Weight Watchers Superbowl Commercial
palwithme
Posts: 860 Member
What did you all think about the Weight Watchers commercial on the Superbowl? I thought it was really well done and SPOT ON. We are constantly bombarded with food advertising, incentives to buy more food, bigger portions, eat, eat, eat. It is no wonder there is an obesity crisis in America. I know everyone has to take responsibility for their own health, etc., but does it have to be so difficult? Anyway, well done Weight Watchers.
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I didn't like it. The whole commercial was one big "It's not your fault." The food companies and marketers are so powerful that you don't have any choice but to be fat. "No one is telling you what to do", wink wink. And only WW is your path to safety.
I'm fine with companies advertising their services, but I found that one patronizing.0 -
I was a bit offended. As someone who has known people with addictions to deadly substances and people who have died from overdosing, it bothers me that they would equate overeating junk food to a deadly drug addiction. When you equate overeating to an addiction, you're giving yourself yet another excuse. "I couldn't help myself, I'm addicted!" comes to mind. Lack of self control is different.
I also think that demonizing any kind of food is like a fire starter for an eating disorder, and that's exactly what they did.
As a sufferer of disordered eating, I found the commercial to be triggering.0 -
Interesting. You don't believe in food addiction? And that it can have deadly consequences?0
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I agree wholeheartedly with the above posters. It made me ill, and angry. I chose to overeat and gain weight. I wasn't forced or influenced by the food companies to do it.0
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Interesting. You don't believe in food addiction? And that it can have deadly consequences?
I believe in disordered eating, and I believe that can have deadly consequences. I don't view it as an addiction, because it's not. When you view overeating as an addiction, it is very easy to make eating in general into a bad thing. I don't believe we should view eating as something to feel guilty about. If you tell someone who tends to overeat but doesn't have that bad of a relationship with food that "It's an addiction!" they're going to start thinking that something is wrong with themselves, and it could turn into an eating disorder. I am big on the "anything in moderation" belief and I don't think we should restrict ourselves on what kinds of food we're eating.
Weight watchers is huge about claiming that you can eat what you want, as long as it's in moderation. I feel like the commercial goes against that. I also have been a weight watchers member at least 3 times, and I can tell you that they only thinly veil their judgment on people who aren't doing well. Their system will work for some people, but I found that it made me have an unhealthy relationship with food and started me off on the road to BED. I don't feel like their system has adequate tools to deal with people who have disordered eating.0 -
I think the commercial highlighted our culture, which we are all a part of, and how difficult it is to stay a normal weight in that culture. I agree that we all make choices and have to live with those choices, but if advertising unhealthy food wasn't so effective I am sure the food companies wouldn't do it.0
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I don't know if food addiction is true or not. People say it is, like I am addicted to chocolate, etc. I take them at their word.0
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I do feel that food addiction is real. It was easier for me to quit smoking than it has been for me to change my eating habits and lose weight, even for better health. The craving s of foods and sweets used to be so bad at one point where I physically would get sick. I'm still not where I need to be but I'm a lot further than where I was. I do think the commercial was interesting and had a lot of truth. If i didn't smell mcdonalds from 2 blocks away or didn't see a food advertisement on most websites or magazine or tv commercial I would be as obsessed. I'd still be obsessed but it wouldn't be so bad. Lots of people have great self control, others struggle and suffer. There is an over eaters anonymous group that does help people with meetings and such. If food addiction wasn't real, those assistance programs wouldn't exist.
Ignorance is bliss.0 -
Right well goods are going to be advertised especially in a culture of plenty.
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I don't know if food addiction is true or not. People say it is, like I am addicted to chocolate, etc. I take them at their word.
I tend to go with what the experts say. If you were to ask a psychology expert they would tell you that binge eating is not classified as an addiction, but a disorder. I feel like people who claim they're addicted to chocolate are using that as an excuse as to why they can't cut back.
I used to claim I was addicted to pizza. That was my excuse as to why I couldn't just eat one piece but had to eat the whole pizza. The truth ended up being that I needed to work on self control. Most people who overeat have issues with self control.
As for the culture thing...I feel like that depends on the person. Yes we have a lot of more overweight people but I can't place the blame on the type of foods we are eating or the advertisements. Our society has a problem with "bigger is better" and our portion sizes have increased dramatically over the years. It makes sense why so many people have issues with moderation. My mother lost 100 pounds eating mostly fast food, the difference was how much she ate, not what kinds of foods she was eating.0 -
I did weight watchers about ten years ago and lost 30 pounds. I gained it all back and then some. Problem was it didn't help me understand WHY I was fat. Dr. Phil's books helped a lot in this area.0
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@SexyHealthyFit175 I have a sister who is morbidly obese. She has a closet full of candy, snack cakes, and cookies. I also had a roommate who kept a huge box of candy under her bed, she was morbidly obese as well. They both called it their stash. If that doesn't sound like an addiction then I don't know what one is.0
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I don't know if food addiction is true or not. People say it is, like I am addicted to chocolate, etc. I take them at their word.
I tend to go with what the experts say. If you were to ask a psychology expert they would tell you that binge eating is not classified as an addiction, but a disorder. I feel like people who claim they're addicted to chocolate are using that as an excuse as to why they can't cut back.
I used to claim I was addicted to pizza. That was my excuse as to why I couldn't just eat one piece but had to eat the whole pizza. The truth ended up being that I needed to work on self control. Most people who overeat have issues with self control.
As for the culture thing...I feel like that depends on the person. Yes we have a lot of more overweight people but I can't place the blame on the type of foods we are eating or the advertisements. Our society has a problem with "bigger is better" and our portion sizes have increased dramatically over the years. It makes sense why so many people have issues with moderation. My mother lost 100 pounds eating mostly fast food, the difference was how much she ate, not what kinds of foods she was eating.
Spot on, girly. You've got your head on straight!
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I don't know if food addiction is true or not. People say it is, like I am addicted to chocolate, etc. I take them at their word.
I tend to go with what the experts say. If you were to ask a psychology expert they would tell you that binge eating is not classified as an addiction, but a disorder. I feel like people who claim they're addicted to chocolate are using that as an excuse as to why they can't cut back.
I used to claim I was addicted to pizza. That was my excuse as to why I couldn't just eat one piece but had to eat the whole pizza. The truth ended up being that I needed to work on self control. Most people who overeat have issues with self control.
As for the culture thing...I feel like that depends on the person. Yes we have a lot of more overweight people but I can't place the blame on the type of foods we are eating or the advertisements. Our society has a problem with "bigger is better" and our portion sizes have increased dramatically over the years. It makes sense why so many people have issues with moderation. My mother lost 100 pounds eating mostly fast food, the difference was how much she ate, not what kinds of foods she was eating.
WW pointed out the portion size issue in the commercial. That was one of the reasons I liked it. When you say our society...well that is important. A person is basically divorcing themselves from society if they want to be healthy. A very difficult thing to do emotionally.0 -
I don't know if food addiction is true or not. People say it is, like I am addicted to chocolate, etc. I take them at their word.
I tend to go with what the experts say. If you were to ask a psychology expert they would tell you that binge eating is not classified as an addiction, but a disorder. I feel like people who claim they're addicted to chocolate are using that as an excuse as to why they can't cut back.
I used to claim I was addicted to pizza. That was my excuse as to why I couldn't just eat one piece but had to eat the whole pizza. The truth ended up being that I needed to work on self control. Most people who overeat have issues with self control.
As for the culture thing...I feel like that depends on the person. Yes we have a lot of more overweight people but I can't place the blame on the type of foods we are eating or the advertisements. Our society has a problem with "bigger is better" and our portion sizes have increased dramatically over the years. It makes sense why so many people have issues with moderation. My mother lost 100 pounds eating mostly fast food, the difference was how much she ate, not what kinds of foods she was eating.
Spot on, girly. You've got your head on straight!
Agreed.I did weight watchers about ten years ago and lost 30 pounds. I gained it all back and then some. Problem was it didn't help me understand WHY I was fat. Dr. Phil's books helped a lot in this area.
I like Dr. Phil well enough, and I've read at least one of his diet books. But he's a no nonsense guy, and doesn't really go deeper than need be to tackle issues. Why we get fat may really not be any deeper than we consume more calories than we burn...
And if someone's pants are getting tight, restaurants that are in steep competition with each other for patrons of their respective establishments aren't holding a gun to that persons head to lick their plate clean, you know I mean? And I don't think that person refusing to lick their plate clean because their pants are too tight is divorcing themselves from society either.
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I don't know if food addiction is true or not. People say it is, like I am addicted to chocolate, etc. I take them at their word.
I tend to go with what the experts say. If you were to ask a psychology expert they would tell you that binge eating is not classified as an addiction, but a disorder. I feel like people who claim they're addicted to chocolate are using that as an excuse as to why they can't cut back.
I used to claim I was addicted to pizza. That was my excuse as to why I couldn't just eat one piece but had to eat the whole pizza. The truth ended up being that I needed to work on self control. Most people who overeat have issues with self control.
As for the culture thing...I feel like that depends on the person. Yes we have a lot of more overweight people but I can't place the blame on the type of foods we are eating or the advertisements. Our society has a problem with "bigger is better" and our portion sizes have increased dramatically over the years. It makes sense why so many people have issues with moderation. My mother lost 100 pounds eating mostly fast food, the difference was how much she ate, not what kinds of foods she was eating.
WW pointed out the portion size issue in the commercial. That was one of the reasons I liked it. When you say our society...well that is important. A person is basically divorcing themselves from society if they want to be healthy. A very difficult thing to do emotionally.
I don't believe a person has to remove themselves from society to be healthy. Society is not 100% all for eating fast food and making people fat. If it were, the weight loss industry wouldn't be a multi-billion dollar business. I personally believe weight loss is all about balance, and learning self control. A person has to have the right mindset when they're going into it, and they need a lot of emotional support. I read what you said about your sister. It sounds like she has some symptoms of binge eating disorder. Obviously I am not a psychologist/dont know the whole situation, so I can't diagnose, but I did major in psychology so I'm not completely without knowledge. While BED is a serious issue that should not be ignored, it's not classified as an addiction. The most interesting thing I've done when researching eating disorders is learn that one of the first things they tell people with binge eating disorder is to stop dieting, because the restricting can trigger binges.0 -
SexyHealthyFit175 wrote: »I do feel that food addiction is real. It was easier for me to quit smoking than it has been for me to change my eating habits and lose weight, even for better health. The craving s of foods and sweets used to be so bad at one point where I physically would get sick. I'm still not where I need to be but I'm a lot further than where I was. I do think the commercial was interesting and had a lot of truth. If i didn't smell mcdonalds from 2 blocks away or didn't see a food advertisement on most websites or magazine or tv commercial I would be as obsessed. I'd still be obsessed but it wouldn't be so bad. Lots of people have great self control, others struggle and suffer. There is an over eaters anonymous group that does help people with meetings and such. If food addiction wasn't real, those assistance programs wouldn't exist.
Ignorance is bliss.
If you go to the overeaters anonymous website, they don't say anything about it being an addiction. They say they give help to people with "compulsive overeating, binge eating, or other eating disorders."
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While it may not be an addiction on the order of alcoholism or heroin, I would definitely say that the way my body reacts to sugar and highly processed carbs is close. If I don't eat much of it, I am fine resisting it. Once I start eating those types of foods, they get harder and harder to resist. They become all I can think about. My hunger and satiety cues stop working correctly. I lost 100 pounds, and have kept them off for almost 2 years now. I logged my food while I was losing, but I've maintained all this time without logging, just by eating real, natural foods and avoiding the junk. I can (and do) occasionally have a treat, but I do it with the full knowledge that I will have to work harder to resist overeating the minute I start eating anything sweet/processed. I agree with those that said you have to resist society's norms to maintain a healthy weight. That is true for me: it takes work to avoid things that come in a box or a bag (which is the norm in our society), but less work than trying to eat those things in any kind of moderation.0
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Well, after posting this last night I did a tiny bit of research and found out that food addiction is a thing.
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/binge-eating-disorder/mental-health-food-addiction
Personally, I believe you can become addicted to anything; food, alcohol, drugs, sex, television, reading, video games, etc. Once those "pleasure pathways" are set up in your brain you are addicted.0 -
I think y'all missed the point of the commercial. I understood it to mean that fast food companies are going to be pushing bigger portion sizes and fattier foods in front of you. Either gain some self-control or watch your downfall.
Basically, I thought it was saying, "It's not the food's fault. It's your fault for not being able to say no. Get it together."0 -
hollydubs85 wrote: »
Basically, I thought it was saying, "It's not the food's fault. It's your fault for not being able to say no. Get it together."
Yes, I agree. The end was TAKE CONTROL.0 -
bump0
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Let's say that food addiction is a real thing. That does not mean that all people who are overweight have an addiction to food. If a person truly has that addiction, Weight Watchers is most likely not gong to be enough assistance for that person. People need to lean to stop misplacing the blame and take responsibility for their actions.0
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LOL- watched the whole game- and didn't see this commercial.
I found it odd. But I wasn't inspired enough to go look it up on the tube of you.0 -
bronzeambition wrote: »Let's say that food addiction is a real thing. That does not mean that all people who are overweight have an addiction to food. If a person truly has that addiction, Weight Watchers is most likely not gong to be enough assistance for that person. People need to lean to stop misplacing the blame and take responsibility for their actions.
Agree. I don't have a food addiction but still gained weight. The difference is someone like my sister, who I think clearly has an addiction, and someone like me who made bad choices over the course of 10 years and gained about 10 pounds a year.0 -
I find this an interesting topic, as the Super Bowl is second, only to Thanksgiving, for some Americans, to overindulge in eating.
I blame myself (not food companies) for my becoming obese by overeating. I am responsible, with help from MFP, and many people here, for being able to become a "normal" sized person through educating myself about diet, nutrition and exercise, and doing something to change and become healthier.
The only thing food companies are responsible for, is making foods that taste so wonderful, that it is sometimes hard to resist, even when you know better.
Personal responsibility. Me, myself and I, were responsible for becoming obese, and for finally overcoming my bad overeating habits.0 -
I was a bit offended. As someone who has known people with addictions to deadly substances and people who have died from overdosing, it bothers me that they would equate overeating junk food to a deadly drug addiction. When you equate overeating to an addiction, you're giving yourself yet another excuse. "I couldn't help myself, I'm addicted!" comes to mind. Lack of self control is different.
I also think that demonizing any kind of food is like a fire starter for an eating disorder, and that's exactly what they did.
As a sufferer of disordered eating, I found the commercial to be triggering.
Anyone addicted to anything - drugs, tobacco, alcohol, etc. - is still personally responsible for their actions. They choose to smoke, snort, shoot up, drink, etc. How hard it is to NOT do these things varies, but it does not take away the fact that the only way to stop is through personal will power or physical restraint.
Addiction, compulsion, obsession, craving .. call it what you want. We are all responsible for our actions. Even if those actions harm us.0 -
hollydubs85 wrote: »
Basically, I thought it was saying, "It's not the food's fault. It's your fault for not being able to say no. Get it together."
Yes, I agree. The end was TAKE CONTROL.
I stood up and applauded after the commercial. But then, I usually love WW commercials. The "If you're sad and you know it, have a snack" commercials crack me up every time.0 -
I'm hard-wired to dislike commercials.
WW spent a lot of money for that commercial and they expect a return. It's fine if there's a positive message, but they're not out for your best interest--they expect a return on their investment.0
This discussion has been closed.
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