Has Dr. Phil helped you lose weight?

[sugarless4life]

I've been watching Dr. Phil the past few days with his new "Ultimate Weight Loss Race" challenge.. and I got to wondering:

Has anyone here really been helped by Dr. Phil's book on weight loss? I haven't read it, but from what I've heard from others, there are positives in there ...

Anyone ?

Betty

[NewYorkGiants32]

I have the book, and in my opinion, everything in there is just common sense.

[HezzieLee]

I don't have much respect for Phil... He's turning a bit "Geraldo" for my taste! I'd rather come here for my motivation.

[flourchild]

Is it me, or is Dr. Phil one biscuit shy of being offered a before/after contract as a weightloss spokesmodel?

MEOW.

[suzanneyea]

I am watching it right now, so far he has not spoken about the kind of diet they will be following. I missed yesterday, did he say anything then?

[suzanneyea]

Now these poor people have to run a race?

[sugarless4life]

Yeah and I feel sorry for everyone of them. That is *not* smart. You simply don't take people who are grossly out of shape and say "RUN!" Gad, you'd think he would know better.

I was never obese, and yet it took me MONTHS to run a mile.

Betty

[afuentes]

Exactly! It took me several months to train for a 5k for the first time and I wasn't even obese.

[warriorscholar]

I've never liked Dr Phil. He just seems like a pushy jerk.

But then again, I've never met him and I don't watch his show. Thats just the way he comes off in commercials.

Cheers,

[JenGator]

I was so excited to read his book on weight loss when it came out, thinking, "Oh good, someone really smart has come up with a great plan and I'll read the book and really get motivated to lose the weight!" Well I read it, and wasn't really motivated to change anything. I don't remember why, but I know I put the book out at a yard sale at some point.

[FloridaShell]

I can't get past his monotone voice!!!

[iakaren]

Sometimes his sarcasm/smart #ss doesn't sit well with me. I might say katty things in my own home, but not on natl TV.

[sugarless4life]

I so know what you guys mean! Sometimes his smart @ss answers just weigh on my nerves .. which is kinda ironic, cuz I can be that way myself!

I dunno, today was just a bit over the top expecting people who are grossly overweight and out of shape to RUN .. that just rubbed me the wrong way...even as a RUNNER, I thought that was pretty dumb.

I mean, I like to push myself, but honestly, you HAVE to know your limits....

Betty

[Silver Spice]

They run and push extreme exercise for the big people on Biggest Loser show too.. I think it's so stupid to make someone push so hard they get sick to their stomach and writh in pain on day one. WHY????

[sugarless4life]

Originally Posted by Silver Spice

They run and push extreme exercise for the big people on Biggest Loser show too.. I think it's so stupid to make someone push so hard they get sick to their stomach and writh in pain on day one. WHY????

I have NEVER understood that. I mean, that gives a poor impression of exercise, IMO. People see that and think "oh I could NEVER do that" so they don't even try.

Why not teach people to START SLOW .. make the initial goal JUST TO GET OFF THE FRIGGIN' COUCH .. and go from there. Maybe if they showed people that you can succeed with that FIRST STEP, more people would try .. ya know?

I mean, if I had been told when I started that I'd have to RUN, I'd have given up long ago.

Teach people how to improve their lives SLOWLY .. as Tooter would say, this isn't a RACE .. its a slow, relentless, methodical, day-by-day, one-step-at-a-time journey to good health.

Betty

[tomswife]

What was that one reality show they had on a while back? They took a bunch of overweight people and had them walk like 500 miles. The first day one of the guys got sick and had to go to the hospital. They acted really surprised (he had blisters on his feet too) and I was like DUH! What, honestly, were they expecting. And, I'm assuming they were drinking water although they never showed that or talked about it.

[sugarless4life]

How absolutely SILLY and potentially DANGEROUS is that.

Downright stupid.

No wonder people have this mentality about exercise that says: "oh I could never do *that*"..... of course you can't .. and I can't ... no one can ..

That's unrealistic to say the least.

Betty

[cleochatra]

I've been helped by the advice in his book.

The diet plan is a higher-carb plan, so I wouldn't follow that-- but his advice is absolutely helpful.

He helped transform my attitude. Atkins helped transform my body.

[MissBeth]

I'm reading the book now. I bought the book a couple years ago b/c I like Dr. Phil (used to like him, seems lately some of his guests would fit in over at Jerry Springer's show).
Anyway, I didn't get very far reading it then b/c I just wasn't ready to change my life. Now that I have made life-long changes, reading the book is helping me come to terms with my excuses for eating off plan, being a closet eater, etc.
I agree with Cleo (and why wouldn't I? Cleo is one of the greatest of all inspirations!): Dr. Phil's eating plan of high-carb/low fat is wrong for me but the attitude adjustment is definitely helpful.

[suzanneyea]

I never get all these shows with tons of excercise. Who the hell wants to workout 8 hours a day? I lost my weight with no excercise, I just did not have the time, I was a new mom. Well, I guess I did walk a lot. I started working out when it became feasible to do so in my life. These weight loss shows need to teach people real things, like how to shop in a grocery store on a budget and still eat to lose weight! Real life skills that will help them in the long run.

[anniemo]

it is all about $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ and ratings. that is why they push people so hard. no one would watch it if it were the slow moving, healthy for your body, good for maintenance weight loss and exercise.

[soon2bskinny]

i'm sorry, i have to say it...i read his book and it sucks! i read it years ago when it first came out. my mom bought it and was bashing my woe (low carb) so i borrowed it. it's nothing no one already has heard before, and the strategies are obvious.

eat right and excercise?! it works?! gee thanks Dr.Phil for showing me the light.....

oh and yes! i must agree, Dr. Phil has become very Jerry-esque in the past few yrs. i liked him much better when he first came out and was more about helping ppl than shock value!

[whatjelly]

Dr. Phil is like a camera trying to take a picture, but there 'aint any film! I wonder how that's workin' for him????

Unfortuneately, his show will remain on the air as long as HARPO studios keep producing it. Oprah is kind of the reighning queen of all media I guess.

Personally, I think he should just quit while he's ahead... He's pretty much beat every dead horse to death... There's none left.

[sugarless4life]

Originally Posted by soon2bskinny

i'm sorry, i have to say it...i read his book and it sucks! i read it years ago when it first came out. my mom bought it and was bashing my woe (low carb) so i borrowed it. it's nothing no one already has heard before, and the strategies are obvious.

eat right and excercise?! it works?! gee thanks Dr.Phil for showing me the light.....

oh and yes! i must agree, Dr. Phil has become very Jerry-esque in the past few yrs. i liked him much better when he first came out and was more about helping ppl than shock value!

Betty

[cleochatra]

Originally Posted by MissBeth

I'm reading the book now. ...
I agree with Cleo (and why wouldn't I? Cleo is one of the greatest of all inspirations!): Dr. Phil's eating plan of high-carb/low fat is wrong for me but the attitude adjustment is definitely helpful.

You're adorable.

His book has helped a lot of people. I used to run a Dr Phil reading group at a low-carb board years ago. He has motivated a lot of people to think about where overweight really springs from inside.

I like the book, even if I think in some other ways he's lost his ball in the tall weeds.

[livinlarge]

First - I don't like Dr Phil. A little too sanctimonious for me.
Second - If someone told my fat a## that I had to run like, right now, it'd be all over! Not a chance...I'm lucky if I can walk a mile right now, let alone run it. That would discourage me enough to make me want to quit completely. I don't see how that would be beneficial. Not only would I be physically exhausted, but mentally as well. That's not motivation IMO.

[Irishnonee]

he looks like he could lose a few pounds. i have his book. started to read it and quit. too boring.

[cleochatra]

I think we're confusing the book with the show.

I am not a fan of his show, but his book offers introspection about overweight, and is very healthy, positive introspection. TV shows are for ratings. The book is actually something worth reading, at least for the personal inventory quizzes.

[oobladee]

Ultimate Weight Loss Solution is a good book! For me, inspiration is where you find it - and it is in many nooks and crannies.

Dr. Phil's hard-rockin' no excuses bit does come through in his writing, but for me, reading it is a bit easier to swallow than the "visual-auditory sensation" of his show! Most of us hear are very sensitive to the perceived "excuses & whiny laments of others", but when it's a pain WE identify with, well, that's different, hmmmm?

I rarely run out and buy any book du jour any more (I would go broke as an avid reader!), but cruise the used book stores or garage sales and pick one up. His book and many others can ring a bell that has not been heard yet!

Related to this subject in my mind is Biggest Loser...Phil is just drafting in the breeze of that show. For me, the whole concept of watching suffering fat people is like a train wreck - horrible and why can't i not look? I want to shake the tv at the weigh ins and sob, "It's OKAY to lose .5 pound in a week!"