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Diet, fitness, feeling good, and lots of support are what you need when you want to lose weight. This is what you will receive if you join a dietwatch.com plan. Dietwatch.com was started by Jennifer May, a nutritionist/dietician and it is one of the first comprehensive online weight loss programs available that provides you easy access right in the comfort of your home.

You can begin exploring dietwatch.com by getting a free profile for yourself and taking a tour of the website. The free assessment tool will help design a plan suitable for you, depending on your weight, age, lifestyle, and your current exercise level. You will be asked to choose one of their 4 diet plans. These include the no restrictions plan, the reduced carbohydrate plan, the heart healthy Mediterranean plan, and the vegetarian plan.

• It is necessary to track your meals and your level of physical activity for a successful weight loss program. Dietwatch.com makes it easy for you with the help of some wonderful tools that allow you to track your calorie intake, the amount of carbohydrates and fats you are consuming, and even your exercise level.

Losing weight becomes easier with a dietwatch.com plan due to its comprehensive weight loss program.

• This includes a personalized meal planner, customized shopping list, and a nutrition tracker to keep a check on what you are eating.
• Its nutritional calculator allows you to calculate the fat and calorie content of different foods. The Dietwatch.com planner allows you to maintain a daily food diary. Simply enter the food that you eat and the planner will keep a running total of your calories, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

As a member of this wonderful weight loss program, you also gain access to an extensive database on different vitamins and minerals and their nutritional values and functions

• You can track your fitness goals by simply entering the name and the length of each exercise that you have done and their handy tool will provide you with the amount of calories you have burned. You can choose from among various exercise programs which include aerobics, strength training, and flexibility programs. These help you design a workout which is best suitable for you.

Feeling good is one aspect that is often not given much attention in a weight loss program. However, dietwatch.com provides you with tools and articles on how to have a good body image, manage your emotions, think positively, and goal setting. You can also get inspirational messages and tips in what is called as the “meditation room”.

If you need help or support in your weight loss program, you can use its wonderful and supportive community. You can search for members who have similar goals and interests. You can ask questions and get feedback from other members and experts in their forums. Or simply share your experiences. You can send individual messages or chat with other members. And of course, through this section you can also receive daily tips for diet and advice from experts.

What’s more, dietwatch.com plans are very inexpensive. You can get all the information you need to lose weight by just logging on and that too anywhere and anytime. So, if an online weight loss program designed by professionals sounds good to you, go join dietwatch.com.

Related Posts Include Other Program Reviews and Other Diet and Nutrition Articles

Of all the gifts that moms pass on to their families, one of the most important is health knowledge, especially information about bone health and osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. A Gift from Mothers to Daughters is the theme of this year’s Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, which is attempting to break the cycle of generations of women suffering from this debilitating bone disease that affects 1 in 2 women over age 50.

• Often considered a condition of aging, osteoporosis is actually a pediatric disease with geriatric consequences. The habits of early childhood and adolescence can significantly impact the likelihood of developing osteoporosis, which is a public health threat for 44 million Americans. Experts stress that prevention of osteoporosis needs to begin during the peak bone building years of childhood and adolescence.
• “Bone health is a family issue, particularly as genetics and heredity are among the key factors that influence a person’s risk of developing osteoporosis,” said Robert Recker, MD, president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation. “However, there are many lifestyle choices that families can make to help build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis later in life.”
• A Gift from Mothers to Daughters Decades of research encourage her to drink lowfat milk instead of sugary sodas and fruit drinks, which often take the place of milk. Currently, nine out of 10 teenage girls fail to get enough of the calcium they need. Milk and milk products are the major source of calcium in the diet and provide other important bone-building nutrients including vitamin D, protein, potassium and phosphorus. Many studies have examined milk’s effect on bone health in children and adolescents.
• Regularly drinking milk during the growing years is associated with greater height, bone size and bone mineralization, while research has linked skipping milk to reduced height and increased fracture rates. Forearm fracture rates of children and adolescents have increased sharply in the United States in recent years, and many researchers are worried that falling milk consumption and displacement of milk by carbonated drinks may be a factor.
• Children (ages 3-13) who avoided milk were found to suffer from fractures more frequently than their milk-drinking peers. The majority of the milk avoiders had family members who did not drink milk.
• In a two-year study of young children with a history of prolonged milk avoidance, the milk avoiders were more likely to suffer from osteopenia (low bone mass), were shorter, and had higher body mass indices (an indicator of body weight) compared to children who regularly drank milk.
• Regular calcium intake, especially calcium from milk, had a favorable effect on girls’ bone mass and attainment of peak bone density, which are critical factors in determining risk of osteoporosis later in life.
• Moms who drink milk are likely to have daughters who drink milk, and the availability of milk at meals and snacks was associated with meeting calcium recommendations and bone mineral status. The researchers suggest that early beverage choices, including choosing milk, learned well before rapid growth could have significant impact on bone health during adolescence.

“Drinking milk should be a family affair,” said registered dietitian Carolyn O’Neil, MS, RD, an award-winning food and health journalist and mother. “Studies show that daughters whose moms drink milk regularly consume more of it themselves – and drink less soda. So it’s not just what we say but what we do, that really matters. And as moms, we need the nine essential nutrients in milk, too.”
For more bone health tips and tools, visit http://whymilk.com/strong_bones.php. About the National Milk Mustache “got milk?®” Campaign The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), Washington, D.C., is funded by the nation’s milk processors, who are committed to increasing fluid milk consumption. The MilkPEP Board runs the National Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign, a multi-faceted campaign designed to educate consumers about the health benefits of milk. Lowe New York is the creative agency for the National Milk Mustache “got milk?” Campaign. For more information, go to Visit whymilk.com. About the National Osteoporosis Foundation Established in 1984, NOF is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health. Its mission is to prevent osteoporosis and related fractures, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis, and to find a cure through programs of awareness, advocacy, public and health professional education and research. For more information on osteoporosis and bone health, contact NOF online at www.nof.org or by telephone (800) 231-4222.

Please share this post to celebrate this effort to improve the health of the next generation.
For readers who enter a comment to this post, we will distribute limited quantities of free “Got Milk” gifts including: T-shirts, blender, recipes. Reference “Got Milk” and for privacy, leave your email address. We will contact you for the snail mail address. Thanks, Gail

“I will start eating healthy,” is probably the most overused New Year’s resolution – ever. But for over 2 million Americans diagnosed with diabetes, ‘eating healthy’ is not an option – it’s a commitment.
If you’ve recently been diagnosed or have a genetic predisposition to it (i.e. family has diabetes history), take heart. Science now knows how to control, head off, and even – some believe – reverse diabetes. We have modern medication aimed at improving insulin sensitivity, you can do beneficial exercises, and of course, the primary weapon of every diabetic: proper diet and nutrition.
The first – and best thing you can do is to visit a dietitian with experience advising diabetics and map out a nutrition plan. You can’t just stop eating certain foods or eliminating all sugars from your life. You should actually broaden your gastronomic horizon (in a safe and moderated way). Your new diet should take into account your lifestyle, medication, weight, age, and other medical conditions you may have. Going on a diabetic-friendly diet doesn’t mean depriving yourself, it simply means eating well in a way that will prevent the complications of diabetes and improve your overall health while allowing you the pleasure of good healthy food.
Diabetics should change their diet to achieve specific goals – maintaining a healthy weight, controlling blood glucose levels, and getting proper overall nutrition.
One way to do this is to follow the ADA’s Diabetes Food Pyramid guide. This guide can be found online and has an extensive list of examples. The ADA guide groups foods according to their carbohydrate and protein content, often guiding you regarding what you can eat, when to eat it, and serving size. The ADA’s guide contains and extensive list of grains and starches, vegetables, fruit, milk, meat and meat substitutes.
Another diet option is the Glycemic Index Diet, which ranks foods according to the rate at which they break down in the body to form glucose. High GI foods break down rapidly, while low GI foods break down more slowly. The Glycemic Index diet focuses on low GI foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products.
Another option is a low-fat vegan diet. Switching to a vegan diet seems like an abrupt change to some, however a study by Dr. Neal Barnard and chronicled in his book Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugsclaims a low-fat vegan diet and foods with low glycemic index can help reduce or do away with medication, and even reverse the diabetes’ progression.
Following a diabetic-friendly diet can be both fulfilling and nutritious, as long as you are willing to change your lifestyle. Before settling on a diet, remember to consult your doctor and dietician and stick with it. If you’re a diabetic, now is the time to forget eating without abandon, it’s probably what got you here in the first place. Remember, the keys to a great life despite diabetes are proper medication, exercise, and a good nutritious diet.
Resources of interest:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/diabeticdiet.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00027

Getting diagnosed with diabetes today is not as devastating as it once was. The sky won’t fall down and the world will not end. Now more than ever, science has advanced enough that you can be in control and not the other way around.

• Controlling diabetes can be done many ways; through diet and nutrition, such as changing to a low fat vegan diet, eating foods with low glycemic index, and following the ADA approved diet.
• There’s better medication aimed at improving insulin sensitivity and improve glycemic control.  Aside from medication and going on a vegan diet, one other proven, powerful way of controlling diabetes is exercise.

• Exercise helps control weight, lower blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels, which then lowers your risk of heart disease. Exercise also helps control blood glucose and lowers blood pressure. Plus it releases endorphins that help you feel better about yourself – lending credence to the saying ‘a healthy person is a happy person.’

But before you go running out you should know not all exercises are good for diabetics.

• Experts agree that moderate-intensity exercise for 30 minutes, five days a week, is best for diabetes sufferers. Examples include brisk walking, dancing, swimming, or cycling. Physically demanding sports such as basketball, football, etc. are allowed but check with your doctor first.

Talk to a doctor, caregiver, and fitness expert and work out an exercise plan specifically for your conditioning, age, and fitness level. Most importantly, do exercises or sports that you really like.
Beware though, exercise can lower blood glucose too much causing hypoglycemia characterized by shaking, confusion, anxiety, headaches and may render you unconscious. To prevent this, check your blood glucose with medical grade test strips before and after exercising. Ask your doctor what your blood sugar levels should be before and after.  If your blood glucose drops, stop – eat a snack to get it back up.
Important Tips

• Always warm up before you start and cool down after. Go slowly at the beginning gradually increasing the exercise intensity, as you get fit.
• Wear correct fitting socks and shoes and check for sores, blister or cuts after exercising. Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
• If you’re on medication, ask your doctor if adjustments are needed. Wear a medical tag that states you have diabetes, your doctor’s name and number, and emergency contacts.

Most importantly, exercise with someone who knows your condition and knows what to do. Plus it’s always more fun exercising with someone you know.
Finally, make exercise or sports a permanent part of your life. Diabetes won’t just quit and go away, so you shouldn’t quit doing anything that will help you either.

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Dr. Howard M. Shapiro is the founder and director of Howard M. Shapiro Medical Associates. It is a private multidisciplinary medical office in New York City, which specializes in nutrition counseling, weight control, and life management. His pioneering work in bariatric medicine gained him international recognition in 1981. He was able to establish a comprehensive weight control method which expanded to include psychological services.  Dr. Shapiro has authored Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss and Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss 30 Day Plan (Amazon affiliate link) among others. These books have made a great impact on many people.

Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss (Amazon affiliate link)
Comparisons in pictures give clear illustrations that, while an individual can make a choice of eating food with low calories, he/she can still have a large portion that is enjoyable to one’s palate.  The pictures get readers to think about their food choices. This book is a visual aid to some people who prefer large portions but still want to lose weight. Most people need to ‘see’ and not just ‘hear’ or ‘read about’ it.

This book is straightforward and easy to read. For many readers, this is not a “diet” book.

• It illustrates that losing weight can be easy. It teaches how to satisfy one’s hunger by actually eating more, provided you eat the right foods.
• It allows you free choice, you can control what you eat but you will not feel deprived. It is a realistic system.  This is a better alternative to low-carb diets which are harder to maintain and puts one’s heart at risk.

Another plus is the discussion on emotional eating where examples are cited on how “real people” can modify their eating selections.
While the book may be the best diet plan to many of Dr. Shapiro’s readers, there are some flaws in this book:

• Dr. Shapiro discourages milk and instead encourages an increase in intake of fortified soy products.
• This book leans toward vegetarianism but many people still prefer to have some meat in their diets as their protein source. Some people can only eat so much tofu. Soy products are also quite expensive and not available in some places.

There is no mention of alternatives to seafood in this book. This is a problem to people who are allergic to seafood. The discussion on exercise, as part of a balanced health regimen, lacked depth.
Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss: The Visual Program for Permanent Weight Loss (Amazon affiliate link)
is one of the best approaches to weight control. It is simple and easy to understand. It helps many people to lose weight in a doable, enjoyable way. In the end of it all, it is one’s choice whether he will make use of this book to improve his life.

Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss 30 Day Plan (Amazon affiliate link)

Just like its predecessor, Dr. Shapiro’s Picture Perfect Weight Loss 30 Day Plan (Amazon affiliate link) is a simple and easy book to follow. It has new food comparisons which are as colorful as the ones in the first book. There are real life stories of New York Fire and Police Department personnel, the Chicago 7 on Good Morning America, etc. In this book, there is nutritional information targeted at specific age groups (e.g. kids, teens and seniors).

There is a section addressing eating disorders like bulimia which is affects many young people. Unlike the first book, the 30 day plan book is more specific. As the title suggests, it’s a 30-day eating plan. For many people who are too busy to figure out the portions that they should eat, this book is a big help. However, like the first book, this is also a diet-focused book. Losing weight should also involve exercise.

While this is a one of the best weight control programs written, an exercise regimen would also greatly benefit the readers.

As with all other diet plans, there is one basic thing to remember. If you do not stick to this plan, you will easily regain all the weight that you lost. While this program was designed to be simple and easy to follow and understand, it still takes commitment on one’s part to do this regimen diligently to stay healthy.

Most of us have been accustomed to low-fiber, high-sugar, and high-salt diets. It may be because of the hectic lifestyle that most of us are leading these days. No time to cook, so we end up buying just about anything at the nearest fast-food restaurant. Maybe, we spend too much time in front of the computer or the TV, so, we eat while we are doing something else. Maybe, it’s because our moms just loved to cook those delicious, fatty foods when we were kids. So now, it’s just hard for us to switch to healthier options. Whatever the reason, obesity in USA alone, affects about 60 million people, mostly women.
Having bad eating habits has contributed greatly to obesity. Following are just some of the most common bad eating habits:

1. SKIPPING BREAKFAST
“Blood sugar usually drops overnight, so your brain is running on empty until you eat in the morning,” says Ellie Krieger R.D.
Studies show that those who skip breakfast tend to eat more calories during the day compared to people who don’t skip. You should eat something that will satisfy you enough to get you through the next few hours, like a bowl of bran cereal with low-fat milk.

2. STARVING YOURSELF
If you skip breakfast, your body would have been starved for 12 to 18 hours.
“Not consuming enough calories during the day could lead to increased craving for high-fat or high-sugar foods,” says Suzanne Farrell, MS RD, spokesperson for the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION.

3. BINGING
If you are used to a diet that is low in fiber and high in salt or sugar and partially hydrogenated Trans fats, you will tend to over-eat. This is probably the most common cause of obesity in America.
Instead of eating two or three large meals per day, it is better to eat five or six small meals of high-fibered fruits, vegetables, etc. during the day.

4. EATING ON THE RUN
Leslie Bonci, R.D. calls this, “grab, gulp, and go mentality”. Bonci states that this eating habit can leave you dissatisfied and unsure of what you ate and sometimes give you an upset stomach.
Just like meetings, conferences, etc., include meal times on your schedule. There should always be time for good nutrition. If, however, there is just too much going on in our life, be prepared. Always stock up on healthy options like low-fat granola bars, nuts and dried fruits or single-serving packages of crackers.

5. DRINK ENOUGH WATER
How many times have we been told that drinking 8 glasses of water daily should be a part of our health regimen?
Water is crucial for all organs of to work properly. Drinking a minimum of 8 glasses of pure water a day will help your body to burn fat.
While most people have developed bad eating habits through the years, here are some good eating habits that can make a lot of difference in our lives.

1. EAT REGULAR MEALS
When you skip meals your body feels deprived. It can lead to out-of-control hunger which results to overeating. So, no matter how busy you are, eat meals regularly.

2. EAT MODERATE PORTIONS
It will be easier for you to eat the foods you want and stay healthy by keeping portion sizes reasonable. You don’t have to let your body feel deprived.

3. KNOW YOUR DIET PITFALLS
Before improving your eating habits, you have to identify what’s wrong with your present habits. Write down what you eat for two to three days. If you see an unhealthy diet pattern (i.e. lack of fruits and vegetables or having too much creams or sauces) try to correct it.

4. BALANCE YOUR FOOD CHOICES OVER TIME
If you’ve been used to a diet high in fat, sugar or salt, choose other foods that are low in these ingredients. If after following a regular health regimen, you fall off the wagon, get back up and try to make up for it the next day. Nobody is “perfect” even when it comes to making the right choices on healthy eating.

5. MAKE CHANGES GRADUALLY
Nobody can change overnight. Start with modest changes, and build it up to positive lifelong eating habits. Good nutrition should be a way of life not a life sentence.

Reversing The Course of Diabetes You are what you eat is an adage science has repeatedly proven true. Eating less fats and trans fats lessens chances of heart disease. Some believe that a gluten-free and casein-free (GFCF) diet helps children with Autism recover. Now, Dr. Neal Barnard (University of Toronto, George Washington University) claims in his book, Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugs(Amazon affiliate link)  that his diet can actually reverse the course of one of this century’s dreaded diseases: Diabetes. Fact – Diabetes has reached epidemic levels. More than 200 million around the world suffer from it. If left untreated, it may lead to severe conditions such as heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, amputations, etc.

• Traditionally, diabetes has been treated using a regimen of low carb/calorie diets and medication recommended by the American Diabetics Association (ADA) to keep the disease in check.
• Barnard’s book challenges this decades-long practice by saying that eating a low-fat vegan diet and foods with low glycemic index can do better, can help reduce or do away with medication, and even reverse the disease’s progression.
• In his book, he explains that in people with Type-2 diabetes, an “accumulation of tiny amounts of fat inside muscle cells” cause blockages that prevent insulin from opening the cell membrane and allowing glucose to enter.

Eliminating animal fat and taking in minimal protein is key in improving insulin sensitivity. People with diabetes take insulin to control their blood sugar (glucose). He studied two groups in his research; one control group followed the ADA diet while the other was placed on a low-fat vegan diet. The study found that while the ADA group were able to control their blood sugar levels as expected, the other group actually had to lessen their medication as their blood sugar began to drop dramatically.

• The diet also reduced the vegan group’s A1c (measure of blood-glucose control) three times better than the others.

The diet also appears to help reduce body weight, control cholesterol, improve glycemic control, control blood glucose levels, decrease triglycerides, and reduce blood pressure. Switching to a vegan diet is not easy, so for those concerned about the diet’s palatability, the book offers a tasteful menu of meals from cookbook author Bryanna Clark-Grogan.

The recipes are incorporated into the book’s “7 Days of Healthful Menus” section. There’s even a Nutrition Guideline, a section on the “New Four Food Groups”, and a list of permitted and non-permitted foods. Surprisingly, Dr. Barnard found that those who have been on the ADA diet were eager to jump ship.

Barnyard’s diet does not limit portion sizes, as it focuses on diet and nutrition not on counting calories and carbohydrates. However, the real power of this book is that it gives diabetics a choice, one that is rooted in science and has been tested and proven successful. No longer are they tied to certain foods and medication. As Barnard says to diabetes sufferers, “You are now in the driver’s seat.” Those who want to be in control should grab this book immediately.

Dieting is not an effective weight loss tool.  In fact, dieting will actually make weight loss next to impossible.  The premise behind dieting is that the individual will limit their caloric intake enough to lose one to two pounds a week.  But more often than not, the person who is desperate to lose those pounds today is likely to try to limit the calorie intake even more.

A pound of weight is equal to 3500 calories.  That means in order to lose a pound of fat you have to either burn off another 3500 calories a week and maintain the food intake you are enjoying now or cut the calorie intake or a combination of both.  So if you are a woman who normally eats around 2000 calories a day and she wants to lose a pound to two a week she must cut the calorie intake to 1500 and increase the amount of exercise she does.

The question becomes can she continue to maintain the calorie count on a daily basis for the long-term to maintain her weight loss or will she eventually feel tired, weak, fatigued and deprived of the foods she enjoys?

And to increase the likelihood of failure decreasing calorie intake and feeling tired and weak will also decrease the metabolic rate and slow the anticipated weight loss.  Without weight loss what’s the point of cutting the calories?

The goal is to increase the metabolic rate and burn more calories.  And in order to do that you actually have to eat.

1  Eat six small meals every day.  It may sound like a lot but six small meals will provide your body with as much calories as it needs but spread out over a period of time so there are no gaps in the day when the body is without energy. If you eat only three large meals a day then you are more likely to eat junk food when you’re hungry.  But eating six meals means you won’t feel hungry, your metabolism will stay  high and you’ll never go more than a couple of hours without eating.

Split your three large meals into six smaller ones.   Incorporate less processed foods and more raw material such as fruits and vegetables – both of which you can eat as much as you want.

2 Drink a lot of water.  The added water is now available to help the extra toxins and waste products from the body making metabolism easier for the body.  It also keeps you feeling full, plumps your skin cells so you look younger, keeps the metabolic rate moving and keeps your kidneys healthy.

The standard number of ounces of water that is recommended is 64 or 8 – 8 ounce glasses.  But if you are trying to lose weight and increase your metabolic rate then it’s better to drink 10 -12 glasses per day.  Spread them out over the daytime and begin to cut off the drinking by 7 or 8 pm (depending upon what time you go to bed).  This will save you from getting up all night to go to the bathroom.

The average person living in a Western country is now obese.  The secondary effects of this weight gain ranges from a decreased ability to be active with family and friends to diseases and illnesses that can be directly attributed to the body’s decreased ability to remain healthy at an increased weight.  The causes of this weight gain can be credited to several different factors which range from the Standard Western diet high in fat and processed foods, decreased exercise, more desk jobs and increased stress in the lives of people.

No matter what the reasons weight loss and increased exercise is the solution.  And because of the increased number of people suffering there are also a plethora of weight loss programs available to meet almost every need you can imagine.  But among those weight loss programs that are legitimate are also those that are unreasonable.

People who are desperate to achieve their goal are often at a higher risk of falling prey to those who would want to take their money without delivering on the promise.  There are some specific criteria to evaluate before you join a weight loss program or determine to follow a particular plan.  Let’s look at those criteria now.

1. Does the program promise quick, rapid, easy and painless weight loss?  Most legitimate weight loss programs won’t make a promise that you will lose weight rapidly because they know that such a thing isn’t possible.  The only promise they may make is that they’ll help you lose it as fast as medically possible.  So if you find a program that promises you’ll be in that bikini in 2 months – don’t walk away – run!

2. Does the program recommend the use of supplements to jump start or maintain weight loss?  Many weight loss programs will recommend using a multi-vitamin because in the process of cutting calories many people may also cut out the necessary vitamins needed to help maintain the functioning of the body.  However, if the program relies on a supplement as the basis of the program then it’s probably not something that you can maintain for any length of time.  And before considering any supplement consider the side effects, the long-term effects and any interactions with medications you may already be taking – such as blood pressure medication and any of the over-the-counter medications you may take for headaches, allergies or pain relief.

3. Does the weight loss program address the mental aspect of losing weight?  However good the program may be if you aren’t prepared for the lifestyle changes and the weight loss then the program won’t help you!  If the program appears to be legitimate and doesn’t make big claims about what you can accomplish but doesn’t have a support mechanism built in you may want to find your own support mechanism to use the program.

4. Does the program advocate incorporating exercise into your daily routine as well as dietary changes?  Research is clear about the health benefits of both.  Those who use both a dietary change and exercise will have better results than those who just cut calories.

Before joining any weight loss program it’s important to evaluate the criteria that make the program healthy and successful.  Those programs that encourage people to make drastic changes to their diet or exercise hours each day, are more than likely not going to be successful because of the amount of will power it would take to maintain the program in the first place.

Take a strong look at how the program will also affect your body and your health.  We are given one body to last this lifetime.  When we take good care of it – it will take good care of us.