Just Eat by Barry Estabrook

Author:Barry Estabrook [Estabrook, Barry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Potter/Ten Speed/Harmony/Rodale
Published: 2021-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

FOODS WITH SUGAR AND FAT CONTENTS EQUAL HIGH POINTS.

FOODS WITH HIGHER PROTEIN CONTENT HAVE LOWER POINTS.

MANY LOW-FAT, NO-SUGAR, HIGH-PROTEIN FOODS EQUAL ZERO POINTS.

“WEEKLIES”: BONUS POINT ALLOWANCES FOR THE OCCASIONAL SPLURGE WHILE OTHERWISE STAYING WITHIN THE RECOMMENDED TOTAL POINTS.

“Yes,” he said, with a knowing smile. “But our research shows that if people really do things like that, they don’t do so often or for long. If they continued, that would be a problem, but it tends to take care of itself. Essentially, we’re telling people that zero-point items are something you don’t have to expend a lot of mental gymnastics on. We’re worried about the higher-point-valued foods.”

Points aside, calories are still important in the WW program, even if they are not emphasized. “You have to eat fewer calories than you burn to lose weight,” Foster said, invoking the traditional thinking of nutritionist experts. “We’re not defying the laws of thermodynamics here. What we’re saying is that calories are only part of the picture. Purely for weight loss, you can eat a thousand calories of candy or a thousand calories of broccoli—though neither would be nutritionally recommended—and you’ll still lose weight. But you wouldn’t get the important health benefit consumers want. That’s why points take into consideration more than calories.”

Talking with Foster made it clear that when losing pounds the WW way, what went on inside my brain was as important as what went into my belly. “Half the battle of trying to manage weight has nothing to do with eating. It’s mindset,” said Foster. Mindset was only one of many bits of psychological jargon Forster dropped into his explanation of the WW program. He also spoke of “behavior acknowledgment,” “cognitive cushions,” “stimulus control,” “external triggers,” “empirically tested behavioral phenomena,” and “bringing positive psychology to the masses.”

Much of the system is designed to act as subtle, even subconscious, persuasion. Foster said the organization no longer resorted to words like have to, must, or should in guiding customers to a better way of eating. “Those words sound very diet-y,” he said. “They make it feel like a death sentence, rather than a way to live the rest of your life. Our methods make you feel better. It’s that simple.”

So instead of issuing direct commands and ultimatums, WW uses SmartPoints to encourage members to favor certain categories of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and lean meats that help reduce weight and bring additional health benefits. Going out to a restaurant and devouring a slab of prime rib is perfectly fine, according to Foster, but WW members have to balance the pleasure such indulgences deliver against their cost in points (about fifteen for prime rib). If it’s worth it, go ahead. Otherwise, consider ordering the grilled salmon instead.

The new points allotment also includes what the company calls weeklies, or bonus points, which you can draw on and still remain compliant should you overdo it one day. Foster compares these weeklies to a bank account that you can dip into if need be. WW added weeklies

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