General Board
My report to Dr. Wing about my weight
Posted By: Russell Willaims <mailto:Donquxiote@hotmail.com(63.49.115.39)
Date: Friday, 13 July 2001, at 12:11 a.m.My report on my fifth year of participation in the National Weight Control Registry run by Rena R. Wing.
To be eligible for the Registry, an individual must have lost at least 30 pounds and maintained the loss for one year or longer.
When I first heard of the Registry I had recently lost 50 pounds. The probable reason for this unexplained weight loss was my development of diabetes. The fact that my doctor was using a monthly urine test as the major means of keeping my diabetes under tight control may have been a contributing factor in the weight loss. In any case, I met the criteria to be a member of the Registry and so I joined it.
After I changed doctors my sugars were more closely monitored. My sugar levels went down and I gained about 25 pounds. For the last four years I have stayed around 300 pounds. About once a year I get a questionnaire from Dr. Wing. The questionnaire includes a report on current findings about members of the Registry. One of the statements made is, "Over time, some members of the Registry have regained weight. Those who regained weight over a one year period also reported large decreases in activity levels and increases in fat consumption, suggesting again that low-fat eating styles and regular exercise play an important role in the maintenance of weight loss."
I am paying some attention to my diet because of the diabetes, not because I'm trying to lose weight. I do not see any part of this questionnaire when they ask you why a person is paying attention to their diet. They seem to simply assume that if you are paying attention to your diet this paying attention must be related to a desire for weight loss.
Since I have regained weight and also greatly increased my exercise I am not sure what they will do with my data.
Some of the questions I find interesting:
Have you avoided contact with friends or overweight?
Currently, how often do you weigh yourself? (I marked less than one time a week)
How difficult it is it for you to maintain your weight at present? (I marked "easy")
Compared to one year ago how careful are you now about making sure you follow your exercise regimen? (I truthfully stated that I am more careful now then I was one year ago. I did not mention that the exercise seems to help lower blood sugars)
Compared to one year ago, how careful are you about maintaining your current weight? (I answered "the same")
How much willpower does it take to maintain your current weight? (None at all)
How much would a weight fluctuation of five pounds affect the way you live your life? (I answered "not at all")
How much pleasure you do you derive from eating a low-fat meal? (I answered, "none at all.")
If you regained weight in the next year how likely would you be to make excuses for why you regained weight? (I answered, wouldn't do this at all.)
If you regained weight in the next year how likely would you be to make jokes about it? (I answered, "Wouldn’t do this at all.")
The above is just a quick snapshot of a small portion of the 23 pages of questions that I answered. Since this is a major study conclusions drawn from the study may come to be viewed as a sort of gospel by the medical profession. By my participation I hope to make it impossible to maintain that 100 percent of people who have lost weight have done so because they use the numbers on a bathroom scale to determine their value as human beings. Over the years I have encouraged other people to participate in the study. Whether anyone else has joined the study I do not know.
Yours truly
Russell Williams, activism vice president ISAA