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My diet: Put a sock in it, Doc, and don’t take it out

11 comments on My diet: Put a sock in it, Doc, and don’t take it out

My diet: Put a sock in it, Doc, and don’t take it out
: I just saw too much of Dr. Phil’s diet special with Katie Couric.

What a crock of crap.

Dr. Phil spouts his usual brand of bull: There is no such thing as will power, he says. Well, that’s ridiculous. Will power builds everything that’s worth building; will power powers the world. But Dr. Phil says that just so he can issue his own rule instead: “You have to program your life.” As if that means anything.

It’s shocking that NBC devotes not only its hours but also its news talent to this scam.

Want to lose weight? Eat less and exercise more. That’s the sad reality of it, not pap and crap from the bad Dr. Phil.

11 responses to “My diet: Put a sock in it, Doc, and don’t take it out”

  1. Beth Avatar
    Beth

    I caught the first fifteen minutes or so. Like your post on news above this one – this wasn’t a “news special” it was an infomercial for Phil’s new book. As if Oprah didn’t make the man enough money, he’s looking to cash in on the billions the diet/health industry banks. Shameless!

  2. Tom Harpel Avatar
    Tom Harpel

    I agree that NBC is doing little more than hocking Dr. Phil’s book. That’s their business. I, for one, am glad to see the network news organizations come out of the closet with what has been their mission for years: advertising. I say go ahead, stop reading press releases verbatim and calling it news. Adopt the infomercial model. It’s a more deliberate tact that makes it easier for everyone to understand what is going on. Scam? Hardly. I’m sure most people see this programming for what it is. Entertainment is an important element of any successful snake oil sales effort, and people love to be entertained.

  3. Kashei Avatar
    Kashei

    Do you not find that Dr. Phil and Oprah are just Rikki Lake and Jerry Springer for a slightly more educated and well-off demographic? The funniest part is how they smirk at their daytime watching counterparts.

  4. Dann Avatar
    Dann

    Careful, Jeff. You are going to lose your credentials from “Liberals R Us” with that kind of thinking. Personal responsibility and character aren’t concepts the LRU crowd likes to deal with very often.

  5. Steve Teeter Avatar
    Steve Teeter

    I didn’t see this segment, so I can only go by what you tell us here. But, gee, is it just me? Or are “You have to program your life” and “There is no such thing as will power” mutually contradictory?

  6. cmonks Avatar
    cmonks

    Good for you, Jeff: finally someone calls out half the population for how lazy and weak they are. Things like heredity and depression are but mere excuses for girly men who are no doubt against the war and bigtime PBS pledge drivers, as well. Glandular condition/schmandular condition! Buck up, Fattys!
    Thank frickin’ God we’re skinny, huh?

  7. Gary Utter Avatar
    Gary Utter

    Katie Couric is not a news person, she is a poseur. A damned good one, but a poseur nontheless.

  8. yourfan Avatar
    yourfan

    that’s too funny, jarvis bashing dr.phil.
    don’t you realize that jarvis in fact _is_ doctor phil? he knows eaxactly as much about politics as he does about healthcare, social behaviour and family issues. and the two of them have never been seen in the same room.

  9. Lauren Avatar
    Lauren

    that was lovely. I just stuck it on my LJ, on the off chance someone reads that instead of this….I mean, if there’s no such thing as will power, what is it that keeps me going to the gym night after night? um, could it be will power to not quit? :)

  10. Buzz Avatar
    Buzz

    I’ve quit a pack a day smoking habit and dropped
    80 pounds to get to my ideal weight (not at the
    same time.) Here I am 5 years later, and I’m still
    not smoking. I did keep the weight off for two
    of those three years, though. Here is what I learned:
    (1) Not smoking gets easier the longer you don’t
    smoke. Even years after completing my weight
    loss, I was still hungry all the time.
    (2) Exercise, no matter what it does for your heart,
    is of secondary importance to restricting caloric
    intake if you just want to lose weight. Moderate
    exercise can even make you hungrier.
    (3) I lost weight by rigorously restricting my
    caloric intake to 2200 cal per day. (I’m 6’5″.)
    I kept it off for two additional years by
    restricting caloric intake to 2200 cal per day.
    I was always hungry, it never got better. When
    I stopped counting calories, it slowly took another
    two years to gain all the weight back.
    I have a question for all of the skinnies out there:
    are you always hungry? If the answer is yes, at least
    that would help steel me for a life of perpetual
    starvation. Last time I was not prepared for that.
    I thought it would be like quitting smoking.

  11. Sub_Hunter Avatar
    Sub_Hunter

    Uhhhhh…excuse me Phil. Maybe I’m missing something (not likely!) but “programming your life” is just another way of saying you have the will power to make it happen. But of course I suspect you knew that and just wanted to be sure you said something “unique” that would allow you to be an expert. Riggghhhttt…..