I’m on a gluten-free diet, which is a special kind of torture, and so whenever I hear someone mention The Forbidden Foods, I notice.

This ad, that manages to say the word “bread” 6 times in only 30 seconds, hits me with all the force of a Pavlovian experiment:

So. Let’s talk about this ad. Ostensibly, the goal of it is to get you to “become inspired to lose weight.” But it’s actually a craving-trigger in slow-mo.  And a lot of Weight Watchers ads do the same thing. Descriptions of cakes..pies…pizzas. Then: Weight Watchers.

So this is how it goes: You watch the Weight Watchers ad. You feel suddenly very hungry ( I wonder why?). Then you have shame/guilt/whatever over the cravings they just awoke in you. You decide you “have a problem.” Then you call Weight Watchers.

Weight Watchers doesn’t want you to lose weight. It wants you to lose self-control, and then try (and fail) to get back on the wagon.

This is a cruel and duplicitous strategy. It’s as if AA advertised:

Mmmmmm….Isn’t scotch delicious? Couldn’t you just drink a smooth, velvety aged scotch all daaaaaay?….Alcoholics Anonymous. For when you have a Problem. 

Now, it’s possible Weight Watchers does good for some people. Hey, if that’s true for you, great. But the advertising is downright evil. Don’t fall for it.