“Weight Tracking” in Context

“Weight tracking” as a tool to control the pounds is interesting, because our culture tends to rely on this to a greater extent than others.

The French culture, for example, does not agonize over pounds. Indeed, they will froth at you if you suggest that their low weight results from a “diet”. After living there for 2 years, I saw that their success begins with their cultural habits at the table.

I now teach the Mediterranean diet to Americans by training these cultural habits of eating, fork control, pacing, etc. What I find is that, once these behavioral habits are conditioned, “weight tracking” becomes unnecessary. Most actually throw the scale away.

I know this is not typical, and that the very success of the Weight Watchers business model is built around our need to track our weight as an aid to compliance. However, our American cultural habits have produced seadily increasing obesity.

With great respect for the status quo, I just think there may be a fundamentally different, and more effective, approach.