Weight Loss Commandments Demystified as Only Suggestions

Like many tv-talk-show-personalities, you either love him or can't stand him.
Dr Oz's tv show is now on in the afternoon after another medical advice show called "The Doctors" (which is alot like The View, only instead of 4 catty women being all opinionated, this show is 4 catty doctors being all opinionated).

But this crossed my path... I am relisting the entire list of 10 here for education and discussion purposes. . The parentheses comments are all my own.

1. Thou Shalt Not Wear Pants that Stretch

(Oh thou art a cruel deciever stretchy pants. You can live in the land of Denial a lot longer when wearing yoga pants or stretch pants as your comfy fashion choice.)


2. Thou Shalt Not Keep Bad Clothes in Your Closet

(Ditch the fat pants? Only a man would put this as a commandment! HA ha ha. Seriously, its not about the fat pants. Even Stacy & Kelly from What Not To Wear would likely advise you need to ditch the fat pants, the ugly pants, the holey pants, the unflattering pants, the flannel shirts, the oversized shirts, the ugly shirts, the tattered sweatshirts, the frilly 1970s prairie girl blouses and every other thing in your closet that you cling to thinking it defines "your Style"-- ditch the slouch and the ugly and fill your closet with classics that flatter your body. I suffer from having half a closet of Someday Clothes -- clothes that will fit me when I'm thin and beautiful. They anchor me in Someday. Why? My reality clothes, fat clothes (even the zip up pants with no stretch) don't make me happy. And aren't flattering. When with designers of Big Big Girl clothes get a clue about what's appropriate?) For now, I'll wontonly break Commandment 2, as Bad Clothes are all I've got, thank you.)



3. Thou Shalt Not Eat Meat That Walks on Four Legs More Than Once a Week

(Science + Lifestyle Fact Noted: women who eat large amounts of red meat more than once a week have a 50% higher chance of dying from heart disease and red meat eating women also have higher cancer rates. That's why I'm all about being a vegetarian/vegan... even if its a real struggle esp. in social situations where others socially demand you eat meat) But there's a reason I gravitate toward raw vegan! I want my health back and I don't want to eat anything that had a mother, no matter how many legs or fins it has/had. )



4. Thou Shalt Not Graze

(Again, I disagree. Dr Oz, this is too broad. Its a suggestion, dude, just a suggestion, and a vague one at that. Grazing on healthy food, esp veggies all day, is ideal for me. I never get hungry and I never feel like I have to woof down a big 'rabbit food' salad at meals. Yes I plan it out. Five to Six "small meals" a day instead of 3 Big Meals... that's commonly suggested to folks transitioning to weight release. And to go from 3 to 6, yeah, feels like grazing to me. Now if you mean grazing like cookies, cupcakes, candies, sweety granola bars and stuff like that, then yes, don't graze in that pasture people! The (wheat)grass is greener on the Veggie Grazing pasture! Graze on snap peas, califlower, broccoli, carrots, green peppers, tomatoes!)



5. Thou Shalt Not Eat After 7:30pm

(Every diet/ weight loss/ nutrition /fitness book says this. Every Single One.)



6. Thou Shalt Not Pile Food More than 1 Inch High or Within 2 Inches of the Plate Edge

(Really? This is a commandment? That sounds a bit Big Western Plate Centrist Dr Oz. Instead of eating off the dinner plate, do what lots of people do: eat off the small salad plate for your entree plate, and its okay to put small portions of food on saucers too. Smaller portions look bigger on small plates. I have a collection of vintage plates and they are the most gorgeously detailed plates. I love them because they are classy, but also because 40 years ago plates were smaller. Plates have become supersized. Go with smaller plates. Now with my smaller plates, if I follow your commandment Dr Oz- two inches of plate edge I'm left eating petit four sized meals... or a caprese salad standing up, tomatos and mozzerella stacked on a skewer. But that violates the one inch high rule. Ugh. I think this is a suggestion, not a commandment when you get real about plate size.)



7. Thou Shalt Not Chew Food Less than 20 Times Per Bite

(Counting each bite takes the joy out of eating. I'm for savoring your food, eating it slowly yes. Turns out most people don't chew their food much. Being more tuned into Raw Veggies I've re-trained my face muscles. Masticating is an art. Seriously. You can help your digestion, your stress level and your food portion size and your over all eating consciousness when you pay attention to chewing. Agreed.

But counting as a Commandment? Again, dude, this is a suggestion. So much processed food is created and designed to be consumed without much consumer effort. People transitioning from Processed to Raw, early on talk about how sore their face is from having to chew veggies so much. I used to be an Eat Fast person. Following the social lead, I ate on the go go go. Eating while travelling or just standing up eating next to the stove. Fast was the name of the game and I was good! Now I look forward to eating slow. And I take it to classy heights and will add that I love table cloths, cloth napkins, even a candle when I eat. I like taking the time to chew and enjoy my veggies and fruits now, but don't make it a Commandment to count how many times I chew per bite.)



8. Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Neighbor's Plate

(Truer for mothers of young children, than for any other group or demographic I think. Most people don't want to finish other people's food or eat off another person's plate. But moms who don't want to waste food when Junior doesn't finish his plate may benefit from this suggestion. Again, suggestion, not a Commandment.)



9. Thou Shalt Not Carry Small Bills

(This one refers to vending machine and snackies. I think money guru Dave Ramsey would disagree. He'd likely advise be smart about your $ choices and eat healthy, but by all means carry cash.)



10. Thou Shalt Not Eat While Standing Up

(See also #7. Addendum may be, And try to avoid eating in the car.)


I'm surprized that in the 10 Commandments (which when critically analysed seem to only be suggestions and not hard fast Commandments) not one mention of Food Journal/ Food Tracking / Daily intake Food Diary. That's a key to weight loss. Commandment or not, many people are unconscious about what they eat. And nearly every Program or Weight Loss coach out there suggests tracking what you eat and how much of it. Some folks like tracking calories, others track protien vs carbs, still others track Program Points assigned to foods. Seems careless to leave this critical weight loss tool off a doctor's Commandments!

And seems downright ignorant to ignore Exercise advocacy on a Weight Loss Commandment list! Not one word about exercise, but you tell me to chew each bite 20 times? The other necessity in weight release is expending calories consumed for energy with adequate movement, action, exercise, and fun. See, that's another reason I can't call this list he's created "Commandments." They're more accurately "eating suggestions."

And the final reason why I can't agree that this is a Weight Loss Commandments list -- where is the water? Most people are dehydrated. Not enough water. And in the course of the day they drink too much soda, energy drinks, and other chemically wackadoo liquids that the body can't accurately translate into health. The body is made up of water in every cell and water is necessary for digestion, detox and elimination. Water is also necessary to sweating.

Water is also necessary for proper brain function. When one gets tired and reaches for the caffiene soda pop, its like a drug hit, a short term fix that leaves you craving another hit. Water however feeds the body what it really needs. And it helps all matters of thinking and activity far better. I think for a Dr to leave the critical element Proper Hydration (of ditching the chemical fluids and adding in drinking plenty of water) off a Weight Loss Commandments list is just irresponsible leadership.

Sorry Dr. Oz. This list is not a well advised "10 Commandments." Thumbs down. Its merely a eating suggestions list.