Top 5 Weight Loss Programs
Best Support Groups for Setting and Achieving Weight Loss Goals
The pros and con of the tops 5 weight loss support programs: Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Spark People, TOPS and Medical Weight Loss.
It is wonderful to have a solid support system in place when you are trying to lose weight. We all know it can be a trying experience if you try to make it on your own. But with a support group, you have a network of people you can rely on. When you fall, someone is there to pick you up. When you are having a rough week, someone is there to give you a pep talk and when you have a good week, someone is there to cheer for you.
Here are the top 5 weight loss programs:
1. Weight Watchers has been around for years and they have developed a program that works. Basically how it works is you pay a weekly fee to attend a live, local meeting or join an online support community. A live meeting offers tools and paperwork to get you started, face-to-face support and weekly weigh-ins for accountability. They currently have two plans to choose from.
Core plan: a long list of healthy foods that you are allowed to eat regularly. These are healthy foods that are allowed on your weight loss program and can be eaten at any time. Some people find it useful because they don’t have to count anything.
Flex-points plan: based on calories that are converted into a number scale. You eat a maximum number of calories based on your personal needs. One point is equal to roughly 50 calories. So if you stay within your point range, you will stay within your daily calorie range. You can also spend an additional weekly allowance of bonus points. This allows for greater flexibility in your eating plan.
The problem with weight watchers is that once you stop counting points, you gain back the weight. You also need to be careful how you spend your calories. An entire day’s calories or points spent on empty calories like sodas, chips and fast food are not going to help you lose weight and become a healthy person. You also have to pay every week, ever for the weeks when you are unable to attend the meetings.
For more information on these programs or to learn about the Weight Watchers online program, visit www.weightwatchers.com.
2. Spark People is a health and weight loss Web site that offers a unique approach to online weight loss support. It is let by a team of experts and supported by it’s members.The idea behind spark people is to create a small spark like walking 10 minutes per day and once you have mastered that and it has become a habit, you can build from that and made additional healthy lifestyle changes that will stick. The site features informative articles, message boards, personal spark pages, weight loss trackers, a personalized meal and exercise plan, and a spark points system that is sure to motivate even the laziest of couch potatoes.
I don’t see nay bad point about this weight loss program. And the best part is it is absolutely free! They even reward you with points just for logging in every day. Visit www.sparkpeople.com to join today.
3. TOPS stands for Take Off Pounds Sensibly and that is the company’s goal. Like Weight Watchers, TOPS offers weekly, face-to-face meetings for weight loss support. They encourage a variety of support from phone calls and emails to letters of encouragement. TOPS is a not-for-profit organization and that makes it affordable for everyone. Meetings are less than $5 per week with annual dues of just $24. Members learn about smart eating, portion control and the benefits of exercise. Need more information or want to find a local chapter? Visit TOPS at www.tops.org.
4. Jenny Craig is another weight loss program that makes it easy to follow food restrictions. They do this by taking the guess work out of adding up calories or choosing the right foods to eat. You buy foods from Jenny Craig that is the right portions, calories and nutrition for your personal needs. Too good to be true? Though it may work in the beginning of your weight loss plan, it is not likely to be a long-term plan. You will get tired of eating frozen meals and you will want to eat out at restaurants again someday too. The problem with this program is that you don’t learn anything about healthy eating, so even if you are successful while on the plan, the minute you stop buying and eating the food, the weight will come back. For more info and pricing, see www.JennyCraig.com.
5. Medical Weight Loss can be deceiving. While you do go in person for an evaluation and weekly or bi-weekly consultation, they don’t teach you anything about healthy eating. You will spend a lot of money on the visits and the nutritional supplements they require you to have. They also have several stages you need to follow, the first of which is a liquid diet. You must be willing to follow their strict rules and take supplements as necessary. As with most weight loss programs, Medical Weight Loss will help you lose weight, but is not for everyone and is most likely not going to have a long term weight loss effect. Visit www.mwlc.com for more info.
