Weight Loss Program – It Is Tough To Do It Alone

Most people who tried one (or fifty) weight loss programs agree: the worst part, and the biggest reason for the failure, is the sense of isolation. We feel alone and neglected and out of the normal social loop. This is one of the reasons for the phenomenal success of commercial weight loss programs: they offer support every step of the way. Their nutrition system almost does not matter.

Lonely and hungry

We are aware that we are not much fun to be around when dieting. We are or cranky and hungry or all we can talk about is our diet. We are a pain in restaurants, because we can”t eat anything without examining every single ingredient. Things at home are even worse, especially if we have to cook for the rest of the family. Some of us are forcing the rest of the family to change their evil ways and switch to low cal low carbs low everything diet, or we are cooking delicious dishes for them and some rabbit food for ourselves. The solution is to join one of several popular commercial weight loss programs and get to be among other people just like us.

What you pay is what you get

Many people are reluctant to pay a high fee in order to be told how much to eat, what to eat, how and when, in order to lose weight. But, scientists found that commercial weight loss systems are ten times more successful in sustained weight loss than self-run dieting. The study that combined work in six medical centers in the States published recently the results of their monitoring of about 300 people who were dieting in order to lose weight. People were divided into two groups: one on one of the commercial weight loss programs, and the other on self-run plans. The results of two years of monitoring showed that commercial programs were more than ten times more successful.

It is interesting that the most success with commercial weight loss programs was achieved in the maintenance of the weight loss. The results were much better with long-term programs than with short ones. This clearly shows that the commercial, well organized programs offer necessary support to sustain the program long enough for the long-term weight loss to be achieved.

Support you need

Weight loss programs offer a kind of membership in a unique kind of club, where all members have the same goal, and are facing the same difficulties, and support each other. Weight Watchers, for example, have internet chat rooms as well as live meetings all over the world. People get together, virtually or really, to exchange their experiences, to find someone to talk to and in general to feel at home and not as outcasts.

Jenny Craig or SlimFast offer ready-made prepackaged food available in most stores, for people who cannot deal with calorie-counting or who simply do not know how to put together a balanced meal.

Consumer Search did a study of a number of commercial weight loss programs, and found that the three most successful are Weight Watchers for its overall great results, SlimFast for the quality of its prepackaged meals and Dean Ornish Eat More Weight Less for the program catering to vegetarians.

If you would rather not join one of the big programs, try to start your own. With two out of three Americans being overweight, it should not be difficult to start a program in your office or factory. A healthy little competition would make it much more fun and attract even those who are not overweight. If you are not employed out of your home, talk to the dietitian at your local health center. They often deal with people with weight problems and might be willing to start a little local club.

While joining a health club or gym might sound like a logical place to look for support, you might want to stay away from them so that you do not get discouraged after seeing all those buff bodies. Go instead for long walks, for a swim, a jog, biking, hiking or get a stairmaster. Find a friend to go with, and try to have fun in the process since it is going to take some time to see the results.

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HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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Written by HealthStatus Team
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our blood alcohol, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years. Our team of health professionals, and researchers use peer reviewed studies as source elements in our articles. Our high quality content has been featured in a number of leading websites, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, Live Strong, GQ, and many more.

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