Selecting a Weight-Loss Program. Does the program provide counseling to help you change your eating activity and personal habits? The program should teach you how to change permanently those eating habits and lifestyle.
Finding the One that Works Best for You. Weight- loss program choices. Each year, millions of people enroll in weight- loss programs.
These include well- known commercial programs such Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig (both of which have online versions) and organized self- help programs such as Overeaters Anonymous. Fewer people may be familiar with medically supervised programs, which include hospital- based programs or individual care from a physician. In addition, many free online diet and exercise programs are now available.
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The commercial programs charge a fee for meetings. They offer advice on diet and exercise regimens as well as online tools for tracking your weight and food consumption.
Choosing a Weight-Loss Program. The self-help programs tend to focus mainly on providing emotional support and encouragement in sticking with a weight-loss plan. Part belonging to the program requires. I agree to the Self Help And Weight Loss Books For Women Body Fit Fat Burner Find Your Fat Burning Heart Rate & Best Supplement To Burn.
In some cases, they sell prepared foods and diet aids. The self- help programs tend to focus mainly on providing emotional support and encouragement in sticking with a weight- loss plan. Clinical programs, which are provided through a doctor's office or hospital clinic, offer comprehensive diet, exercise, and behavior- modification programs, supplemented as needed with prescription treatments such as very low- calorie diets, weight- loss medications, and, increasingly, surgery. None of the programs can guarantee that you will lose a particular amount of weight. With the exception of the clinical programs, these approaches are adjuncts to, not substitutes for, professional guidance for those who need it.
Indeed, the self- help and commercial plans encourage participants to consult with health care professionals about weight- loss strategies. Following are descriptions of the different programs and what you can expect from them. Commercial programs. Like self- help programs, the commercial programs hold regular meetings to provide encouragement and support. But a significant difference between the two types of programs is money. The commercial programs charge fees to participate in meetings and also sell diet plans, as well as prepared foods and diet aids to go along with those plans.
Costs for these programs vary, depending on how long you commit to the program, whether you attend meetings in person or online, and whether you purchase the foods or diet aids. Check with the specific organization for more information. Weight Watchers. The most popular of the commercial programs, Weight Watchers, has more than 2. As a member, you receive a daily allotment of points (based on your weight, age, gender, and other factors) to spend on food, along with point values for a wide range of foods. In late 2. 01. 0, Weight Watchers introduced Points.
Plus, a revamped system that puts more emphasis on the nutritional value of each food to assign point values. On the old plan, a 1.
Under the new plan, fruits and non- starchy vegetables are now zero points. And foods high in protein and fiber have lower point values than foods high in fat and refined carbohydrates. The idea is to encourage people to eat more healthful, nutrient- dense foods and fewer . The program also encourages members to get regular exercise. Two published trials showed that people who went to Weight Watchers meetings regularly lost about 5% of their weight over three to six months. Meetings are led by people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off through the Weight Watchers program.
Jenny Craig. The other leading commercial weight- loss program, Jenny Craig, has more than 7. To get started, you visit a local Jenny Craig center and have your weight analyzed by a staff member. These staff members are not dietitians or other health professionals, but they're trained in the Jenny Craig program, which, according to the company, was developed by dietitians.
Based on your weight, the staff member recommends a dieting, exercise, and behavior- modification program to help you lose about 1 pound a week. In general, members are advised to eat three meals and three snacks each day, as well as to drink eight 8- ounce glasses of water each day and to increase their physical activity as much as they can.
Jenny Craig also sells a wide array of packaged foods, diet aids, vitamin and mineral supplements, and even devices such as pedometers. Members have the option of preparing their own meals, but the prepared foods have been shown to help them stick with the diet. Online options for dieters. In addition to the Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig online programs, there are numerous other Web- based diet and exercise programs, some of which are free. Similar programs are also available for use on a smartphone (see .
Most offer tools that allow you to easily track your eating and exercise habits, count calories, and chart your weight loss. Some have programs specifically targeted to men or women, and many offer plans that follow specific types of diets, such as low- carb, Mediterranean, or vegetarian. Most also feature online chats or discussion groups, and some provide e- mail advice from experts, including psychologists and dietitians. These are some of the better- known options. But how well do they work? A study published in Obesity involving more than 2,8. Kaiser Permanente health plan revealed that people who followed a tailored expert system lost more weight than those assigned to an information- only plan.
Both options were offered online only, but while the information- only group received just factual information about weight management and diet strategies, the tailored system focused on a healthy diet and provided tips targeted to the participant's particular issues. For example, those who believed overweight people lacked willpower were given messages attempting to change that perception, and those unable to exercise weren't given exercise advice. According to a review of Web- based interventions for weight loss published in 2. Obesity Reviews, the frequency of a user's log- ins, self- monitoring occasions, chat room attendances, and bulletin board posts was correlated with losing weight or keeping it off in many studies. But there's a dearth of information on the long- term impact of Web- based interventions, the authors noted.
It's certainly worth checking out a few of the online programs. Even without proof of clear benefits from a specific one, the very act of paying more attention to your eating and exercise habits seems to help.
Smartphone applications to spur weight loss. Smartphones such as the i. Phone, Android, Blackberry, and Palm Web. OS can make it even easier to track your eating and exercise, thanks to an ever- growing number of applications (apps) designed for dieters that run on these multipurpose computers. Food diaries and supportive communities are proven factors in successful weight control programs. You enter your height, weight, age, gender, and target weight, and the app calculates your daily caloric allotment. As you go through the day, you log in every morsel you put into your mouth and each minute of physical activity.
The app draws from a very comprehensive database of foods and physical activities to keep a running tab of the calories you've consumed and expended and the number remaining in the day's allotment. It also computes your nutritional intake in terms of calories, carbs, protein, saturated and unsaturated fats, and sodium. To stay on track, you can set up e- mail notes to yourself reminding you to fill out the log. You can also register on the Lose It!
Web site to get support from a community of people who've had success in losing weight. Calorie Counter by. Fat. Secret (for i.
Phone, Android, and Black. Berry, free) is similar but less intuitive to use and does less of the math for you. Treadmill (for i. Phone, 9. 9 cents).
Cardio. Trainer (for Android, free), and. Endomondo Sports Tracker (for Android and Black.
Berry, free) use the phone's GPS to turn your phone into a pedometer and navigator. Absolute Fitness (for most smartphones, $4. It displays the nutritional composition of food and the calorie expenditures of different activities. You set your personal diet, exercise, and weight- loss goals, and the app tracks your progress.
Note: Many more smartphone apps are now available for the i. Phone and Android platforms. They make no promises that they will help you lose any weight. However, they aim to improve your odds of doing so by holding regular (usually weekly) meetings where members share success stories and frustrations and offer one another encouragement and personal tips. Meetings are run by volunteer group leaders.
Each self- help program has a different focus. Overeaters Anonymous. This is a 1. 2- step program modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous for people who suffer from compulsive overeating. The main purpose of the meetings is to help people stop overeating by exploring their underlying emotional issues.
Overeaters Anonymous has chapters around the world. It is free, although members are asked to contribute what they can. A special feature of the program is a buddy system in which you have another member to call if you feel the urge to overeat.
Whether this approach is appropriate or effective for overeaters remains controversial. Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS)This program takes a practical approach, giving members incentives to follow whatever diet plan has been recommended by their health care practitioners. One program that TOPS recommends is the . Weekly private weigh- ins are followed by meetings, during which members discuss their successes and difficulties in reaching their weight- loss goals. Some chapters arrange for doctors, nutritionists, and other weight- loss experts to speak at meetings. TOPS holds retreats and rallies to give members extra incentives to stay with their weight- loss plans. It also features online support.
Members receive a monthly magazine that contains low- calorie recipes as well as inspirational stories by members who have met their weight- loss goals. Clinical programs. These programs are run by health care professionals, either in private practice or at hospital- based centers.