Commerical Diet Programs... Do They Really Work?

Hey fitness peeps! Only 6 more days 'till Christmas! Can ya' believe it?!? Since I'm sure this will be my last post before then, I want to say a big MERRY CHRISTMAS to all those who celebrate! And no matter what holiday you celebrate during this time, whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, ... etc., I want to wish you a HAPPY HOLIDAY! Hope yours is filled with friends, family, fun & love!


So let's get straight to the subject of the post, the question is: Commercial Diet Programs... do they really work? And my answer in one word would be: Yes. AHA! I bet you thought this was going to be a post bashing commercial diets, right? Well, think again! While you can, and I have, lost weight by simply eating heathy foods, counting calories and cutting back on portion sizes, there's nothing wrong with giving a commercial diet program a try if you choose to. As some of you may know, I lost my initial big chunk of weight (72 lbs to be exact) using NutriSystem, and earlier this year, after gaining some weight, I tried Weight Watchers Online and was able to lose the weight that I had gained, plus more!

The reason I write this post today is because I'm sure with the new year right around the corner, your tv and inboxes are probably already beginning to get bombarded by a number of ads for different weight loss programs... NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, South Beach Diet, Medifast... the list goes on and on. With so many to choose from, it kinda' makes you question whether any of them really work? My answer to that would be: ALL of them work if YOU do! You wanna' know the real reason why I had success with both NutriSystem and Weight Watchers? What was the common denominator? Me! It was my decision to truly stick to the program that made all the difference in the world! It's your dedication & commitment to the program that does the real work! Now don't get me wrong, there's a science behind all of the different programs - for example, NutriSystem follows a low glycemic diet plan, while Weight Watchers has developed their own Points Plus Plan based off monitoring protein, carb, fiber and fat intake - but if you stay faithful to either one of them, you're going to lose weight! They all work if you work! 

I don't want to leave you with the feeling that this blog has been one giant post promoting commercial diet programs. That's actually not the case at all. As I mentioned above, none of them are necessary, but I believe that they can be beneficial for those who either don't cook or want to cook, or for those who don't know yet how to develop a healthy diet of their own. I know this was the case for me with NutriSystem - I was at a point where I didn't know what to do, so I left all the guess work to them. And when I decided to try Weight Watchers, after maintaining my initial weight loss for years, I had gotten lazy; I had stopped counting calories and my portions had gotten bigger and bigger - I had lost control. Weight Watchers helped me get back on track. Jenny Craig, South Beach and others I'm sure help with those same areas. It's all about choosing what works for you and sticking with it, dedication is key!

I wrote this post for a variety of reasons. One being that I wanted to stress that no matter what, when comes to losing weight and developing a healthier lifestyle, dedication is key! Also, I feel that the subject of commercial diet programs and the decision to join one of them is often shunned in the fitness community, which I honestly don't think is fair. From my experience, they work if you do. My only fair warning would be that you take the time while you are on one to actually research healthy living & eating, and make a plan on how you are going to maintain your weight loss once out of the program. Unfortunately, repeat customers are how most of these diet programs survive (if everyone was a success story, there would be no need for the vast amount of them to exist, now would there?).

So to sum it all up...

1. Commercial diet programs... do they really work? Yes. They work if you do.
2. Are they necessary? No. 
3. Are they convenient? At times. 
4. Do I recommend them? Yes and No. If you have the extra money and are committed, I say, why not give it a try? If you're not going to be committed, they're a waste of money and time. 

Until next time, fitness friends! And once again, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!