The History Of Weight Loss

26 Jun

Dieting Fads and approaches

Dieting fads date back hundreds of years including sugar promotion, appetite-suppression using cigarettes (Year 1925) and liquid diets, weight-loss drugs, low carb, and lots more. But they usually failed to deliver sustainable results and often were dangerous.

Whilst there’s insufficient space here to provide details of all of the dieting methods developed, notable ones (if only for their strength of marketing) include, in chronological order:

1963 - Weight Watchers. WW International now operates in 30 countries under a philosophy of eating better, exercising and support. It has 3 different versions: a standard points programme; a version for those on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs e.g. ozempic (see my earlier blog) and one for diabetics.
1969 – Slimming World. SW is the UK’s largest weight-loss service with circa. 700,000 members and its approach is to split food into 3 categories;
- Free Food (‘healthiest’ category) with unlimited amounts of vegetables, fruit, lean meat, eggs, potatoes and pasta.
- Healthy Extras, a food group to be eaten daily in measured amounts e.g. wholemeal bread, breakfast cereals, milk, cheese, nuts and seeds.
- Syns (or “Sins”, pre-2000!); foods that are least satiating and highest caloric e.g. cake, biscuits, and alcohol, with members encouraged to have <15 Syns/day.
1992 - The Atkins Diet. Dr. Atkins made a “low-carb” diet mainstream by publishing a book “Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution.” Its idea is simply to limit carbohydrates (containing sugar) so the body burns body fat as fuel.

Has the introduction of such weight loss methods improved obesity rates? Well there’s no sign of that as rates have continued to climb, unabated over the period during which they gained a foothold here in England and in the United States

Nutritional therapy for weight loss

Whilst food and nutrition have been studied for hundreds of years, modern nutrition science is considered to have officially started in 1926 when the first vitamin was developed. Nutritional Therapy (NT) has emerged from that science with related definitions including this from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition (ION): “Nutritional therapy is a 360-degree approach, tailored to the individual and their specific needs”.

A Nutritional Therapist considers various related client factors e.g. age, gender, genetics, medical history & conditions, allergies, and nutrient inadequacies. He/she won’t recommend calorie tracking, point-based budgets etc. but instead advises on science-based, healthier foods, supplements and related lifestyle improvements e.g. sleep quality, which are specific to the pre-evaluated client.

ION analysed both SW and WW alongside NT with key points including:

Both SW and WW indicate their methods adhere to nutritional science but the guidelines that they follow are aligned with outdated science.
Catering for personalised needs is opposed by their “one size fits all” approach.
They demonise fats (outright or all saturated) despite them being beneficial for weight loss and an important nutrient for health, as per scientific research. Good quality fats are satiating and contain essential fatty acids (EFAs) as well as fat soluble vitamins that many people lack. They are also helpful for those with metabolic issues as they do not spike blood sugar or insulin.
They promote high carbohydrates e.g. potatoes and pasta, which quickly convert to glucose. This can lead to weight gain and increased cravings in many people as well as metabolic dysfunction - so increasing the likelihood of related diseases e.g. coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes and PCOS.
Their “healthy & unhealthy”, complicated food rules and pressure to track food can create food anxiety and so trigger negative eating behaviors. Besides being reported in mainstream media, such negative, app-based tracking effects are also reported in the scientific literature. The absurdity that those with a healthy weight can also be recruited also risks eating disorders.
The relatively cheap (initial) financial outlay for SW and WW is noted as the probable reason for their popularity compared with NT. However, longer-term benefits of NT including sustainable weight loss and health must be considered. And that actually includes overall financial costs, particularly when the educational aspects of NT are factored in.

Note that similar views on the WW and SW approaches to weight loss are also reported elsewhere with concerns regarding key issues such as their long-term sustainability.

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Disclaimer:

This blog has been compiled in good faith for educational purposes. It also includes references to other information provided by relevant organisations sourced via the internet and my related interpretation. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the above, I cannot accept liability for any unknown errors, omissions or misinterpretation of the information.

The information provided is not a substitute for professional medical advice which can be sought from a medical professional or other healthcare provider.