Hi guys,

I am not sure, if this is the right place to post it.

i need your inputs. Which one of these works? Please help.

1. nutrisystem
2. slimfast
3. tsfl
4. south beach diet
5. Jenny craig
6. Weight Watchers

I appreciate your reply.

thank you.

Kate

I think you'll find most people on this forum recommend a balanced diet, calorie control, and reasonable exercise, over any of the purchased or fad diets available in the market.

Check out the various sticky posts in the forums and you'll get a lot of good information

I agree with Kara. The major drawback to these diets, is, once a person goes off the strictly regimented program, they tend to gain back the weight. These programs do not teach lifestyle changes in diet/exercise to successfully maintain the weight loss. THus, people go off the program and revert back to their poor eating habits that caused the weight gain in the first place. Healthy foods, balanced diet, and exercise is the way to go. It's sure what worked for me...and I am 50 years old!

I agree with Kara too - regular exercise and sound nutrition as covered in the sections of this forum worked for me where every weight loss attempt over the past 20 years didnt work.

I also do not agree with the fad diet approach. We need to understand the basics of good nutrition to be able to build a food plan that is flexible enough that we can stick to it for life and will provide us with good nutrition to keep us healthy. Once we understand that we should be able to do it without weighing and measuring for the rest of our days.

Anything that involves you eating meals which are purely their products is teaching you nothing about how you should eat in the future - and is directly against the notion of a lifelong change of habits. It is purely focused on a short term "diet" and many of us know that we start to gain weight as we finish one of those...

Many of these programs involve you either eating what you are told to eat and / or counting calories (and little else) every step of the way. It is very hard to stick long term to such a regimented approach - and I certainly do not plan on counting calories every day for the rest of my life. You only learn a limited amount for the future.

You could quite easily become deficient in say calcium or not be getting enough protein. Weight Watchers points for instance are simply a number derived from calories and saturated fat. There is nothing to say that you have to have so much protein or so much fibre in your diet. There is no limit on your sodium intake... You basically get given a magic number and told to make your food add up to that number. If you lost weight and ate nothing but chocolate - keeping within your points - they would think that you had done fine. You could do it with a balanced diet - but there is nothing to say that you have done so... They might hand you a leaflet about these nutrients - but there is nothing in the plan that says that you have to have them. They might mention them in the "talk" but many people do not stay for that and some meetings run without a "talk".

BTW - I am also 50 years of age.

Thank you for your help.

Yes, I have read thoroughly on TSFL on what you have said that the good program needs to be "balanced diet, calorie control, and reasonable exercise" Maybe its hard to have it in the first month since you will be following the meals by heart. But once reach the goal you will be doing maintenance. That is on those month you have the possibility to cheat. Like other most program.

I am not sure how strong they where? Or how effective they where? But I agree on some point what you said.

How all of you prepare meals? And what are the best exercise? I am lost here. Do like to know your daily program to help me start or follow yours.

You post replies are very welcome

Read the sticky posts in the nutrition and exercise area and you'll get a lot more information.

My personal plan is this:

Food:
I eat as much real food as possible, avoiding packaged and processed foods and sugar whenever I can. I eat 1600-1700 calories a day, with a 40/35/25 macro split. I have one free day a week where I can eat whatever and not worry about counting calories or managing my macros, but I don't use it as a binge day or a complete free for all. Just a day to have favorite foods like a hamburger and fries or to go to the movies and have popcorn, or to go out and have drinks with friends.

Exercise:
I lift weights 2x-3x a week. I'd like to be consistently doing it 3x a week, but my weeks lately have been crazy and I'm not quite able to make that schedule, but I commit to a minimum of 2x a week. I lift heavy weights and do full body and complex movements. 3x a week I go running with a friend. Sundays I try to take a yoga class at my local gym - I don't make it every Sunday but probably every other one.

That's pretty much it. I'm committed to being healthy first, losing weight second. I hope to get to my goal weight of 130-135, but I'm not freaking out about how fast I get there. As long as I continue to make some kind of progress, I'm happy.