Weight Loss Role Model Natalie Strawn Proves That Diets Are a Waste of Time

on December 13, 2011 at 4:44 PM

Natalie Strawn, the 20-year-old from Nebraska who appeared on GMA yesterday to discuss her 282-pound weight loss, has become something of a celebrity overnight. People all over the U.S. are fascinated by her battle with the scale and also what she stands for: an "in-your-face!" to the obesity epidemic the country has been grappling with. And sure, we always love a heartwarming, uplifting success story. But I'm positive there's more to it than that.

We think, "Well, whatever she did to lose almost 300 pounds can, without a doubt, help me lose 10, 40, or 100, right?" But what she's doing isn't exactly what many of us want to hear.

On GMA, Strawn shared that she's been following Weight Watchers and that what she loves about the plan is its flexibility. She can pretty much eat "whatever she wants," as long as she watches her portions. And while you'd think that would be something someone looking to lose weight would seek in a program, it actually scares the hell out of lots of people. We're so brainwashed to think we need a DIET -- with rigorous rules and regulations and lists of "can't haves." Bonus points if it's a fad popular diet -- something attached to a celebrity, Dr. Oz, a book, or a disease ("Let's cut out gluten completely, even if we're not allergic to it, but just to see if that leads to slimming success, wheee!!").

That's why diets like Slim Fast and Jenny Craig and NutriSystem do very well. People who go for those systems claim they "don't have time" to cook for themselves. They'd prefer to be told what to eat or given a boxed lunch, so they don't "have to think" about making the right choice when given a choice.

That's fine, but "dieters" are the ones who could really stand to learn a thing or two from Natalie. She's going to be better off than people who need a quick fix, a fad diet, pre-packaged and pre-approved food. Because having to think and make those tough decisions -- like whether or not to spend your daily allotted calories on a brownie or whether you're going to treat yourself to that cocktail (even if it means skipping the pasta) -- leads to long-term weight loss success. It's about being an active participant in your own weight loss journey instead of being passive follower of a diet.

Sure, with a lifestyle program like WW, there are "tricks" involved -- like coming up with lighter versions of your favorite dessert (brownies made with yogurt instead of eggs!), or remembering that if "you bite it, you write it" in your food journal. But these are actually just healthy habits you want to and can easily adopt for a lifetime. They're what will help Natalie get to her goal weight and maintain it for years to come. I can't imagine that anyone looking to lose weight would want to settle for "tricks" that deliver anything less.

How do you feel about fad dieting?

Image via ABC

About the author Maressa Brown

has enjoyed reporting and writing for a variety of entertainment and women's magazines and websites. More often than not, you'll find her blogging, reading, researching something on her iPhone, laughing, chatting at an above-"normal" volume, or getting her caffeine fix.

Filed Under: weight loss, obesity

Comments (11)

Facebook comment from Amanda Valenti

on Dec 13, 2011 at 4:50 PM

it's not terrible if you can transition into eating healthy portions. im against weight watchers now because, though their plan worked about 7 years ago, they now created a plan that, if you follow it TO A T you will lose maybe a pound a week....so they can drain your money longer. low-no carb diets are cool too, if you can maintain that life style. it's fast weight loss and after a while you lose your desire for carbs, i lost 15 pounds in 3 weeks and had no desire for bread/pasta/sugar...and im italian! idk...to each his/her own

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RhondaVeggie

on Dec 13, 2011 at 4:58 PM

Weight watchers is a diet. I love it when people call it a lifestyle so the can avoid admitting that they're on a diet. Toting around a points calculator and/or a list of approved foods is just as much of a life style change as avoiding carbs or making sure all your meals contain pineapple or any of the other diets out there. It's also a ridiculous one size fits all diet. They assume that if you are a certain weight and eat a certain number of calories then you will lose a certain amount of weight. Not so. I'm one of many people who tried WW and found it sucked. I stuck to it for a year and lost six pounds.

Kritika

on Dec 13, 2011 at 5:03 PM

Eat a packet of high fiber oatmeal for breakfast, whatever you want for lunch (sandwich, side of fries and a diet soda), apple as an afternoon snack and a tomato/cucumber/feta salad with olive oil and vinegar for dinner. 1 hour at the gym 4 times a week. I am 5'4 and 115lbs. It's not that hard.

Nonmember comment from zizz

on Dec 13, 2011 at 6:11 PM

I eat whatever I want, no matter what is is or when it is, because I am a huge junk food addict. I can also only eat about 1/3 of a cupcake or 5 chips! It's not a diet, it's my natural eating habit, and it's kept me very slim my entire life despite the atrocious things I eat LOL. Gluttony is what gets people, not indulgence.

linzemae

on Dec 13, 2011 at 7:32 PM

I tried ww for 2 months and lost only 5lbs. There is too much flexibility, the food is processed and full of salt and not filling. I started seeing a nutritionist and lost almost 7% body fat in just 4 weeks. It's about regulating your metabolism. These are the best results I've ever had. And I feel so much better eating less salt and having more balance in my diet. I don't consider it a diet, its absolutely a lifestyle change

ashja

on Dec 14, 2011 at 12:49 AM

@zizz - Wow, I am in awe of anyone who can eat only part of a cupcake! I'm a thin junk-food lover too, but I eat regular portions and run about 40 miles a week. I feel a lot less deprived than when I tried to cut portion sizes or ban junk food. What people don't seem to get is that calories are calories, so you may as well eat what you enjoy instead of diet food, whether you eat smaller portions or work out more. Totally agree with you about indulgence v. gluttony!

Nonmember comment from Anna

on Dec 14, 2011 at 2:27 AM

Diets are a waste of time. Saying you are on a diet is admitting that the changes you are making are only temporary, so as soon as you go off the diet you are likely to gain the weight back. In the past year or so, I have lost about 20 lbs and gone from a size 18 to a 14 with a belt (almost to 12 but not quite yet). I am not on a diet. All I did was start eating smaller portions and exercising at least 3x a week. I used to do Zumba which was a great workout but my new work schedule doesn't allow me to go anymore so now I use the fitness room that my employer provides in the basement of the office. I still eat all the foods I love and drink alcohol, I just exercise self-control when it comes to portions. The smaller you make your portions, your body gets used to eating less food and then you get filled up faster.

RMT1995

on Dec 14, 2011 at 9:59 AM

Eat less, move more. That's all there is to it. You don't need to cut out carbs (which, doing so, by the way, leads to screwing up your metabolism BIG time, not to mention a severe lack of energy) or some other fad diet. Fad diets are temporary. People need to educate themselves on what their BMI is, how many calories their daily goal should be to lose x amount each week, etc. I still eat fast food sometimes but not as much anymore. And I run. (A Happy Meal can be burned by about 40 minutes or so on an elliptical.) So if you're the type of person who doesn't want to be deprived, read the labels and prepare to burn some calories later.

Nonmember comment from Ellie

on Dec 14, 2011 at 1:06 PM

Although I applaud her success, don't think weight watchers is the healthiest option. You need to be aware of what you're putting in your body, and get an appropriate amount of exercise. Fad diets in particular are ridiculous. People simply need to recognize that there are a a lot of unhealthy options out there, and it's really not that hard to avoid them. Meat, dairy, sugar, sodas, processed food, etc- just don't eat it. Eat fruits and veggies and whole grains and nuts and you'll be set.

Nonmember comment from Fred

on Dec 14, 2011 at 3:37 PM

This country's fear of dietary fat has completely ruined our health. Eat real, non-processed foods. No more pro-inflammatory seed oils like soybean, sunflower, safflower, Canola and vegetable oils instead of clean animal fats, coconut and avocado. No more CAFO meats that are pumped full of antibiotics and hormones. No more processed grains like bread and pasta (which all have added sugar). And eat naturally sweetened foods - skip the sugary desserts. "Portion control?" How many times have you heard someone say "I'm going back on Weight Watchers?" Our bodies have developed mechanisms over that last few million years to prevent us from overeating - but fake, chemical laden, sugary foods throw our endocrine systems out of whack so our brains don't receive the signals from hormones like Leptin and Ghrelin saying "Stop! You're full!" If you eat real foods with a good amount of dietary fat, it's really, really difficult to overeat. Good for her, and congrats. I really hope she can find a way to switch to healthy foods, high in real sources of dietary fat, clean animal protein and natural carbohydrates. Otherwise she'll end up like all the rest who are "going back on Weight Watchers."