General Questions

What is the purpose of alt.support.diet?

To provide emotional support, encouragement, and practical advice to those who wish to improve their health, appearance, and/or self image through a weight loss or weight maintenance program. The name of the group, alt.support.diet, is somewhat unfortunate because: a) exercise is just as important as diet in weight loss, and b) the word "diet" is often interpreted as "a temporary regimen that's somehow expected to lead to permanent weight loss," rather than its original meaning of "how one eats."

The membership of a.s.d ranges from those who wish to lose relatively small amounts of weight (e.g., the 5-10 pounds that many of us tend to put on over the holidays), to those who are 100 pounds or more overweight, to those who have already completed a weight loss program and wish to maintain their new, healthier weight and lifestyle.

Are advertisements allowed on a.s.d?

Because a.s.d is not a moderated group, there is no way to prevent individuals or companies from posting advertisements for their products. However, anyone contemplating posting such messages should be aware that advertisements, particularly those for weight loss plans or diet aids are emphatically not welcome here. This includes, but is not limited to, herbalife, metabolife, colorad, chitosan, pyruvate, other weight loss supplements, plans, methods and aids . Our definition of an ad includes posting info about a product and saying e-mail me for more info, posting another's web site URL if the web site sells a product, and any other product recommendation where you stand to benefit financially should the readers of your post purchase the product recommended. Anyone posting any type of ad will reported their ISP for placing an ad in a noncommercial newsgroup that does not allow advertising. Furthermore, the web site host, should it be different from the spammer's ISP, will be alerted that spam is being posted in regards to the web site that they host.

Many a.s.d readers have already learned the hard way that sustained, healthy weight loss doesn't come from over-the-counter remedies, and that "too good to be true" diets are just that. (a.s.d readers who encounter advertisements posted to the newsgroup should mail the advertiser a copy of this FAQ and report the ad to the spammer's ISP.) . Should there be a question posted about a product you sell, please do not respond. The fact that you stand to benefit financially from the recommendation you would make, makes the credibility and motivation of your recommendation suspect.

There are a few newsgroups (those in the biz.* hierarchy, and those with "marketplace" or "for sail" in their names) where ads are permitted. Advertisers who are interested in reaching dieters or nutrition-conscious readers should check out alt.for sale.nutrition in particular. An alternative to advertising via Usenet is to set up your own site on the World Wide web. The URL (address) of your Web site can be included in the signature file that you append to posts you make in alt.support.diet, but please do not post articles that contain nothing more than pointers to your Web site--such articles fall within the technical definition of "advertisements." (Before including advertising in your Web site, be sure to check with your Internet service provider; many ISP's prohibit commercial ventures from personal accounts.)

What do those abbreviations and numbers mean?

YMMV -Your Mileage May Vary, is a very important part of the ASD philosophy on weight loss. No two people are alike. We differ in terms of likes and dislikes, metabolic speed and efficiency, health issues, moods, body clocks an many other ways. Many of us have learned the hard way that there is no "one diet fits all" weight loss solution. Therefore we ask that you do not insult other's diet choices or post that one diet is "the only one that works", or "the best diet" or "the only diet". Furthermore, we request that you do not post that a particular diet is not safe. This is especially relevant to low carb type of diets. We have learned through medical and scientific studies, as well as anecdotal evidence that for certain people, low carb is not only an effective weight loss method, but also improves their health, blood lipid profiles, and heart attack risk. All diets involve an element of risk and could be harmful to some people. Therefore, it is important that you educate yourself as much as possible about your chosen diet. Read any books written by the author of the diet. Do the necessary urine testing, blood work, and other medical suggestions made by the authors of the diet. That way you will know the state of your health and can access whether or not a diet is the right one for you.

WOE & WOL - Way Of Eating and Way Of Life. We believe that your WOE on your diet should become your WOL. This guarantees the best chance at maintain your weight loss after you reach your goal weight. if you return to your old WOE that caused the weight gain in the first place, you will gain all you lost and probably even more. Plus your self esteem will take a real hit.

250/180/125 The numbers in some people's SIG lines are their starting weight/current weight/goal weight. It is not necessary to add these numbers to your posts. They are just a way that some have chosen to say that if they could do it, so can you. There is no pressure to post your numbers and no one will think less of you if you choose not to post them.