it has helped many others. My intention is not to discredit Weight Watchers but to share what I consider to be a better perspective on healthy eating.

The one thing I think your opinions are missing is the component of choice. Do some of the meeting leaders push the products – I’m sure they do. None of the meeting leaders ever have in the meetings I’ve attended, they say they are supposed to but prefer not to because they’d rather promote real food. Everyone has a choice as to what they put in their body. Just like you have freedom of choice when it comes to filling your grocery cart with the items you’ve discussed in your article.

I would personally rather chew glass than eat any of those products and I don’t think the marketing scams are that difficult to decipher. Wonder bread and Froot Loops a bad choice? That’s not a super tough one to figure out.

I have lost 50 pounds with the assistance of the Weight Watchers plan. And have not been remotely miserable while on my journey to a healthier place and lifestyle.
Yes, if I wanted to I could choose to have a beer as opposed to a steak but I also don’t think 12 ounces of steak is a super smart choice either – that’s not exactly promoting appropriate portion size – which is also a large contributor to the obesity issue in this country.

This is the statement that I found the most upsetting:
‘in my opinion, people who rely on the Weight Watchers, or any other similar type of system, are only taking partial responsibility for their health.’

How are people who have learned about the importance of exercise (one of the things WW promotes heavily) appropriate portion size and making good healthy choices only taking ‘partial’ responsibility for their health?
I don’t eat processed foods nor do I eat the ‘light this’ or ‘fat free that’ crap. I eat the real deal, but in moderation and in appropriate amounts for my body because I choose to do so.
I don’t consider WW a ‘diet’ it’s an educational tool to either teach or remind people how to change your lifestyle for the better. They encourage good choices, exercise and do say that if you choose to eat a bunch of crap to stay within your point limit, you probably won’t make it and certainly won’t be able to sustain that behavior.

I feel confident in the choices I make and the issues WW has helped me iron out and I think it’s really unfortunate that anyone would want to disparage a system that can and has helped a lot of people create and continue to live a healthier lifestyle just because it may not be the right choice for them.

Here are many reasons why I’m so opposed to sugar. For most people, there’s nothing wrong with having some in healthy moderation, but the amount of sugar in the typical modern diet far exceeds this.

Yes, sugar exists in fruit, but it’s also naturally accompanied by the fruit’s fiber which helps to slow it’s digestion. Besides, even the sugar in fruit can be problematic if consumed in excess.