There are more sustainable ways to improve body composition.
Once the news hit that Oprah had partnered with Weight Watchers, I watched the Internet light up with a host of mixed reactions, ranging from shock, disappointment, skepticism and disapproval to happiness and amazement.
Her $43 million investment for a 10 percent ownership in the company caused shares of Weight Watchers to increase initially by 92 percent. The company is hoping this will provide a life-saving boost, given flagging membership numbers and product sales, with shares down around 70 percent over the past 12 months. By contrast, shares for the wearable fitness tracker Fitbit shares are skyrocketing, running 84 percent of its IPO price as of the end of October. This is no surprise, since wearable technology is No. 1 on the list of the recently released American College of Sports Medicines’s 2016 Fitness Trends. Another hot trend involves free smartphone apps for do-it-yourself fitness and nutrition plans. Diet industry, please take heed.
So, what are we to make of this Oprah/Weight Watchers partnership? After gathering facts, scouring the Internet and studying the comments of my trusty Facebook community, here are a few thoughts to further enlighten the discussion.
Food Addiction Must Be Addressed
Earlier this year, Weight Watchers founder Jean Nidetch died at the age of 91. She always admitted that the chocolate-covered marshmallow cookie Mallomars was her “Frankenstein,” noting, “For some crazy reason I had to have them. I didn’t want my husband or children to see, so I put them in a plastic bag and put them in the hamper.” This secretive behavior, infused with shame, blame and guilt, is a hallmark of addiction. It’s of interest that Weight Watchers was founded upon a platform of supportive group meetings, akin to Alcoholics Anonymous and later Overeaters Anonymous.
Raised in a family where food was used to neutralize emotional pain, Nidetch continued to self-soothe with food, reaching 200 pounds by young adulthood. By all counts, Nidetch demonstrated addictive eating behavior and would most likely meet Yale Food Addiction Scale criteria. She spent a lifetime maintaining a fairly compliant junk food abstinence. But it was curious that during her later years, Klondike bars and Chinese take-out were found in her fridge, and she was back to drinking full-on sugary soda. This is yet another reminder that the management of addictive eating is a lifelong journey, requiring ongoing mindful vigilance.
During the 2015 Super Bowl, three months before Nidetch’s death, Weight Watchers made history by anteing up millions and showcasing its first ad, which was a stunner. Narrated by Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, the ad depicted a ubiquitous and endless array of addictive, tempting, processed and refined eats and treats, complete with justifications for their continuous consumption – “You gotta eat, right?” – and that all too familiar lie-in-a-promise: “You can stop any time you want.” The ad finishes with the Weight Watchers directive: “It’s time to take back control,” followed by an invitation to “Lose 10 pounds on us.”
Is taking control defined by losing weight? Or, is it about addressing factors, from our environment and mental health to habits, sleep and activity that fuel the lifestyle choices contributing to weight gain? Although surprised and relieved to see the company embrace addictive eating in the ad, I was left scratching my head in dismay after perusing the website. If the ad was all about the serious challenges of tempting, processed foods that lead to addictive eating behavior, where’s the whole food-based plan and comprehensive program to address this?
Food addiction is real. The science of food addiction has been demonstrated by high-level National Institutes of Health-funded studies, led by Dr. Nora Volkow, the director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse. It’s no shocker that the most highly processed foods, not kale and arugula, are the most addictive. Researchers have found refined sugar to be as addictive as cocaine.
The overlap between binge eating and food addiction has been well-documented. Brain imaging studies have shown that in vulnerable individuals, processed food products exhibit organic changes in the brain’s reward center identical to those elicited by certain commonly abused drugs. As a result, there are now excellent textbooks and consumer books addressing food addiction science and treatment plans.
In 2010, Oprah went public with her continuing weight struggle, admitting: “My drug of choice is food. I use food for the same reasons an addict uses drugs: to comfort, to soothe, to ease stress.” Scientists have noted that women who have experienced childhood trauma and abuse have a 90 percent increased incidence of food addiction. Both Oprah and Nidetch had difficult childhoods, including Oprah’s history of sexual and physical abuse. Both self-medicated with food. They are indeed kindred spirits.
Weight Is Not the Goal
On “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in October, Oprah announced she’d shed 15 pounds in two months following the Weight Watchers plan. Oprah’s back to weight watching because the company reinforces success as pounds lost, not in health gained. When the company is called Weight Watchers, it seems the mission statement is just that. Body weight should never be the goal. Rather, it’s the achievement of healthy lifestyle habits that lead to optimal body composition. Healthier sustainable habits are the goal. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stresses the need to make small but powerful changes in everyday living, incorporating whole food nutrition, an active lifestyle and stress management.
Ditch the Addictive, Processed Foods
Weight Watchers is sending conflicting messages when their president promises an Oprah-based holistic healthy lifestyle plan, while selling processed food products, many of which contain a laundry list of the very addictive foods scientists have cataloged as the most problematic. These products have been bashed by nutrition experts, and if Oprah’s following the Weight Watchers plan and consuming these products, don’t bet on her long-term success. She may end up repeating the program again and again, as it’s been shown that, on average, members circle back for at least four program cycles.
Rae, from my Facebook page, was more vociferous, declaring: “I think Oprah has lost her mind. She and I are about the same age with a similar yoyo dieting past. I’m so very sad that she isn’t supporting a mindful eating approach. For those of us who eat for emotional reasons vs hunger, dieting is never going to work. Oprah’s investment in WW feels like a sell-out to me. Now she is just going to make money off of those who are suffering and who are in an endless loop. Sad!”
Nutrition and Physical Activity Have to Change, Simultaneously
Researchers have shown that to achieve optimal wellness, both healthy, whole food-based nutrition and a more active lifestyle must be addressed. Physical activity is still given short shrift and lip service by most diet industry programs and this is a critical mistake. Where’s the video of Oprah walking, doing yoga, dancing, using a standing desk, enjoying group activities or doing strength training?
Oprah will be 62 years old in several months, and has spent most of her adult life scale hopping as a yoyo dieter and addictive weight cycler, desperately seeking solutions from liquid diets to marathons. This has eroded credibility among the populace. As Charlene from my Facebook community noted, “When Oprah loses 50 pounds and keeps it off for 10 years, I’ll be willing to follow her advice. Until then, I’m not so interested in her OR in Weight Watchers!”
Oprah’s now postmenopausal and needs to achieve a healthy body composition to optimize the quality and length of her life. This isn’t about zipping up those Calvin Klein’s anymore. It’s about her health and well-being. She needs an integrative approach to achieve lifelong recovery from her addictive eating behavior, a three-pronged approach involving the mind – meditation, mindfulness, addiction-targeted counseling and coaching – whole food nutrition and regular daily physical activity. Can Weight Watchers deliver?
As you click and open the Weight Watchers website, Oprah’s smiling image welcomes you with, “I’m ready. Are you? Come join me.” The question is, for what?