Posts Tagged ‘support group’

I did some research this week on the evolution of weight loss programs.  We often refer to iChange as the “next generation” of program, using internet and mobile technology to be a “virtual support system.”  But to make a claim about next generation, I wanted to understand the older generations that we are building upon.  Here’s what I learned:

The Weight Loss Stone Age (before 1960).  Prior to the founding of Weight Watchers and the emergence of many of the popular diet programs we know today, the concept of dieting and weight loss was at best, unsophisticated, and at worst, absurd.  If you needed to lose weight, you were pretty much on your own, or in extreme cases, you would receive help from the family doctor.  There were a few “fad” diets that started as early in the 1800’s, many of which are laughable today (although many of today’s diets are still laughable).  Some favorites:

• Alcohol Diet.  References to diets go as far back as 1087, when French Royal William the Conqueror found himself so obese he couldn’t mount a horse.  His solution?  Lock himself in his room with only alcohol to consume.  He was able to remount his horse but reportedly later died of abdominal injuries when he slipped from his saddle.
• Vinegar Diet.  Popularized by British poet Lord Byron in 1820, the soaking-food-in-vinegar diet helped him lose a reported 60 pounds.
• Cigarette Diet.  In 1925, Lucky Strikes cigarettes launched a campaign for smokers to “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet.”
• Tapeworm Diet. In the 1950’s there were reports of a pill that contained a tapeworm, with the idea being that you can eat as much as you want as long as you let your personal tapeworm digest your food for you.  One reported dieter, opera singer Maria Callas, lost 65 pounds on the diet.

Support Systems  (Started with Weight Watchers in 1961). In the 1940’s and 1950’s the concept of group counseling and support emerged as a highly effective means of helping individuals with health-related issues.  The Mayo Clinic began using group therapy for patients and Alcoholics Anonymous emerged as a gold standard for addiction recovery.  Weight Watchers adapted the support system model into their group weight loss programs in the 1960’s.  Since then, millions of people have participated in Weight Watchers groups, and it continues to be a $1 billion/year business for the company.

Popular  Diet Books (starting in late 1960’s). The 1960’s saw the emergence of diets that look familiar to us today.  The low-carb dieting fad became popular with the Stillman Diet (published in 1967), and followed up  in 1972 with Dr. Robert Atkins’ book,  Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution. While moderately popular at the time, Dr. Atkins’ book was roundly criticized in the medical community for a lack of scientific evidence.  Of course, many doctors embraced his theories several decades later.  Other popular diets included the Scarsdale Diet (1978) and The Cambridge Diet (1980s).

Self-Managed Web Programs (starting in late 1990’s).  Over the last 10-12 years we’ve seen amazing growth in online programs that make dieting a more convenient exercise.  Many programs offer online meal plans as well as online trackers to record and monitor progress.  Some have migrated to mobile devices giving people the ability to track progress on the run.  Although Weight Watchers was founded on the principal of group interaction, their popular Weight Watchers Online has focused on giving individuals tools to manage themselves.

The Next Generation:  Virtual Support Systems (today). We believe the next big wave in weight loss, and health management in general, will be to use technology to help people connect with practitioners, counselors, and support groups to get the help they need to be successful.  Weight Watchers revolutionized the offline version of group support for weight loss in the 1960’s which continues to be effective to this day.  But having to go to a remote strip mall every Tuesday at 7pm for your weigh-in and group meeting seems out-of-date in an age where technology can help bring the support to you.   Our belief is that as individuals have become more comfortable socializing with others online, it only makes sense that they will quickly evolve to the point that receiving advice and support for health-related issues will become second nature.  We hope that iChange will be a leader in this next phase of evolution.