One of the most interesting things about our Tip Of The Day email program is the feedback we get from people. One thing we hear over and over is how hard weight loss can be for so many people. It is tough because we tend to steer people towards diets with very high amounts of fruits and vegetables with a specific focus on greens on a daily basis.
A lot of people, though, are in such a state of struggle that they need or gravitate towards things that are either easy or fun. So our challenge is really to try and connect the two. To show a path between the easy and fun and the more longer term and sustainable. We have been focusing recently on NutriSystem because we hear from many that it is very easy, convenient and for many people it is the only thing that worked for them. They just needed that combination of ease and structure.
But we also hear from many, and from the medical community especially, that success on this program can often be short term in nature. So the question really is, how does one make this part of a long term plan. I asked Dr. Laurie Rothman this question and here were her thoughts:
"-I would introduce the concepts that we want the "dieter" to carry on into his/her real life after Nutrisystem or similar plan, immediately.
-Most of
these plans give you unlimited non-starchy vegetables in addition to the
foods provides. I would recommend having full servings of raw or steamed
vegetables and salads before meals.
-This will encourage healthy eating
habits and likely promote more weight loss and decrease food cravings. In
addition, there is some choice of meals in the plans.
-I would recommend
staying away from the meals with red meat and cheese, etc. As these may be
okay in the small amounts provided by the pre-packaged meals, but most
people are not good at continuing those portion sizes.
-Also, stay away from
the plan's desserts. Have fresh fruit instead. As weight loss occurs, I
would recommend replacing one meal at a time with home prepared food. As
long as weight loss continues or is maintained as desired, the client is
doing great."
The advice is essentially to start learning and adopting the basics of Eat To Live/Eat For Health as soon as you start NutriSystem. One of the most important things these book teach you is that many vegetables, especially greens, can help fight hunger cravings.
We also hear from many of you that "mindset" issues often overwhelm any knowledge or desire. One man emailed me recently and said he had been to Weight Watchers and done many diets but knew that his mindset was the problem. We hear this a lot and this is one of the reasons we have developed a coaching program around this specific idea. Personal Development Coach Joshua Wayne, MA leads this program. You can learn about it here:
This program is for people who feel like they know all they want to about "dieting", and want to focus on the mental aspect of weight loss, health and fitness.
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