Diet Programs For Weight Loss – This article reviews some popular business diet plans so you can decide what’s right for you, and it will also help teach you how to analyze a business plan. With all the enticing advertisements and alluring claims of rapid weight loss, choosing the right weight loss program can be difficult. Many commercial weight loss programs can provide short-term answers and temporary results to the problems affected by being overweight or obese.
Many commercial diets can limit quick results; it’s easy to feel frustrated and discouraged because weight loss is slowing down. Some programs offer low-calorie diets that teach the basics of healthy eating, while others offer expensive prepackaged meals.
Diet Programs For Weight Loss
Prepackaged meals can be appealing because of ease of choice and convenience. However, when meals are prepackaged, the basics of nutrition and healthy eating are not learned, weight management becomes difficult and weight regain is often inevitable.
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Liquid meal replacement plans can be harmful if used for an extended period of time because they can cause nutritional deficiencies. Additionally, these programs are often difficult to adhere to for sustained weight loss due to the inability to maintain a “normal lifestyle.” Unfortunately, when one returns to a normal diet, the weight often comes back, again because healthy eating and portion control are not learned through dieting.
The Jenny Craig program was established more than 15 years ago and has 800 centers across the country. It offers frozen or prepackaged pre-made meals to help with portion management and calorie control. The program offers weekly one-on-one nutrition and motivational counseling.
It was developed by registered dietitians and psychologists to focus on lifestyle changes. Another available option is Jenny Direct, a home personalized weight loss program. Materials are delivered to your home and weekly support consultations are by phone.
A typical Jenny Craig plan includes three meals and three snacks a day, with calories controlled based on your height and weight. The breakdown of the diet is approximately 60% carbohydrates and 20% from protein and fat. The first phase you have to buy food (entrées) from Jenny Craig, defined as the first half of your total weight loss goal. You can work with your dietitian to incorporate other food groups (such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains) into your meals.
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After the initial period, you can move on to nutritional foods, however, you will need to keep a food diary and work with a dietitian on food selection.
Overall, the Jenny Craig Diet is a balanced, low-calorie diet that will allow you to lose about 1-2 pounds per week. However, some concerns include:
Founded more than 30 years ago, Nutri/System also offers prepackaged meals and dietary advice. More recently, it has ventured into an almost entirely online weight loss program, including online counseling and menu planning.
Nutri/System’s most popular and new nutrition plans feature meal plans based on low glycemic index (GI) foods, which are primarily low sugar, low fat, high fiber, and high protein foods. Low GI foods are said to “help keep blood sugar stable and your metabolism high so you can burn more fat.”
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Membership in the online weight loss community is free. Newbies are assigned a personal weight loss consultant who tracks their progress and offers advice as long as they stick to the plan. New members also receive a menu plan, product catalog, food diary, weight chart, online weekly newsletter and a few other goodies to help them get started.
Other services include online bulletin boards, chat support groups, and free diet analysis. You can, and we encourage you, to buy prepackaged entrees and snacks, but it is not mandatory. However, menu plans contain prepackaged foods, so it can be difficult to plan meals if you don’t buy produce.
The Nutri/System program encourages three meals and two snacks per day. They offer over 100 different prepackaged foods to choose from; you can plan your own meals or sign up for a 28-day meal plan. Like everyone else, you need to buy extra fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.
This meal plan, with just the right amount of extra fruits, vegetables and dairy, is also well-balanced and calorie-controlled. Following this diet and exercise recommendation will result in a loss of approximately 1-2 pounds per week. The program does offer free chat and online support, which has proven to be an influence for many.
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One problem is that “bad” carb claims for high GI foods aren’t exactly true claims. GI scores are based on a single food, that is, one food is eaten at a time. So in real life when you eat, combining foods and cooking foods can affect the overall GI score or value. In fact, eating a balanced meal can actually lower the GI score of high glycemic foods.
Another problem is that there is a lack of essentials for learning to maintain weight due to the fact that pre-planned filling meals do not teach good nutrition.
A final concern is the cost of food, which costs about $60 per week on a meal plan that does not include fruits, vegetables and dairy, which must be purchased in addition to prepackaged foods.
Weight Watchers was established in the 1960s to provide weight loss and support. The program emphasizes a balanced diet and encourages lifestyle changes and exercise. Weight Watchers offers a variety of plans for dieters from which they can choose the one that best suits their lifestyle.
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The flex program is based on a point system. All foods are given a certain number of points based on their calorie, fat and fiber content. Based on a dieter’s weight and how many pounds they want to lose, they will be assigned a certain number of points throughout the day. The system teaches that all foods can potentially be included in a healthy eating plan as long as the daily point value is not exceeded.
Dietitians learn to balance their food choices; they can also earn more points for physical activity. Another option is the Core Plan®, which focuses on healthy foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat protein foods) with no trace points.
Weight Watchers offers and encourages a lot of support, offering encouragement, help, advice and strategies to dieters through weekly meetings (private, online or group) and scales. No food is prohibited and no food must be purchased. Most food, even restaurants, have points already assigned, which makes tracking much easier than having to figure it out yourself.
Food hacking is encouraged, which puts many dieters off. But in the long run, the benefits of preserving foods will “outweigh” the effort involved in preserving them. By teaching the basics of nutrition and balance, long-term weight loss and weight maintenance can be better achieved. Dietitians know that it is good to eat fatty and high-calorie foods, but they “burn” more points, so they must trade the rest of the day or increase their physical activity to compensate for these foods.
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Overall, this meal plan can teach dieters to eat healthy, balanced meals and lose 1-2 pounds per week. Weight Watchers is most similar to what a nutritionist teaches (calorie counting), and most health professionals consider it the standard against which other commercial programs are measured.
A support system can facilitate the tools and motivation needed to lose weight, however, counselors are trained but not always licensed nutritionists. Membership costs about $20 per year and meetings about $10-$15 per week, although there are often many discount packages available and the online version costs about the same per year. Online support includes chat rooms, message boards, recipe ideas, meal planning and an online journal.
One problem with counting points is that many foods with zero points usually contain 60-80 calories. If you eat a lot of these foods throughout the day, you can prevent weight loss (especially in smaller older women or people with slower metabolisms) because your daily caloric intake is too high.
Slim-Fast has been around for over 25 years and provides rapid weight loss by replacing typical high calorie meals with calorie controlled, sweetened fortified meal replacements or bars.
Weight Loss Programs
The program offers online support such as weight, diet and exercise charts, chats with online friends, chat sessions with registered dietitians, a weekly newsletter, exercise programs and meal plans. Slim-Fast now offers low carb, optimal, easily digestible, high protein and raw products.
Meal plan centered around two Slim-Fast meal replacements. One meal consists of a prepared meal in a can or bar, and the other is a light, prepared meal combined with 200 calories of your favorite healthy food. Meal 3 is a “sensory meal” of about 500 calories, 1/2 the plate is vegetables, 1/4 is lean protein (like skinless chicken), 1/4 is starch, with salad and fruit.