Right thought; wrong program
Last Updated Aug 2007
As the federal government hopes that the problem of obesity will simply disappear,
some states are making efforts to address this complex issue because it is costing
them lots of money. Unlike the federal government, state governments have to
balance their budgets, hence their concern. This is particularly true for West
Virginia, which has one of highest rates of overweight and obese people in the
country, and is also is one of the poorest states. In desperation, the state is
turning to Weight Watchers to help solve its obesity problem, which costs West
Virginia nearly $140 million a year.
While I applaud the state's efforts, its game plan has to be questioned. West
Virginia officials point to a pilot program in Tennessee in which some 8,000 people
lost less than six pounds of weight over a six-month period by going to subsidized
Weight Watchers' meetings. Frankly, that amount of weight loss is relatively
pathetic considering the amount of money that was paid to Weight Watchers. After
all, if Weight Watchers were truly successful, the company would have been out of
business decades ago because people who attended would have taken off excess weight
for good. The reason why Weight Watchers fails to induce permanent weight loss is
that it doesn't recommend the correct rati of protein, carbohydrate and fat.
Another important reason is that people like to eat the foods that made them fat in
the first place. I believe the solution is to make the healthiest junk foods known
to medical science that induce satiety. If you aren't hungry, then cutting back
calories is easy. If your only tool is willpower, you are unlikely to be
successful. Prototypes, such as Zone pasta, rice, and pizza have now been made.
Next stop -- West Virginia.