Tony Horton loses his cool during chat and unloads - whew!

[tapdancer]

He may be right....but geeesh, what an negative way to put it. People who make excuses and do all the awful things he claims they do are already dealing with their own negativity.

A lot of these people who are out of shape and don't exercise e have low self-esteem anyway.....this rant is like he just kicked them in the stomach.

He should maybe take a lesson from Richard Simmons, who in my opinion, is VERY motivating and positive!

[Yogadad]

Originally Posted by nora

I agree with you, Scott, on the above quote, but I also think that there's 'more than one way to skin a cat'.

I really like Tony's workouts as you know, but would never follow his diet advice, as I just don't agree with it on a number of counts...some of which have been mentioned already on this thread.

I think people should find their own way to healthy eating, and Tony's way isn't the only way.

Hi Nora,

I agree w/ you that there's may ways to healthy eating. The issue is more about the fact that many folks don't make the effort to actually eat in a way that is healthy. I think that is more of what Tony is referring to than anything. Also the fact that people often don't want to make real changes. I see it all the time, people who rather than trying to change their cravings, try to find the latest non-fat this or that while not understanding that they are still in the same mindset that got them into trouble in the first place.

I see this w/ some members of my own extended family who each time I see them are on the latest fad thing and yet each year they are bigger and more unhealthy than ever. They'll ask me what I'm doing but aren't really willing to make real changes. The sad thing is they are really putting themselves at real medical risks (some already have serious issues which weight loss and exercise would help turn things around, things like Type 2 diabetes and hypertension).

Real change means changing from the inside out. Learning to "eat to live and not live to eat". I know there is also a LOT of emotional issues surrounding nutrition and I am totally sympathetic to that, but if that is the case folks need to try to work from that perspective as well and understand why they have issues w/ food.

Many years ago, when I had weight issues, I didn't realize that much of it was driven by stress. I eventually learned to use exercise rather than food to deal w/ the stress. Not easy but it was my reality and I knew I had to deal with it or continue down a messy path.

Anyway, I definitely didn't mean that people should follow Tony's "specific" diet advice (though I take full responsibility if what I wrote could be interpreted that way). I was primarily referring to the fact that if people have certain types of physical goals than they have to be accountable. I was also referring to the fact that all the time I've spent here and at the Beachbody site in the past, the folks who had the most success where the one's who did the WHOLE program (or at least made a real effort to clean up their nutrition in their own way), not just the workouts while continuing to eat as they did before.

I don't think that there's any one eating plan that's right for everyone, HOWEVER, I do think that people often make excuses as to why they aren't getting the results they want (blaming everyone or everything but themselves).

Often if you suggest people even just log what they eat they have a million excuses as to why they can't follow thru with this. It IS a pain in the neck at first (it was for me also) but once you get in the groove it becomes second nature and effortless.

By logging you have concrete proof of what you're consuming so at least you have awareness of it. Then from there one can make a decision as to whether or not they are willing to make changes.

If they aren't willing to make changes that's their perogative, but then they at least have to take full responsibility for why they haven't achieved their goals.

I think we all know that people are wanting to find the magic bullet, whether it's a fad diet or new exercise device or program, but really behavioral change needs to start with awarenss of what one is actually doing before they can make a change.

I know that I wasn't aware of how much I was consuming until I started actually logging and also measuring my food also. Once I started all that I quickly realized WHY I couldn't break thru my plateau.

While I did follow the P90X nutrition plan and had great results, I think one can follow it conceptually in terms of the quality of what one eats, eating many times a day (small clean amounts of nutrition) and have an awareness of what they are eating when (by logging).

I don't follow the P90X nutrition plan "specifically" anymore, and haven't for a while BUT that jump started me into cleaning everything up to the point where it's easy now.

I still do log everything, that is something I think I'll always do because it allows me to know what works and what doesn't.

Take care,

Scott

[Gardengirl]

Sharon and Hej, I totally agree with you about shutting down and become defensive when you feel someone is bullying you! I do the same thing, and certainly you'd hope most "adults" would behave better than that! Where I think we might disagree is in our definition of bullying. And I think that's the problem with reading Tony's blog instead of hearing it. I took it that he was trying to inject some of his sarcastic sense of humor into his blog and I think others took it more seriously than I did. I didn't necessarily think he was "yelling" at anyone by using caps, maybe just passionate about what he was saying. So I think how you've interpreted it plays a big role in how you perceive it.

[peanut1129]

Originally Posted by spotted_zebra

His brand of name calling has hostile and misogynist undertones (regardless of vocal tone, he could do it with a smile on his face, it wouldn't lessen the nastiness). It crosses a line that should not be crossed and at best Tony shows a lack of self control (ironic, isn't it). Had the name calling been racist in tone rather than misogynist, people wouldn't be making excuses for Tony. And had it been a female belittling exercisers with anti-male slurs I imagine she'd be barraged with insults, not defended. Isn't it nice to know misogyny is alive and well in the world of jocks.

I respectfully disagree with this. There about 20 different connotations for the word b***h right now and I didn't interpretate his word choice the way some have. There is a difference between calling a woman a b***h, calling a man a b***h, and telling someone, quit your b***hin'.

As I said previously, I don't think he needed to use the word at all but I didn't take it as he was *calling someone a b***h.* More that he was calling people *complainers*(which is one way that word is used now.)

In my estimation, and of course this is just my opinion, this wasn't any sort of an example of misogyny. His remarks were directed at both men and women. There is more than one defnition for that word nowadays.

[spotted zebra]

Originally Posted by peanut1129

His remarks were directed at both men and women...

Of course they were. But the language he used is in fact misogynist and unacceptable, and his tactics bullying. Tony is a control freak who flips out when others won't do as told by him. And he resorts to bullying tactics and name calling and I find that rather sad.

[Lexy]

I went back to re-read the blog because I figured I must have missed something the first time I read through it quickly.

I'm still fine with everything he said UNTIL I saw the part I missed when someone said "Will you stop calling us bit*hs then?" STOP calling us? Like he did that a lot and editted it out? I have NO tolerance for that kind of name calling.

In his preface to the chat text, it would have been more acceptable to me if he apologized. But he didn't. However, he did post most of the chat. Why? A chat isn't usually copied and pasted is it?

[peanut1129]

Originally Posted by spotted_zebra

Of course they were. But the language he used is in fact misogynist and unacceptable, and his tactics bullying. Tony is a control freak who flips out when others won't do as told by him. And he resorts to bullying tactics and name calling and I find that rather sad.

Well, I won't disagree about it being unacceptable. But I really don't see how he was showing any sort of *hatred or distrust of women.* I just can't find that anywhere.

[peanut1129]

Originally Posted by Lexy

In his preface to the chat text, it would have been more acceptable to me if he apologized. But he didn't. However, he did post most of the chat. Why? A chat isn't usually copied and pasted is it?

I realize he didn't come out and say he was sorry but he does say he thinks he could have been kinder. I took that as some regret for the way he went about saying what he said.

[macska]

Reading all of this just made do Shoulders and Arms this morning! :-)

[spotted zebra]

Tony copied and pasted his advice, and edited out most of his name calling and people's reactions to that. It was the first thing that struck me when I read it. That and the lack of a true apology. It would be interesting to hear people's reactions to his blog had they read the entire, unedited version.