The men who made us thin

I watched the first programme and was annoyed that (exercise issue aside) it was used as another opportunity to have a go at Weight Watchers. I lost 25lb on WW a couple of years ago and have kept it because I changed my eating habits - it's obviously not going to work long term if you don't maintain healthy eating habits once you've reached your goal weight.

I have watched both programmes, and think people should look through some of the annoying, or does nor fit into what you believe ideas, and look at the underlying message, which is diet, weight loss and exercise are a big money making industries, so first create the problem, then sell you solution

Which as programme one pointed out, most will fail at because they do not change lifestyle or eating habits, so go back & spend more money doing it all again, and again

Basically you are both saying the same thing, and I agree with you!

I watched this programme alone and was talking to the TV when the interviewer was rubbishing all of these companies as selling false hope as only a very small percentage of people seemed to be able to maintain any weight loss over the subsequent coming years. He accused weight loss companies of making money out of it's failure to deliver.... WTF, these companies DID deliver, it was the individual that failed long term in my opinion.

I lost my weight through MFP and it's guidelines. I've maintained my weight through MFP and it's guidelines for the last 9 months. If I stop using MFP and eat what I want, and then subsequently gain weight, who's fault is it, MFP's or mine? I think the fault would lie solely at my door.

On the debate about exercise, I did lose my weight without any exercise plan at all, it isn't pretty guys! I would recommend exercise for toning and general good health and mental well being. However, I do agree that it is hard to lose weight through exercise alone.

Most scientists are clueless; I know, I used to be one and I have worked with hundreds. A lot of doctors are too. Anyway, if you move you use energy, exercise is vigorous movement. Bike for an hour a day and keep the same diet and you will see the weight fall off.

The point being made is exercise in itself , alone is not the answer to losing weight. It doesn't say do not exercise. It is very important to be active and get the cardio up.

But if one relied only on exercise to lose vast quantities of weight one's energy would be very depleted because of the number of hours and the intensity of exercise needed.

The point being made is you can't eat all the junk food you want cuz exercise will take care of the weight. It doesn't.
What is important is a lifestyle change.

My opinion on the matter is junk foods with high in sugars , trans fats, high fructose corn syrup should come with warning labels much those put on tobacco..

I haven't watched this, but what I assume they are trying to say in the typical sensationalized style of most documentaries, is that exercise alone is not enough to lose weight. First of all, most people over estimate the number of calories they burn with exercise. Then there's the misnomer that if I just exercise more, I can eat more. It doesn't work that way. You can lose a lot of weight without doing any cardio at all. What you should be doing is strength training so you don't end up at your goal weight with no muscle and a high body fat percentage.

That doesn't mean that cardio doesn't have it's place. It's good for your heart and it's been proven effective in elevating your mood. But, after about the first 20 minutes, the effectiveness of cardio begin to diminish so killing yourself doing 1 to 2 hours of cardio a day is pretty ineffectual. If you do it because you love then go for it but don't expect that to be enough to help you lose weight and more importantly, keep it off.

What's more important, is adding muscle and NEAT. The number of calories you burn through non-exercise activities. The more you fidget and move around during the day can have a significant impact on how many calories you burn, depending on the individual. Stand instead of sit. Park far away and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Just getting on the treadmill for 30 minutes and then sitting on your *kitten* the rest of the day is not going to help you lose weight.

Exercise and a clean diet 90% of the time are the only two things you need in order to lose weight/get in shape. There are millions of people who have done it that way, including myself. No magic pills/WW/JC needed. Nature has given us the tools. People need to stop over-complicating things.