Showing posts with label Weight Watchers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Weight Watchers. Show all posts

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Make A Resolution to Live Healthy, Not Lose Weight

Diets aren't my thing. I mean, living healthy can seem a bit like dieting but, when you're talking about making a lifestyle change, it's not exactly the same as someone who has signed up for Jenny or Weight Watchers for as long as they can pay the fees and afford the foods. No, a lifestyle change is simply a decision to "eat this, not that" and that's as simple as I can put it for those who like simplicity.

That said, every day can be a challenge for even the healthy minded because there is always new information about food and some new definition of "healthy". It's a challenge that I have trouble facing up to, from time to time, I must admit. But, eating healthy and preserving this God-given body of mine is something I am so passionate about that I am willing to make the effort to do what I can to remain informed and not succumb to whatever information is force fed to me through less reliable sources with an agenda.

Even so, I am not perfect.

I enjoy a slice of cake every now and then, and it can be difficult to turn down a piece of chocolate when the craving hits me but, for the most part, the mantra for me remains to "eat this, not that" and keep up my regular exercise/stretching regimen and that is something that has always worked for me. 

Many people, I feel—and if this sounds arrogant or short-sighted, please trust that is not my intention—complicate the process too much by subscribing to one dietary plan for some random extent of time. The only plan that has ever worked, consistently, is to eat right and exercise. It's not now, nor has it ever been, rocket science.  That's the tried and true way to remain healthy and lose weight—if losing weight is your goal.

You have to commit to this not for 30, 60, or 90-days, but for a lifetime, anything less is futile.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

'GMA's' Diet Food Challenge Emphasizes A Common Problem With Weight-Loss Programs

Good Morning America (or GMA as some have come to call it) did a diet food contest in hopes of finding out what both chefs and everyday people thought of the foods most often associated with the three major diet programs—Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, and NutriSystem.

You can click the link above to see the results, but here is my overall opinion of all of those programs: they work so long as you are using them in a manner that suits your lifestyle, but it seems counter-productive to only use pre-packaged food items to reach your goals.

As much as frozen and shelf-stable (which is what brands like NutriSystem are considered) can be a great way to start getting acquainted with portion-control and and calorie counting, they can also become health hazards if they are not appropriately monitored by the user.

For instance, if a meal states that it is under 500 calories, be sure that it offers enough vegetables to help you reach your dietary goals for the day. If it doesn't, plan to add to your meal by preparing a small salad or adding a side of steamed veggies. Furthermore, be cognizant of the nutritional label of every frozen or shelf-stable food item you choose to purchase—how much sodium does the item contain? How many grams of dietary fiber does it offer?

While it's easy to get addicted to eating frozen meals as a means of losing weight, you should really begin working towards the preparation of your own—fresh food based—meal planning. In the end, a diet based around pre-packaged snacks and foods is not one which will be valuable over the long haul because what happens when buying 15-21 meals a week (at $4-6.00 a pop) is no longer viable?

In most cases, if a person has not learned to prepare his or her own meals, they will revert to the old way of doing things—much of the time resulting in unhealthy purchases.

My humble advise, as always, is to use whatever plan you choose to follow in a sensible way by taking advantage of the supplemental services each offers (i.e. personal coaches, chat rooms, and weight-loss support meetings) but start working towards becoming your own personal chef and finding great, naturally grown, foods that will both enhance your life and your health.