Everyday when we turn on the television or the radio, it seems like we are constantly being bombarded by people talking about their weight loss programs. Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and Nutrisystem (just to name a few) are trying to grab our attention so we will buy their product to lose our unwanted fat. Yet with so many different programs that are out there, how do we know which weight loss program is right for us? Are we supposed to take what the people in the commercials say and take it at face value? Everybody has a different metabolism rate and we each require a different amount of calories depending on our activity level. Some of us exercise more than others while others can't for one reason or another. With some weight loss programs, these people aren't accounted for so they aren't able to reap the benefits of the program if they buy a plan. The weight loss programs that have been successful have been successful because they know how to work with everybody. They work to include everybody in it. With that said, let's take a look at what many people consider the Top 3 Weight Loss Programs.
Weight Watchers: 50 Years in the Making
Are you surprised that this is on the list? If so, you shouldn't be. It's one of the most talked weight loss programs in the country. It's also one of the longest running. It's been around for 50 plus years and it shows no sign of fading any time soon. The main goal of the program is to help you achieve your weight loss goal and maintain it. It encourages healthy nutrition and calorie control. Yet the they approach it is unique. What do I mean? Let's think about different weight loss programs, such as the South Beach Diet, for a second. They tend to only focus on what we eat right? Weight watchers reminds us that losing weight is difficult by reminding us that our food consumption is only one part to the weight loss equation. They don't tell you what to eat. In my opinion, it's one of the best features to this program.
So if they don't tell you what to eat, what does their program offer? This weight loss program is famous for their meetings, where you go and interact with people who have the same goal as you. That goal is to lose weight. However, besides this, Weight Watchers offers a variety of resources to help you on your way to success. The way to access these resources is through their programs. There are four programs that are offered: OnlinePlus, Meetings, Personal Coaching, and Total Access. OnlinePlus (yes, it's one word) is a completely digital version of the Weight Watchers program where there are no meetings involved from a coach to help you. This particular weight loss program is based on a system called "Points Plus", which can help you calculate your optimal food intake. Customers can still receive 24/7 support from chatting with different coaches online.
The Meetings program is what we hear about the most. Meetings is the in-person meetings from a coach that helps people move towards their goals and it's usually in a group session. They still get access to OnlinePlus. Personal Coaching is different from the Meetings program due to the fact that they meet with their coach over the phone in a one-on-one phone session instead of going to a group session. Total access gets all the benefits of all the weight loss programs mentioned above. As stated earlier, they believe that what we eat is only one part of the equation. They still strongly recommend that you exercise. So if you don't exercise while you're doing Weight Watchers, you probably won't lose much weight. Since this is the case, they give you the ability to keep track your exercise. If you have something that already tracks your exercise, such as the trending FitBit, you can connect it to your Weight Watchers account. If what I've told you doesn't impress you, then consider the fact that it one of the few weight loss programs that has been proven effective by the academic research time and time again.
Nutrisystem: Flexible, Cheap, and Likely has a Plan for You
Out of all the weight loss programs that show up on TV, this is probably the one I see the most often. It is constantly shown on TV but it seems to really help out a lot of people. It's an affordable program that gives you a variety of tools to help you succeed. When you sign up for their program, they give you an online analysis on what your daily calorie intake should be and create your meal plans from this. In this weight loss program, it is estimated that you can lose up to two pounds per week (depending on your metabolism rate). As I'm sure you've seen in the commercials, they offer different weight loss programs with Nutrisystem. They have a separate one for men, women, diabetics, and vegetarians. They also have the weight loss program called Fast 5, in which you can loss up to five pounds of weight in the first week. In all of these meals, the food is portion controlled to where it is low in carbohydrates, protein and fat. If you struggle in this weight loss program, they offer an online support system to where you can have a one-on-one chat session with a counselor. If you have trouble planning your meals (I know I do!) or you don't know where you should start with your exercise program, then you can use their free meal planner and exercise program. There aren't many weight loss programs that do that (that I know of). I can only think of one other.
Jenny Craig: Easy as 1-2-3
The one thing that I have noticed about all the popular and effective weight loss programs is that they all have had commercials on the TV at one point or another. Have you noticed that? Jenny Craig takes the number 3 stop for the top 3 weight loss programs and it's not very hard to see why. Jenny Craig has some similar policies to Nutrisystem and gives you some of the benefits to Weight Watchers at the exact same time. They send you prepackaged meals that you choose and they have you follow a 3-step plan that includes a counselor to help you to your goal.
Let's talk about the 3-step plan
It sounds short, but in reality it's not. In step one, you review your current weight and weight goals with a counselor that is assigned to you. During this meeting time, you create your own food menu for the upcoming weeks. During step two, you continue picking the food that you want to eat with your counselor so that you can eat six times a day. In this weight loss plan, these meals are smaller than most. However, since that's the case they teach you how to make the most out of each meal (smaller bites to feel fuller, etc.) to help you keep that full feeling. During step three, you are setting meetings with your counselor to keep track of your weight loss progress and you can meet your counselor whenever you want to. Each time you see your counselor, you change your menu up so that you don't get bored with your food. As you get closer to your weight goal, they start teaching you on how to manage your weight on your own. After all, no one wants to remain on a weight loss program for the rest of their life right?
So the difference between Jenny Craig and the other weight loss programs is that it doesn't give you a whole range of plan options to choose from. However, they still customize it to your needs based on what you tell the customer. You still get your food, and in a sense you eat more than what you would on Nutrisystem. You also get to talk to your counselor more to help you through the bumps to the road of weight loss.
Final Thoughts
I'm not saying that these three weight loss programs are the ones that you should absolutely try. There are people who will argue that these three are the "best" weight loss programs out there while others will say that the South Beach Diet, the Paleolithic Diet, etc. works the best. There could be some truth to that too since each person is different. However, these are just the best three that people seem to have had the best results in. If you are wanting to start a diet, be sure to do your own research before deciding which weight loss program might be the best for you.
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