PEERtrainer

A Simple Tip To Improve The Quality Of Your Life

People often say that thoughts become things- but questions are what help determine our thoughts.

Successful people simply ask better questions. If you ask better questions, you get better answers. When you have better answers, you make better decisions. Better decisions lead to better results.

The quality of your life improves.

Now, you may be thinking, "ok that makes sense, but how do I do this?" We will tell you!

You have often heard the suggestion or saying "ask and ye shall receive." It's true.

Think for a second about something you want and what you are willing to do to get that.

Maybe ask a question that will put you in a better mood in an instant- what are you happy, proud, grateful, excited about? 

Once you are in a better mood you can then really start to focus on what you want.

An Exercise/Process To Help You Ask Better Questions:

• Set out to ask four questions about that thing that you want.
• What is in your way?
• How are you limiting yourself?
• What can get you to that goal?
• Who can help you?

Asking questions can get you anything you want. When you ask the right questions, and write them down you then have a plan. When you have a plan, you have instantly increased the odds that you will get what you what. Or at a minimum you will have increased your belief in your ability to get what you want.

We do a lot work at PEERtrainer to help people increase their belief in their ability to gain control of their health and energy for the long term. Our focus is to help you gain hope, increase your optimism. What is interesting about this focus is that you can get to this point, and start nurturing this, without sticking to a stringent plan.

Someone yesterday posted this comment on our Facebook Wall:

"I'm on Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers. But I can't stay on the program. It seems... I keep nibbling at night and sometimes I want to binge eat."

Our whole point, and something that we keep coming back to over and over and over is that for many people when they can't "stay on the program" it leads to some very destructive behaviors. We tell people to think in terms of "tools" and not "programs."

You want to gather as big a set of tools as you can, you want to think long term, and you MUST go easy on yourself.

To use an academic term, our "thesis" is to think about your path to health and energy in terms of a journey. Step one is to simply commit to being on it. You don't need to achieve total mastery right out of the gate. That's nuts!

In this journey you also want to have an objective. We use the term "Point Of No Return" because it is so helpful to have some sort of objective. To us, the objective of this term is to get to a place where you are in a lot more control.

It is GREAT place to be, and WORTH the work it takes to get there.

People have responded to this concept, and really embraced it. If you think about it, so many traditional diet approaches are akin to pushing a beach ball under water. Obviously the ball will bounce right back up.

But when you think in terms of the journey, you break it down into a small series of adjustments. This changes your whole mindset. Maybe an email comes to you with an article with an idea, just like this one, and you get back on track. Or you try a new adjustment. But you enjoy it.

For those of you who are just "following along at home" you can nurture this same sense of of hope and belief. Even if you do just one thing a day or a week, you will remain on the journey.

Introducing The PEERtrainer Success Index:

Want to measure your success? Take this simple quiz right now. When you do, success tips will follow, over time:

http://success.peertrainer.com   <====CLICK HERE TO TAKE QUIZ

You will get there. We promise!

 

PS, If you found this post inspiring or helpful, this article is related and can help you build upon this idea.

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How To Get The Motivation To Sign Up For Weight Watchers In 3 Days! (True Story From A PEERtrainer Member)

This email was just sent to us by someone who is on Day 3 of our course to Help Stop Emotional Eating. We are sharing it to show how quickly one can get back on track, EVEN if you have fallen WAY off track and gained a BUNCH of weight back"

"Hi, Peertrainer is helping me immensely. It gave me the motivation to sign up for Weight Watchers Online. I am a lifetime member but gained back 45 lbs now I have lost nine and feel empowered thanks to Peertrainer. WW has always worked for me when I work the plan, and with Peertrainer also, I feel very positive about my ability to lose those 45 lbs.

Peertrainer calls, (I am on call three,) helped me to re-frame how I define myself. I learned the importance of how we think about ourselves, and now I say I am not an emotional eater, I eat at times to avoid an emotion that I don't want to deal with. YAY, that is progress!

The second call stressed this and it is working for me. I stop myself before I eat and examine what I am feeling. I substitute exercise, journaling, or go to my list of activities I keep on my refrigerator and pick one. And, wow! It works!

It hit me when I scrolled down to see all the people in the group, and one member really caught my eye....2fat2lose I think that that person is setting herself up for failure, because she believes she is to fat to lose the weight, and this caused me to really think hard on all areas of my life, as to what I am saying as opposed to what I really want.

Thanks very much, love Peertrainer! 

Can I Do Weight Watchers On My Own?

For whatever reason, people are constantly trying to figure out how to do Weight Watchers on their own. We have some ideas for you, but it first makes sense to outline the strengths of Weight Watchers before you decide to set out on your own.

The primary service that Weight Watchers provides, is that they help people learn portion control.  If you are going to succeed on your own, you will need to first master that, and understand how a portion relates to calories. 

If you are going to lose weight on your own, in addition to getting a handle on portion control, you will need some sort of mechanism to make better food choices. You will need a simple system that guides you towards certain foods and away from others. The new PEERtrainer Cheat System provides a good starting point. It contains a list of unlimited foods, foods to start to move away from, and a very basic system to help you keep track of your portions.

It can be download here for free, and you can read it in about 10 minutes and process the main ideas.

Drilling down a bit further, beyond the main concepts of portion control and better choices, you'll need to decide whether or not you want to follow their system, or do portion control on your own.

If you decide you really like the Points System, know that there are many people who are Weight Watchers lifers. It works for them, for the way they live. This is something you'll need to figure out on your own.

There are four fundamental areas you need to focus on to successfully do Weight Watchers on your own. Following these steps, combined with an accountability tool like PEERtrainer can give you a very broad toolset. This approach also allows you to practice "Diet Fusion"- imagine counting points while you follow Dr. Fuhrman's Eat For Health!

(1) The company sells a line of electronic trackers that you take with you to calculate points and keep you on track. This is really an excellent accountability tool. You can find them periodically on Amazon, but they sell out very quickly. If you see something for sale and you think you want it, it may not be around for long:

(2) You will need a scale, (and if you don't have one get one:) You really need to weigh in once per week, and it makes sense to "make friends with the scale." Getting on the scale helps you confront reality. If you count points and measure your progress, you will be surprised at how well you can do.

Weight Watchers WW43/WW43D Memory Glass Electronic Scale

(3) Part of the power of Weight Watchers are their tips and recipes that you get in meetings and online. This very practical advice helps you make changes in your real life. The company has some books and publications that can help you follow the program on your own. The Momentum Program recipes are particularly good from what we hear:

Best of Weight Watchers Magazine : Over 145 Tasty Favorites--All 9 POINTS or Less
Simple Goodness: More Than 100 Quick & Easy Recipes
Weight Watchers Magazine

(4) You also need to focus on the mental aspect of weight loss which for many people is the most difficult. And you will want to get some help. Most of you know about our coaching programs, and we do recommend following the Points system as part of our PEERtrainer coaching program:

The Point Of No Return Mindset Program

 

Is It Hard To Stay On The Weight Watchers Points System?

At PEERtrainer, we understand the specific challenges people face in their quest to lose weight. You might be doing great on Weight Watchers for three weeks and then you are "ambushed" by a social event. Maybe you find yourself eating at night and know that is the one thing that trips you up. Or your friends and family might not have the same commitment to overall fitness and health, and you find your self constantly tripped up. In situations like these, you know exactly what you need to do, but you find yourself continually back at the same place.

PEERtrainer has put together The Point Of No Return Program to deal with situations like these, and help you develop the skills you need to get you to the "point of no return", where you feel empowered to deal with daily challenges. If you feel like you are not ready to start Weight Watchers, this program will help you get there. And if you are having a hard time sticking to the program or going to your meetings, this program will help.

"I'm allowed 28 Weight Watchers Points". Any tips?"

MB asked me the following question:

I am trying the new lifestyle change now.  What are some tips? I am allowed 28 points."

Here are my tips:

1.  Log, log, log your food.  You might think you are eating 28 points but you're only eating 20 and wondering why you're feeling hungry.  Or conversly, you could be eating 40 points and wondering why you're not losing weight!  The only way you really know what you're eating is to write down your food and it only takes a couple minutes a day.   (You can get a PEERtrainer log here). 

2. Two excellent 3 point snacks (click here for more weight watchers snack ideas):
- a pear and a tablespoon of peanut butter
- a quarter of avocado with salsa and black beans. 

3. One of the easiest ways I've seen to split up 28 points through the day:

- 7 for breakfast,
- 7 for lunch,
- 3 for a snack
- save the remaining 11 for dinner.

If you're on a 20 point track:

- 5 for breakfast
- 5 for lunch
- 2 for snack
- the remaining 8 are for dinner. 

If you're curious about how many points you personally get, take this personal assessment from Weight Watchers to see how it works.  

Jackie

Changes To The Weight Watchers Program: Some Feedback On Momentum and New Points System

Another great email from a subscriber to our Tip Of The Day coaching program. We have been writing about Weight Watchers Momentum, and encouraging people to get restarted on the program if WW has been a fit for them in the past. We have also been blogging about how people can get motivated to go to Weight Watchers if they have signed up but are having a hard time showing up to the meetings.

I have asked specifically for people to tell me their successes with the new plan. The idea here is that this can motivate others to join or to make similar changes on their own.

"Hi Jackie, 

I have done Weight Watchers in the past, more times than I care to admit. :-) Some of the reasons I am feeling like it is a better fit for me now, are actually changes in me, not their program. Specifically; I'm not looking for the 'perfect program', just a tool to help me find what works for me, I am eating a LOT more fruit and veg, which makes points go much further, and I view the program as my choice rather than something I 'have to do' which tends to makes me rebel.

More specific to the Momentum program: I like not having to choose between the Flex and the Core programs - I always felt like the grass must be greener on the other plan! Also, the new formula for points gives me a few more points per day, which seems to be just enough that I don't feel deprived."

This is great to hear, and very interesting. One thing we talk a lot about on this blog, in the Tip of The Day emails, in our coaching programs is "Diet Fusion"- the idea that there is no magic bullet and you need to incorporate the proven elements of different diets together and discover what works for you. And this subscriber has successfully adopted that idea.

It is also interesting to hear that the emphasis on fruits and vegetables "makes points go much further." This is something we emphasize and is at the core of our relationship with Dr. Fuhrman. He shows us why we need to increase fruits and vegetables, not just that we need to. It is a very important distinction. Weight Watchers has moved in this direction, and their new Set Points System helps to provide some structure around this.

Dr. Fuhrman talks a lot about the relationship between fruits and vegetables and hunger- that when your body is getting the nutrients it needs, that helps to curb the hunger cravings. The micronutrients in plant based food are key to getting your body what it needs. Weight Watchers has made fruits and vegetables a greater focus of their program and it appears to be working. If you are interested in learning more about the relationship between food and hunger, and how to learn what "true hunger" really is, please get a copy of Eat For Health. You can learn more about the book by clicking here, and we also have a link to a PEERtrainer discount.

Weight Watchers As A "Backup Diet" If You Are On Fat Smash, Eat To Live or South Beach

If you've picked Fat Smash or Eat To Live Or South Beach as your "diet", the thing that is SO important to having a "back up" diet like Weight Watchers or counting calories is because sometimes you just don't feel like eating vegetables or eating anything that resembles "healthy".  You know you should, but you just don't.  All the positive self -talk and all that you do to avoid eating pasta or pizza or a cheeseburger just isn't going to happen.  You just don't care.  Your mind goes on automatic pilot and you head straight for the nearest comfort food.  And unfortunately, sometimes you stay there for DAYS.  One choice after another becomes pizza, more white bread, dessert and so on. 

Until you get back to your Fat Smash Diet regimen, or Eat to Live or South Beach, or whatever you've chosen, you have to have a way to "portion control" the really bad trajectory of crazy comfort foods because the reality is, it happens to everyone.  If you have a "back up" diet and you're incorporating diet fusion for those days that no matter what anyone says, you're not going to pick the salad, you're just hungry for white bread and you're going to have it, you'll be able to monitor yourself and frame the "bad days" with a semblance of control. 

If you count Weight Watchers Points, you know that 2 slices of pizza is 12 points, and if you have a white bread sandwich at dinner, you'll count the points again.  If you have some method -whether it's points or calorie counting or whatever -to be able to hold yourself accountable, you will not eradicate all the effort you put into the Fat Smash or other plant based/vegetable diet you did.  And when you "come to", when you get back on the more nutrient dense road, you won't have an extra 10 pounds to fight.  This is why you have to have a "portion control" back up plan. 

What Is Your Backup Diet?

Embarrassed To Show Up To A Weight Watchers Meeting?

I had emailed one of our Tip Of The Day subscribers to see how their weekly Weight Watchers meeting went. I was interested to hear more feedback about the new Momentum Program. So I was a little dissappointed when I got the response:

 "I didn't go this week. I ate so much, I couldn't weigh in. I'm going Saturday morning. One thing you can do is make a comment about how people are eating so badly that they are ashamed to even show up and weigh in at weight watchers. There's a story in there somewhere.  And if it's happening to me, it's happening to the masses - you can count on that!"

This is interesting and I want to see what others think about this. I can relate to this, but am not sure what feedback I can give. I will ask Joshua Wayne and update the post. We are going to continue this discussion in the PEERtrainer community. There are some excellent comments below, one from someone who has experienced the same thing, and another who is a receptionist at Weight Watchers meetings and commented on how WW deals with this.

 

It may also be that you are not totally ready to commit to something like Weight Watchers. PEERtrainer has put together a short quiz to find out your odds of actually following through.

NutriSystem For Men: Review Of The Diet, What Foods You Eat, Who This Works For and Cost

NutriSystem can be a very effective weight loss tool for busy and active men. Many men simply are not into group support environments, and many do not have the time to do the work necessary to craft their own diet programs, even with great assistance. The core service they provide is convenience, and the core benefit is that this approach works for many people.

If you are 25 pounds or more overweight and have not yet made real progress, you need to do something. The most important thing is that you learn that you can lose weight, and that you get accustomed to this process. On PEERtrainer we have seen that many men have used NutriSystem to lose weight, especially those first 20 pounds. If you need to lose weight they offer a free diet analysis to show you how a plan like this would work for you.

NutriSystem has been very successful in reaching out to guys through ads like the one with Dan Marino below. A whole range of very active and physical guys have found this approach helpful. They send you the food and you follow the plan. I think the most important thing is that they don't make you go through "brain drain"- not being overwhelmed is a critical part of succeeding on a diet.

How Is NutriSystem For Men Different From The Regular NutriSystem Program?

 

A key difference is simply in the calories allowed. Men eat roughly 1500 calories on the diet and women are allowed 1200. The other difference is simply focus. It takes into account that a lot of guys eat hearty meals, like to feel full and basically don't want to eat tofu. But they balance these hearty foods with healthy stuff like salad and broccoli. This blended combination seems to work.

 

What Are The Fundamentals Of The Diet?

 

They are aiming for a healthy diet that balances protein, carbs and fat. This is similar to the basics of the The Zone Diet, but the exact percentages differ. What is important for men in particular is that they feel full and have energy. There is a reason that athletes have found success with NutriSystem.

The diet is also designed to be low in the general bad stuff like sodium and bad fats. They encourage whole grains and fiber, and have a strong focus on portion size and social support. If you start playing around with their online tools you have the option of joining their community for free. They also encourage you to eat fruits and vegetables with the packaged meals, and if you have read the work of Dr. Joel Fuhrman you understand clearly the association if fruits and vegetables to long term weight loss.

 

And What Foods Do You Eat On This Diet?

They have a really big menu of options, and when you sign up online you can go through all sorts of choices of foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. Lots of grains, cereals and oats for breakfast. If you look at the menu it is foods you are familiar with. Same thing with lunch, things like Tex-Mex rice and Spicy Oriental Noodles with vegetables. For dinner offerings include Beef, Beans and Rice with BBQ sauce, pizza, lasagna, chili. All foods you would normally eat.

New NutriSystem Select Program

If you want to add more fruits and vegetables to the foods that are delivered the company just launched the NutriSystem Select program where fresh frozen foods are delivered to your house. This program expands the food choices and also improves the overall health profile of the food. We would observe that going with the Select option is the best one for long term health and long term weight loss success.

How Much Does NutriSystem For Men Cost?

The cost is roughly $11 a day or $300 a month. Many people say they actually save money doing this approach. And with the money you save, you can spend extra on fresh fruits and vegetables. The company has also introduced the NutriSystem Flex program where you can do the diet 5 days a week with two Flex days. This program is $230 a month for men.

NutriSystem For Men Coupons:

We have a list of NutriSystem coupons here. The company is currently offering $100 off the first four weeks or month of food, which is a nice incentive to get started.

What Support Does The Company Provide?

NutriSystem has begun to focus a lot on providing support and teaching people a lot of the fundamentals of weight loss. Their efforts are in an attempt to provide some of the things that are at the core of Weight Watchers. But there are no in person meetings, so this is very different in some respects. When you sign up you will start getting helpful emails telling you exactly what you need to do.

Will NutriSystem Help You Lose Weight Long Term?

With any diet approach you need to do a lot of work yourself to develop the proper habits and mindset. The best thing about NutriSystem is that they easily help you get on track if that is what you need. And it is a cost neutral thing for many people. Weight Watchers has a proven track record for men as well. If you lose a lot of weight following NutriSystem, you might want to join Weight Watchers after to help focus on the long term adjustments and habit development. 

All these tools work well if you use them the right way in the proper context. It is like tools to build a house- you need a hammer for this, a saw for that etc. This is at the core of the work we do with the PEERtrainer Tip Of The Day. We encourage you to find the mix of tools you need at different stages of your life and to not use just one diet approach. Your body is your house and you need all sorts of tools to build and maintain it. 

View The Full Meal Plan On The NutriSystem Website

Tips On Making NutriSystem A Healthy Diet Approach:

-Augment the meals with large servings of spinach, broccoli, romaine lettuce

-Make sure to start mixing in fruit for your breakfast

-Every week find a way to eat a vegetable in a cheap and easy way.

It is easy to criticize diets like NutriSystem. Some people say that it does not teach you to make proper food choices, or that the food is not as healthy as it could be. That is a fine criticism after you have lost a nice chunk of weight. But if you have not been able to make better or healthier food choices, the you need to do whatever it takes to help you lose weight. You need to know that this is a long process and you will need to learn many tools in addition to NutriSystem.

The questions of what is an ideal diet can be addressed once you have started the process of losing weight. And there are many men who have found success using NutriSystem. 

What If I Don't Like The Food?

They offer a 30 day guarantee, and you can just stop. They have been criticized in the past for food that does not taste good or tastes bland, and they seem to be working to address this issue. As we get more feedback we will update this post. One thing to point out is that they are selling $700 million worth of their meals each year, which means there are a lot of people doing this. They offer a pretty compelling value proposition- you don't spend much more than you already would and it is convenient.

Continue The Discussion In The PEERtrainer Community

Weight Watchers Weight Loss Readiness Assessment Tool

Weight Watchers offers a weight loss readiness assessment that asks you a simple question: "are you ready to commit to losing weight?" This has proven to be a very popular tool. Not sure how new this is, but the new Weight Watchers Momentum program does have a much greater focus on the mental aspect of weight loss.

As part of their overall tool set to get you ready to lose weight, they also offer a BMI calculator and a health assessment. The idea is that by highlighting the health risk to one's weight, that can help give you the motivation to sustain long term weight loss. 

What is interesting is that the mental aspect of weight loss can be helped along by changes in your diet. It is a chicken and egg sort of situation, but when you "scratch the CD" of your patterns, it becomes easier to make any change you want.

In essence you need to manufacture your readiness. Which in turn will provide fuel for motivation. It is simple physics if you think about it. Objects are hard to get in motion, but once they are, they are easy to keep in motion.

The key is that you need a good jumpstart to get the object in motion. PEERtrainer has put together three tools that could help you get "in motion" as part of a free weight loss program. You don't need to do all three. Just take a look at the three options, see which one is a fit for you, and give it a try.

The key to readiness is to create it yourself!!!

Weight Watchers SETPoints: A Key Feature Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program

I saw this question of Weight Watcher SETPoints in the PEERtrainer community this morning. This is the first I have heard of it, but at first glance it seems to confirm what I have started to think- that the new Weight Watchers Momentum Program is a different and much better overall offering than before.

In the example the person gave in the community salmon was a certain points value with the regular Weight Watchers Point System and a lower value with the new SETPoint system. One is to conclude that this new system is incentivizing you to eat healthier foods.

If you are thinking about joining or rejoining Weight Watchers, you want to make sure you are really ready to follow through on their program. PEERtrainer has put together this weight loss readiness quiz that will help you ballpark how willing you are to lose weight and if is a true priority. This in turn helps you understand your "odds" of losing weight. Take a look at the quiz and really answer those questions as honestly as you can.

I checked out the Weight Watchers message boards and there was some discussion about this. Someone pointed out that if you are doing Weight Watchers Online you have the option of counting your points in either the old or new SETPoint system. If you go to meetings, the book you get will have these two different values as well.

In addition to this being a great overall move for them to make the best diet possible, they also make it harder to count points on your own. We have heard that the Weight Watchers recipes are great and that you have to sign up to get them. With this new SETPoint system, it makes doing Weight Watchers on your own pretty much impossible. They are forcing you to join. They do offer a great new free tool, the weight loss readiness assessment. There are options to save money when you join, and you have to go to their website to find exact pricing and details.

But overall we keep hearing good stuff from these guys. As we say in our coaching programs, you have to be open to the best tools out there and realize that you might be at a very different stage in your life then you once were.

Man Who Lost 80 Pounds Using Weight Watchers- Got Some Detail On His Experience

Ok- I mentioned a few days ago that a friend knew a guy who lost 80 pounds on Weight Watchers and that we were going to get his story. We got it and here are the questions we asked. I also have some thoughts, and they are not so PC and totally generalizing, but I think probably true. Questions in bold, answers short and sweet.

 

1) Did he do the meetings or just do ww online? -- went to meetings 

 

2) Who recommended the diet to him -- wife 

 

3) Did he find the online tools helpful -- somewhat, the tools were not conveniently available 

 

4) how did he perceive the cost vs the result -- I thought the cost was reasonable but that may be because the result was good 

 

5) How hard was it and how long did it take? -- not too hard; my eating habits were so poor that small changes made a big difference. it took about 8 months 

 

6) Has he made permanent changes in his diet and how hard is he finding it to keep it off? --Yes changes are permanent. I pay a lot of attention to what I eat and what is in what I eat. Never did that before. Keeping it off has not been difficult. But I still have more to lose.

 

So this really got me thinking on something totally controversial, but I have to say it. 

 

Controversial Comment #1--Men are from Mars, Women Are From Venus.  Men are more logical and women are more emotional. As you see in these comments there is no major drama in his story. It is very simple- he was overweight because his "habits were so poor." Weight Watchers said- ok, try these new habits. He did. Problem solved. 

 

This is brings me to Controversial Comment #2-- this guy had no excuses and took total responsibility. His weight was nobody's fault but his, it was not a result of some external force. There was no going on about he gained weight because of things being hard at work or really any excuse at all.

 

If you are a guy and need to lose weight, think about the controversial comments. Can you follow directions? Do you understand the concept that you are responsible for your actions? Can you follow through and persist with a plan?

 

You might be like the guy who could only lose weight on Nutrisystem, where they just sent you the food. No shame in that. Just think about what kind of person you are right now. As you become the person you want to be, then your diet will change. You will incorporate concepts of The Zone Diet. Lots of professional athletes do btw. You will get to know Joel Fuhrman and embark on a path of nutritional excellence.

Maybe you will even make so much progress that you will run a marathon.

But.....If you are a guy and you need to lose weight and you can follow directions, you'll find it easier than you think to lose weight. You need to make some distinctions and make some choices that seem hard at first, but will get easier. Frankly, most guys are used to making some hard choices.

At PEERtrainer we have created a very simple guide and system that helps you make some of these changes. It is called the "Cheat System" and it is something you download for free. 

Here is an email from a guy we were just sent. What is interesting is that he first downloaded it and dismissed the advice. Then he went back in, started to do it it and is having success:

"I looked at your system a few weeks ago when it first came out and the second I saw the left side column, I dismissed it. Even though I had already on my own been dramatically increasing the salad and vegetable intake. I was losing weight, it was very simple, but the daily diet was very rigid and had certain rules that if broken meant no weight loss for a day or two. This had worked once before very well but the boredom finally took its toll.

With much respect for Peertrainer, I took another look and realized everything I was doing already fit the cheat system, just not the best choices, so I took a leap of faith. It took 3 or 4 days to educate myself and turn my wife's kitchen into a farmer's market (which I though was very cool). I also learned how to chop, use a rice cooker (quinoa), craft salads from lots of fun green stuff, steam vegetables, use all those funny little cans of spices in addition to salt and pepper, etc.

I'm having a great time... never knew who bought all that stuff in the vegetable department except apples and oranges. Finally, I put it all together and now feel like I know what I'm doing. Weight loss is back on track. 

I am so glad I decided to download the Peertrainer Cheat system and glad I was able to get beyond my traditional thinking.

Good luck and thanks for doing what you're doing.

P.S. I was recently in the San Francisco Bay area and needed to go to the store and not knowing the area wound up in a large Asian market. I knew it was different because half the store was devoted to greens and vegetables. The customers, mostly Asian, were all thin-active looking people and most were buying greens. Now I understand why."

Why This Email Is So Interesting

One thing that this email shows is that this guy thought he was doing the right thing. When he opened up his mind to a new idea, he found some success. At PEERtrainer over the years, we have observed that when people are more flexible in general, good things happen. If you are doing the same thing and not getting a different result, obviously you need to do something differently.

The second interesting thing is that he cites oranges and apples as the produce he was familiar with, and is now familiar with the full range of vegetables. After you sign up for the Cheat System, we also follow up with some awesome recipes from time to time. A recent one is "Asian Fusion Chicken Salad." Delicious!

Finally, what an interesting comment about the visit to the Asian market. As part of our "PC" culture we are sort of taught to not acknowledge our differences. Or at least not actively point out ways in which we are different. (It seems like comedians are the only ones who are "allowed" to talk about this.)

 

I have also created a video for this:

 

Doing South Beach And Weight Watchers Together- What A Doctor Often Recommends

I wrote about a conversation I had with a doctor friend recently and started to think about how different diets could work together. I wanted to find out what diets were best for short term as well as the long term.

I knew Laurie tends to recommend Weight Watchers, South Beach and now Eat For Health. So I asked her what she thought about this question and what she has done in her practice:

"I have found that South Beach diet is as successful as any other diet...if it is followed it is very successful. However, most people have difficulty sticking to any diet for very long. I often recommend doing South Beach and Weight Watchers together. I like South Beach for the types of foods that everyone should be eating and Weight Watchers for helping teach portion control. 

Even w/South Beach diet, it is possible to overinduldge in "good" or "healthy" foods. If one would go from South Beach to Weight Watchers then the food choices open up to include almost anything on the planet...just in smaller quantities. I like that South Beach keeps food choices to healthful ones. It is a particularly good diet for those with metabolic syndrome."

The first key point that is made in the comment above is that the combination of portion control and a high nutrient diet is the correct and effective one.

For those of you doing the new PEERtrainer Cheat System, you'll see that this is exactly what you are guided toward in the PDF you downloaded. The "Cheats" are the portion control, and your incentives really help ensure your nutrient quality is high. This combination is the reason people are having success.

Especially those who have been through the traditional programs, and know the basics of portion control.

The second key point made is that most people have a hard time sticking to traditional diets. For those of you who are big Dr. Fuhrman fans, you'll know that his ideas has really helped to change this. A high nutrient diet, once you get up to speed on it, will help to reduce the traditional food craving cycle that throws most people off traditional diets.

One drawback that we have seen is that many people have a hard time going "full Fuhrman" out of the gate. We designed the Cheat System almost as a "gateway" where we teach people the basics of nutrient density, which will then put them in a position to take the next, often more aggressive step in their eating overhaul.

It does look like in addressing some of the past weaknesses of their program they get a side benefit of better competitive position vs South Beach. Given the perception of South Beach as something that is hard to stick to, it would be interesting if WW was able to essentially make a SB type diet doable for the long term. We will keep you posted!

 

And if you have any experience with doing these two diets together- or any other combination of diets, let us know in this discussion thread. I am also interested in learning more about the South Beach Diet being especially good for metabolic syndrome. This is not the first time I have heard that.

Joining Weight Watchers Online: Should You Join, 5 Reasons This Could Work

One thing I love about our Tip Of The Day coaching program is that we really work to help people discover what works for them, to think about what has worked. We talk about an approach we call "Diet Fusion" where we show you some things that have worked for other people and get you to start thinking about what is right for you.

 

This is a great email I got yesterday from someone who just joined a week ago and is really grappling with this question of finding what has worked for them and what they think will work for them at this stage of their life:

Dear Jackie, 

I am so completely overwhelmed, About 12 years ago I weighed in at 303 lbs at 5'4". I was about 36 years old. I went to my doctor hoping at that time that fen-fen would be the miracle drug that saved me. I ended up hearing that it was not what I was hoping for and, for the first time, sat sobbing in his exam room. 

He was so kind and recommended that I start a very strict regimen of a slim-fast in the morning and lunch and a lean cuisine in the evening. I could add a yogurt but he would like for me to stay under 800 calories a day. I could start walking, if I liked but take it easy. 

That worked for me. Almost. I got to 176 within a year and was so excited. I was walking 2 miles a day with the best of them and fit into a size 14 to 16...then the divorce hit. I maintained for a long time and in the last year have had some health issues. The weight has come back on, mainly because of a frozen shoulder and the fact that most movement at all caused extreme pain.

I'm remarried and very happy...but I am up to 253 and terrified. I'm going to be 50 in 3 months. My cholesterol and blood pressure are up and I want to start but I've also figured out that slim-fast now has an adverse reaction with my body...constipation. I also know that I want to do this the right way. I don't really want the quick fix that worked for me in the past. 

I've signed up for Weight Watchers Online and I'm excited to start tomorrow. Exercise is something I hate but I'm a teacher and we have a track at school...and my kids love walking with me so I'm going to enjoy that time with them. Well...that's what worked for me in a nutshell. thanks for listening. I didn't mean to write a book...I'm just so scared of not getting this weight off and what that means for my health.

Respectfully,

Name Withheldd

 

This is so interesting. This approach of using Weight Watchers as a next step might be a good one. Here are some good reasons to join Weight Watchers Online:

1) She is completely overwhelmed. From my talking with my mom about her  feedback of the new Momentum Program, it seems that Weight Watchers is taking a concerted effort to pace people, to help with this exact issue. 

2) Added structure and support will be helpful. I remember being at a conference when we first launched PEERtrainer, and some people from Weight Watchers came over to our booth and asked what we were doing. We mentioned the peer support focus, and their response was something like "congratulations, you nailed it, it is all about support." Get all the support you can.

3) She needs to get her overall numbers down, and we see that a great way to do this is to increase the amounts of plant based foods in the diet over a long period of time. This is at the core of the work that Dr Fuhrman has done with Eat To Live and Eat For Health, and Weight Watchers has moved in this direction with their new momentum program. She might want to get a copy of Eat For Health in particular to help further refine the food choices that she will make with Momentum.

 

4) She has successfully followed a program or regimen in the past. The odds of following the recommendations of Weight Watchers Online might be pretty good. 

 

5) Weight Watchers has a new focus on the psychology of weight loss, and will help to reinforce some good long term habits. They place particular focus on "readiness", meaning if you are not truly ready to lose weight, you need to do some work on getting there. Weight Watchers has a "weight loss readiness assessment" on their site, which is free.

I have asked her to keep me updated on here progress, and I will do so. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Joining Weight Watchers Online:

Will doing Weight Watchers Online Make It Easier To Stay On The Points System?

It really depends. Some people are "online" people and some are not. A key benefit of Weight Watchers Online is not having to go to meetings. For many, Weight Watchers meetings can be a time consuming, embarrasing hassle. Others thrive on them.

How Hard Is The Weight Watchers Points System To Follow?

We find that people are either "counters" or not. If you think you might want to follow the Weight Watchers System Online, try a free lightweight system for staying accountable first. This link takes you to a free tool that PEERtrainer has developed. If you find this easy, you'll likely find Weight Watchers easy to do.

http://blog.peertrainer.com/tip_of_the_day/2011/02/the-peertrainer-cheat-system.html

Eat To Live Diet, Eat For Health: Review, Observations, Success, Doing It With Weight Watchers

Tip Of The Day readers know that I talk about Dr Joel Fuhrman a ton. We met him a couple years ago and really saw first hand his passion for promoting proper nutrition as a tool to lose weight, and also improve your health. In his words "Nutrition Is The Prescription." He showed us, and continues to show us, how certain foods can help you lose a lot of weight but also improve your health. He promotes nutritional excellence as another tool, alongside drugs, to help people regain their health.

 

Eat To Live

So it was great to see Alanis Morisette publicly credit Joel and his book Eat To Live as helping her lose 20 pounds, get more energy and feel better physically. The diet of my family- my husband, and two kids- was permanently changed after meeting him. We incorporate his ideas in every aspect of what we write on PEERtrainer. We also show how adopting his focus along side diets like the new Weight Watchers Momentum program can make their good diet a ton better.

When Joel came out with this book, he really was attacked by the medical community. I remember showing the book to a very senior doctor/ healthcare executive in New York City. His response to Joel's work was to literally question his medical credentials.

This man (let's call him Ben) started to surf the internet to find out if Dr Fuhrman really was a doctor, if he really graduated from medical school. What Joel was saying in Eat To Live ran so counter to what the medical establishment was saying that he was branded a quack by many. For Joel to focus on the role of nutrition in health, not just drugs was heresy. And we know from history that heretics get burnt at the stake.

But Mehmet Oz did not think Joel was a quack, and has publicly backed him every step of the way. Joel gave us a copy of his book for feeding children "Disease Proof Your Child"- it is on my desk and the very first quote of "praise" on the back cover is from Mehmet Oz. Here is the quote:

"Dr. Fuhrman reveals the success to long-term, sustainable health using diet choices for growing up smart and growing old happy. Take your doctor a copy!"

It is very important to note that these words written by Dr. Oz challenge the assumptions most of us have. We assume that diets can't work in the long run, and we assume getting fat and sick is part of aging. Dr. Fuhrman is begging us to reconsider those assumptions.

Eat For Health

In April of this year we were sent a copy of Eat For Health, which is Joel's new book that is a bit easier to follow than Eat To Live, is not a strict vegetarian diet, and introduces MANDI points system. This system assigns point values to foods in terms of their nutrient density. It is a very important tool and we immediately had a way of quantifying the level of health promoting foods in our diet. I now use this in combination with portion control in an approach I call "diet fusion." We have developed a simple way to do diet fusion, which we call the PEERtrainer Cheat System.

But what was interesting and important is that the entire first chapter of the book is Joel defending himself from the medical community. He has found some excellent and very well respected voices in the community to vouch for him and he does an excellent job in his defense. 

He has incredible success stories from people who he has helped improve their entire cardiovascular profile, cure lupus, prevent having to undergo dialysis, help asthma, migranes, high blood pressure, sarcoidosis, psoriasis etc etc.

We actually lent our copy to a doctor friend of ours, someone who recommends diets to her patients. Here is what she had to say about "Eat For Health":

"Last month, my friends lent me Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book, Eat for Health. Dr Fuhrman has it 100% right. Let me say that again - he has it exactly right. We are all trying to figure out a way to not do what is right, how to get around it. We think that we want to keep eating the over-processed, high calorie, nutrient poor food. He says stop eating the garbage. Eat the good stuff. You will lose weight, get healthier and feel better. 

Dr Fuhrman Makes Optimal Eating Easy To Implement

He comes out and says what we all know is true, but don't say or do. He states the obvious: eat more vegetables and fruits. Eat more fiber. Eat less animal products. The result is that you will be healthier and lose weight. He gives easy to implement strategies for how to do this. Why didn't someone think of this sooner and why isn't it a national phenomena?"

Weight Watchers Now Moving In Joel's Direction

It is really important to point out the struggle Joel has had with the medical community and really highlight his leadership role in bringing them around to a greater focus on nutritious foods. So I was extremely interested in the last couple weeks learning the details of Weight Watchers new momentum program.

I read on their site and in other places that they were adjusting their points system to focus not just on fiber but also in the water content of food. Which means a lot more plants. Now they don't seen to be focused on his MANDI points idea yet which promotes massive greens as part of the daily diet. But they are going in the right direction.

And I was able to get confirmation of this from my mom, who is now on the new Momentum Program. She was able to give me some feedback of their program and did confirm that they have moved away from dairy and low calorie nutrient poor foods towards plant based nutrition. I cannot say for sure that Joel was responsible for this, but I am sure he was a strong influence.

Stronger Diet Recommendations- Some Books, DVD, Free Tools

We pretty much insist you own a copy of either Eat To Live or Eat For Health. (Click on the titles for the exact amazon links.) We do find that people want a "baby step" approach to eating a nutrient dense diet, which is why we created the Cheat System.

March 2011 Update

It is important to note that if you are extremely overweight, or if you have reached a disease state, you need the nutritional intervention that Dr. Fuhrman outlines. The Cheat System will help, but if you are reading this and are scared about where you are, we STRONGLY recommend that you not only read Fuhrman's books, but that you spend a few weeks in his member center.

This is an online forum, which costs about $14 a month to access. You can ask any question you have about your particular situation. There is a deep database of answers to questions, Dr. Fuhrman directly answers questions and you will also get support from others who are using nutrition as part of their plan to get healthy, thin, energized.

We have now known Dr. Fuhrman for 4 years, and we have seen the results in the PEERtrainer community of everything we have outlined in this article. We want to reiterate that if you are sick, please visit the member center. It may be the cheapest and most effective medical care that you'll find.

If you are reading this part of the article and paying close attention to what we are writing here, know that we know what you are going through. You have been to many doctors, and have explored lots of options. You are likely scared and frustrated. In addition to what you are already doing, deeply explore Fuhrman's advice. If you are in the Northeast you can even visit his office and get some one on one. It can be a wait to get an appointment. We have referred people we know to him, and if it is super urgent, mention PEERtrainer, and you might be able to get in quicker. No promises, but we have been able to get people in more quickly.

What Is Unresolved In The Nutrient Dense Diet?

One unresolved issue from our perspective in the nutrient dense diet is the role of organic food.  We remember sitting in on a conversation between Joel's marketing team and a senior statesman in the health care industry. This gentleman was enthusiastic about the focus on nutrient density, and dramatically reducing the levels of animal protein in the diet. As a Phd level scientist he also thought that the protein in milk, casein, was wreaking particular havoc among people and might be a contributing factor to breast cancer. 

This is a big debate right now and there is a lot to figure out. But some influential people have some strong opinions on this subject, and it will be interesting to see how this debate evolves. Even Weight Watchers seems to be tiptoeing away from a heavy dairy emphasis, emphasizing foods like avocado and hummus instead of lowfat cheese. This is based on feedback we are getting from people in their new program.

The other big thing the senior statesman said was the importance of organic food. This man has a masters in Physical Chemistry in addition to having done Phd work in Nuclear Physics and run several health companies. A unique perspective. And he was adamant about eating organic food, going on in detail about the organic garden he had set up in his country house. Given that this was the man who introduced us to Joel, we listened carefully and took what he said very seriously.

Continue This Discussion in the PEERtrainer Community....

Video of My Experience With Eat To Live and Eat For Health 

How Hard Is The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program To Do?

One thing we focus on a lot in our Tip Of The Day coaching newsletter is to work at not being overwhelmed, and finding ways to prevent getting overwhelmed in the first place. Someone emailed me in response to my post about early reviews of the new Weight Watchers Momentum program and said that it sounded like a lot of work.

They pointed out how the new plan was described as being a "big program" and you have to "learn a whole new pattern." So I emailed my mom to ask her about this question or concern. Here was her response: 

"There's a set pattern to Weight Watchers.  They unfold the program in a way that doesn't put too much on your plate at one time.  They don't disclose core options until you're solidly in the plan.  The reason for this is that if you get too much information to memorize too early, you get discouraged and give up.  Also, it gives you a chance to learn the points to all the foods you normally eat. "

This makes a lot of sense, pacing the program in this way. And this is also very consistent with what you see on the Weight Watchers site itself. Many people start the program, figure out the best way to get started, or decide if it is for them at all by doing their free online assessment. They have three of them to do to calculate your BMI, assess your health.

The most interesting of these three tools is a "readiness" assessment, where they ask you a series of questions that scores how successful you are going to be on the program. The reality is many people are just not ready to lose weight, make the commitment. Weight Watchers understands this whole process, and really helps to maximize your odds of success.

I also asked her about energy- because she always mixes in elements of The Zone Diet to feel healthy. I will address that in a different blog post, because I am getting some questions about good diets for athletes. It used to be the case that Weight Watchers was really geared towards people just losing weight, and if you were active and only needed to lose 10 pounds you needed to mix in elements of other diets. This is really how I started to develop the whole idea of "Diet Fusion"- watching her mix and match these diet approaches in an almost scientific manner.

This is also how I realized that the ideal diet for someone is something totally personal. We work with people in our Tip Of The Day email coaching program to help trigger questions so that they themselves can find out what diet works for them. That program is free so please sign up! And a great place to start in this whole process is with the tools on the WW site. Especially the readiness quiz- that is really cool.

Discussion of this post continues in the PEERtrainer Community!

Feedback And Review Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Plan: Great Recipes, Lots Of Choices Make For A Great Reason To Join Or Rejoin

 

Our new Tip Of The Day email coaching program has opened up a great feedback loop with our subscribers and members. I have been blogging about the big changes at Weight Watchers, and now am getting some great feedback. One bit of feedback surprisingly was from my own mom!

My mom has been a Weight Watchers member for most of her life. In fact, it was watching her measure her food and count her points growing up that helped me come up with the idea for PEERtrainer almost 5 years ago now. I knew that accounting for your food, writing it down, and getting support was one of those things you just had to do to lose weight.

So we were talking and I mentioned to her that we had been interested in the new Weight Watchers Momentum system and we were in the process of getting feedback from our users. She said to me "I will give you some feedback- because I re-joined one month ago!"

I tend to listen to her about stuff like this. She gave me strong encouragement to start PEERtrainer and has given me very honest and pointed feedback throughout the process. The first thing she said was that when she rejoined Weight Watchers she was "shocked at how good the recipes are."

She made a comment to the effect of "they must have actually hired good people and paid them well because the recipes used to be so bad." She said that now there are hundreds of recipes to choose from that look good and that she wants to make.

Recipes To Help You Lose Weight

I asked her what made her go back to the meetings. She mentioned that she went out of control for the last 6 months and needed the extra push to have to go in person to the meeting. She knew she needed to have to get on the scale and to have to sit through a "boring" lecture from the Weight Watchers leader because she knew it would just work for her. She was trying to assess the damage she had done using some tools on their website, and that triggered her decision to make the trek back to her local meeting in the DC area.

 

Feedback and Review Of The New Momentum Program

She also mentioned that she thought Momentum was really exciting - gave you lots of choices and ideas

for making healthy foods taste good. She said she was "excited" about the way Weight Watchers has "grown" and changed. 

What I found interesting from her comments and feedback was that it was consistent with what Weight Watchers was saying about their new program on their website.

Another Review Of Momentum Plan 

I also got an email from a Tip Of The Day subscriber and a long time PEERtrainer user and member. It is a big email and I am adding some headers to help people read it better. Here it is:

"It's almost like magic, it's like a commitment I have history with ww.  I've been successful.  for me, just the humiliation of having to walk back in and listen to someone who was good or bad or whatever she is, the leader, I'm stuck listening to her stuff. Something about it, RIGHT NOW, I'm reversing the pattern.  Something has changed.

The biggest thing I love about rejoining and going back is it's a big program.  Physicial program.  Learn the whole new pattern.  Everything about the new points, study the books.  I like the fact that I'm taking my life into control now.

Big Focus On Recipes To Start You Off

First of all,they give you a bunch of recipes in the starter book.  They give you two or three of their best - right now, you know, I could do this, this looks good.  The leader pointed out the best one so you can

make a good dinner right away.  

 

Healthy Recipes That Fill You Up

People Who Rejoin Weight Watchers Need To Sit In For An Extra 1/2 Hour Class

 

As a new returner, you have to sit in for an extra 1/2 hour class because there is a new system. There's always a new system, because they're always learning new things and refining their system.  

Keeping The Points System And Merging Flex and Core Into Momentum

This time they merged core and flex into the new system momentum. No one ever wants to give up points, because points are such a comfortable system because you can eat anything, you can have pizza, you can have liquor, any damn thing you want as long as you count points. 

Not only do you get a lot of points on weight watchers, you get 35 extra points for the week.  People love extra points because extra points means splurging, cookies, cake, an extra glass of wine, some butter on their vegetables or butter on their eggs, so you love your splurge points and you have 35 of them! 

Some Point Values Have Changed And Different Foods Are Now Emphasized 

You want to learn the new points of every food because you forget the points when you're going back and sometimes the points changes, and sometimes they just invent new things that you can have, like last time maybe they thought avocado was ridiculous, but this time they're kind of pushing avocado.

You can't wait to learn all the new points because you're designing your three meals a day.  You're designing your day. You're designing how filling your day can be.  LIke I do 5, 5 and 10.  5, break, 5 lunch, 10 for dinner.  Right away, you get your points, your book and you're designing your filling breakfast.  

New Program Helps You Eat A Lot Of Food And Not Feel Hungry

So right away you can see you're going to be able to eat a lot of food, so you're very happy, up and optimistic. Because basically, you want to eat a lot of food and now you know you can. Oh, I can do, this, this is wonderful.  You always forget how great weight watchers is, because you forget how much food you get.  Because as time goes on, you want to stay thin, and you eat less and less to maintain

and you start to. 

Very surprised to see this time how little I need to change my diet, because basically, I am always doing the weight watchers diet but when it comes down to it, I was eating all the extras. What happens is, just because you've made the commitment, you're suddenly not going to have all the extras, because you're thinking 5, 5, 10.

Helping Her Stay On Track Because She Doesn't Feel The Need To Snack On The Extras Anymore

Now, you're on the program, you're in the right direction, and you don't seem to need the extras anymore.  It's kind of strange, I don't even know why.  And let me tell you, I ate like an idiot last night, but it's ok, because I'm on weight watchers, and I know I'm on it.  It's psychological. Once you're on it, you know your weight is going down.

Looked at the points, and realized, wow, what I've been eating, oatmeal and blueberries is only 3 points, so I was kind of starving myself and didn't know it.  I can have a whole cup of blueberries and still stay under 3 points.  And now, I get two more points at lunch.

Getting Comfortable With Points Helps To Feel Comfortable With Choices

But what's interesting, when I have egg and avocado for breakfast, that turns out to be exactly 5 points, which is what I've always done, and now I find out that it is 5 points.  Because I actually know the points value, I feel comfortable with my choices.

The difference is, when you're on WW, because you have to count the points, you just stop eating the extras.

They Give You This Great Little Slider At The Meetings To Count Points

One of the things I love is the fact that you have that little weight watchers slider, you can take anything you eat and put the fiber,fat and calories and figure out right away how to figure out your day.  For

instance, I found out a luna bar, on the spot was 3 points so I could have a huge apple and that you can eat so much hummus!  

Really Great New Approach To Dieting

When you're counting points, you can eat so much more than when you're not counting and on the program.  You tend to starve yourself when you're not on the program because you're not really counting.  You always think you're overeating.  What it does is starves your body and your body hangs

on to the weight.  When you're eating the right amount, it boosts your metabolism and you start losing the weight."

Conclusion And Ways To Get Started On The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program

I will keep posting feedback like this. One thing that really seems to have changed is the focus on recipes and tailoring them to your tastes. This makes for a better product and is also smart from a business standpoint. It is no longer just about counting some points which you can really do on your own. You really now need to pay your $40 or whatever it is to get started and learn their new stuff.

People ask the best way to get started and I always come back to the readiness part of it. They have some tools on their site which help you with that. Here are some ways to get started:

1.  If you are thinking about joining Weight Watchers, do what my mom did and start with their online tools. You can measure your BMI, find out how much health damage you have done with your weight and also take an interesting quiz to gauge your psychological readiness to lose weight.

2.  If you want to find out pricing or just want to see if there is a meeting near you and the schedule you can look it up on their website by entering in your zip. There are a TON of meetings out there. And if you have feedback or experience on any diet, please let me know!

3.  If you are a guy maybe you have some questions about Weight Watchers overall- we are covering in another post titled Weight Watchers Momentum For Men- How This Compares To Atkins or South Beach.

Next: Recipe To Help You Lose Weight: Warm Applewood Bacon Soup



 

Weight Watchers Momentum For Men: How This Compares To Atkins and South Beach

Habib and I were having dinner with another couple a few nights ago, and the subject turned to the friends husband's new diet. He had recently lost 25 pounds on a low carb, Atkins type diet that his doctor had prescribed for him. 

He was looking a lot better, and he mentioned that he had done this before on the South Beach diet. His comment on the South Beach diet was that "it works if you do exactly what they tell you to do." But it obviously was not something he could sustain long term, and he now found himself on a new diet that was low in carbs, and featured a good deal of meat as well as some shakes.

But he had a lot of questions for me and really wanted to know my take. I try to not give advice per se, but to present information in a way that people can make good decisions for themselves. He sort of knew he was potentially on another short term path, where he would lose weight and then start to gain it back. 

So I mentioned to him our observations about Weight Watchers and how we see the long term success many have in the PEERtrainer community. We see South Beach as an excellent short term thing that will work, but with Weight Watchers there is a lot more focus on long term behavior change.

After sharing this observation with him he immediately mentioned that he had a male co-worker who had recently lost 80 pounds. He mentioned it because they had been watching a company video from a year ago, and this guy had lost so much weight that he was now unrecognizable.

So we are reaching out to this guy and try and get his story. We are focusing a lot on men's weight loss in the Tip Of The Day email coaching series and are also developing a program that focuses on the emotional, night eating and binge component of eating for men.

This conversation was interesting also because of Weight Watchers Momentum Program, which is the latest update of their program. Both the in-person and online versions of the program have been updated to provide even more of a focus on long term and healthy change. If you are one of those guys who yo-yo's, you might want to try their online program. The cost is roughly $5 a week which includes the signup fee. That is the price of a nice beer at a bar.

Many guys like the structure that the online version of Momentum can provide and are also comfortable with the computer. So if you feel stuck just sign up for the online component to start. Maybe do the meetings as a second step. Whatever works for you. And if you do join and are a subscriber to the Tip Of The Day please please let me know how it goes. I would love to blog about this. If you are a try before you buy person, you can also do a series of free assessments on the Weight Watchers site. Otherwise just click on the orange button below which takes you to the online version for men. 

Experience With Weight Watchers For Men, Is Online or In Person More Effective?

I am also starting a thread in the community about Men's success with WW. I am especially interested in how the program improves results with their new refresh. Also if Weight Watchers is not for you or you have tried it in the past, maybe it might make sense to take a crack at South Beach for a period of time. The success you have there might help with your transition period to a healthier, long term diet.

How To Know If You Have Metabolic Syndrome, How To Know If You Are No Longer In The Metabolic Range

One of our subscribers to the Tip Of The Day had asked a question about Metabolic Syndrome, and in cases like this I simply farm out to the experts. In this case Dr. Laurie Rothman answered the call from her weight loss clinic in the Palm Beach area. We will be hearing more from her so feel free to forward questions to us and we can even arrange a phone or in person consultation for you. She has a very nice and warm manner and we are thrilled to be working with her.

The subscriber wanted to know how someone could tell if they were leaving the Metabolic Range. This is Laurie's response and overall explanation of the issue.

 

"Metabolic Syndrome - What is it and why should I care?

 

Metabolic syndrome is a combination of health risks that increase one's risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia. It has also been known as Syndrome X, Insulin Resistant Syndrome and Dysmetabolic Syndrome.  It is estimated that 1 in 5 Americans has metabolic syndrome.

 

The precise cause of Metabolic Syndrome is not known.  It is related to abdominal obesity, elevated blood insulin levels and insulin resistance at the cellular level.  It is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic factors and lifestyle choices, such as the types of foods you eat and how physically active you are. The amount of alcohol you consume and whether or not you smoke are also contributing factors.

 

In order to diagnose Metabolic Syndrome you must meet at least 3 out of the following 5 criteria:

 

1. A waistline of 35 or more inches in women or 40 or more inches in men.

 

2. Blood pressure of 135/85 or greater.

 

3. An elevated triglyceride level of 150mg/dl or higher.

 

4. An HDL cholesterol of less than 40mg/dl in men or less than 50mg/dl in women.

 

5. An elevated fasting blood glucose of greater than 100 mg/dl.

 

When you meet 3 or more of these criteria, you have metabolic syndrome. It means your risk of Type 2 Diabetes is increased by 9 times the normal risk and your risk of heart disease is 2-4x above normal. The more criteria you meet, the greater overall risk you have to your health.

 

Metabolic Syndrome develops when the normal mechanism for delivering glucose (sugar) to your body's cells stops working properly. Normally, when you eat, your digestive tract breaks down the food you eat into glucose. Your bloodstream absorbs and carries the glucose to all of your cells for energy. Insulin is needed to help the glucose enter the cells. In some people, more and more insulin is needed to help glucose get into the cells. This leads to insulin resistance and high blood sugar and high insulin levels.

 

High blood sugar and high insulin levels can cause increased appetite, weight gain, increases in blood pressure and have a bad effect on cholesterol levels.

 

The good news is that Metabolic Syndrome can be treated or even reversed.

 

The mainstay of treatment for Metabolic Syndrome is making lifestyle changes in your nutrition and physical activity.  Increased exercise will improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels and insulin sensitivity, even if it does not result in significant weight loss. Increasing physical activity is important with the goal being trying to achieve a minimum of 30 minutes of aerobic activity 5 to 7 days a week. Set realistic exercise goals, write them down and then stick to them.

 

In terms of dietary changes, it has been shown that a diet that a Mediterranean type diet works well for Metabolic Syndrome. However, no single diet is currently recommended for patients with metabolic syndrome. Reducing calories, while ensuring adequate nutrition is the goal.  Emphasis should be on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein. A minimum of 35 grams of fiber a day should be consumed. Dairy products should be fat free. Alcohol should be consumed in moderation - this means no more than 1 serving of alcohol a day for women and no more than 2 servings of alcohol a day for men.  For those with elevated blood pressure, a low salt diet is important.

 

Your physician can make recommendations for medications to help you in certain cases when risk factors are not reduced adequately by lifestyle changes. LDL, HDL or Triglyceride levels may need to be treated. Metformin can help to treat insulin resistance and prevent the onset of Type 2 Diabetes. Low dose aspirin may be appropriate as a preventive measure in some patients.  In addition, weight loss medications may sometimes be prescribed."

 

It is important to note that we strongly suggest that you find a great doctor. In this case, in order to test for some of these signs you need to have lab work done and you need to see your doctor. Maybe learning about this in greater detail will help you with your motivation and developing your "why".

 

If you are in this range you need to see a doctor and strongly consider starting Weight Watchers or other recommended diet. To help to quickly determine your risk levels you can also do three quick assessments on the site to gauge your risk levels. You just need to know your weight and height.

Discuss this article in the PEERtrainer Community!

Assess If You Are Really Ready To Lose Weight

Those of you who get the Tip Of The Day email know you have the option to "unsubscribe." And we learn a lot and make a lot of changes when you do leave us a comment on the way out. (And you can always sign up again and start over).

One interesting thing is people are generally pretty honest. And many tell us that they are simply "not ready to lose weight." For many this is a very important assessment. They were able to at least express that they understood they were not ready. I try and simply give them an encouraging comment of, "you are always welcome here" and that they can always come back.

Even on the PEERtrainer site itself we have a very long term user base. It is not uncommon to see people to come back after one or even two years. We work to develop a supportive environment, roll out new products. But mostly work to try and have a very welcoming place to come back to.

And when people come back to us, they are ready, they have developed that readiness. We work hard to develop readiness but we are far from alone in this process. If you feel like you are not ready to lose weight, you might want to find out exactly where you are. Weight Watchers has developed an 11 question weight loss readiness assessment on their website as part of their new Momentum Program.

I will look for some other tools as well and post them. I am also going to ask Joshua (therapist) and Laurie (MD) some questions on readiness. Those of you in the Tip of The Day program are familiar with their work, and I want you all to know we are working hard on identifying and also developing resources to help in this area.

We also have started a thread on this in the PEERtrainer Community:

Tips On Getting Ready To Lose Weight

Everything You Need To Know About Weight Watchers

Readers of the PEERtrainer Tip Of The Day, this blog, listeners to our coaching programs know that we are fans of Weight Watchers, and generally advocate it as part of a broad toolset of stuff that just works. It is important though to not get into this mindset of "I am on this diet" or "I am on that diet". Just try and be open to mixing and matching what works for you. Because we have a deep and focused community on the site, we have accumulated lots of interesting bits of information.

This post will serve as a central place where we will gather important information about the program, as an "FAQ" for the program. It will be updated and if you see something, please feel free to post it in the comments section.

The Weight Watchers Momentum Program

This is the latest update of the program. Old concepts of Core and Flex are renamed although ideas stay the same. The Filling Foods List has some healthier versions and the general tone seems to be towards healthy foods. The basics of counting points, staying accountable and getting support at meetings remains the same. You need to sign up to get the details of this new program.

Here are some relevant discussions from our community:

What Do You Learn At A Weight Watchers Meeting?

This was the best response from that thread so far:

"You can learn a lot.

- How to estimate portions when you can't measure

- How to plan for specially occasions

- How to choose more healthy options

- How not to deprive yourself, but instead control yourself

- Great recipes

- Tips for cooking lighter

- Strategies for changing your behaviors to be more healthy

Most of all, you'll learn how to plan and make better choices that you can live with instead f depriving yourself of everything you love."

Weight Watchers, To Join Or Not To Join?

Here is one great comment from that thread:

"I just joined. So far i really am liking the plan. You are held accountable and you do weigh in every week (only one person sees it) and when you attain certain small goals the group recognizes those and asks you what worked for you and if anything you do may help the group to achieve their goals. I have found this part pretty motivational.

Also, I guess you could eat junk if you wanted to but if you did you certainly wouldnt be able to eat too much of it and still stay within their "diet" However I do enjoy the point system because I can eat healhty and eat a lot of food, but I can also have a SMALL treat and it is still ok and i am still on the plan and it does not make me discouraged."

Can Someone Explain Weight Watchers Activity Points?

"I've been using WW points for a long time and here is how I calculate the activity points: I weigh about 180 at the moment ...

if I'm working hard and sweating - I earn a point for every 15-20 minutes or 100- 150 calories if the machine I'm using calculates calories.

So if I work out on the elliptical for 30 minutes - 1 pt ... 45 minutes - 2 pts ... 60-75 minutes 3 pts

If I'm being active but not necessarily working up a big sweat - I calculate 1 pt per half-full hour. So if I'm out walking with my kids for half an hour - 1 pt but if I go out for the day with them and walk all over a park or an event with them for hours on end - I calculate 1 pt per hour I was out and on my feet. "

How Do You Calculate The Weight Watchers Points You Need:

"Thought this was helpful - new way to calculate your points for weight watachers.

Weight Watchers Updated: Your personal daily points target- use this formula

1. Are you

female?- score 2

Male?- score 8

A nursing mom?- score 12

2. How old are you?

17-26- score 4

27-37- score 3

38-47- score 2

48-58- score 1

over 58- score 0

3.What do you weigh?

Enter the first two digits of your weight in pounds.

(for example, if you weight 199, you will add 19 to your score)

4. How tall are you?

Under 5’1- score 0

5’1-5’10- score 1

Over 5’10- score 2

5. How do you spend most of your day?

Sitting down? score 0

Occasionally sitting? score 2

Walking most of the time? score 4

Doing physically hard work most of the time? score 6

Now add them all together and that’s your daily total. It might be higher for some. My WW coordinator said if this is the case, take the difference between your new and old and divide it in half and then add that much to your previous total." 

I would note that this is a very very rough guide and they have changed the program so much (for the better from the looks of it) that you really need to go to the meetings or join online. It is not longer just a thing of counting some points and learning some values. There is much more to it. We have more here on the recent changes.

Can Someone Explain The Pros and Cons Of The Weight Watchers Points System?

Tips For Success In Weight Watchers

This thread has a nice balance of reviews and experiences- some great, some not so great.

The Cost Of Weight Watchers

You can save 25% if you sign up for 3 months and you need to go to their site to get the current prices. This banner takes you to pricing for the new Momentum Program

NutriSystem Meal Delivery Program

I have started to get some questions about NutriSystem and I wanted to put something together to try and deal with this question fairly. And sort of present what we see from both the experts as well as our members. 

What Do PEERtrainer Members Think Of NutriSystem?

The first thing I would observe is that NutriSystem does not appear to have the level of grass roots support that Weight Watchers does. I did a search in our community for threads about WW in doing research for an article on their new Momentum Program. There was a lot out there, all sorts of detailed questions. And a clear level of enthusiasm for what they had done and what they are now doing.

And there was definitely a lot less written about NutriSystem, so I don't have a ton to go on from our community. But one comment that stuck out for me was this one:

"I used NutriSystem (NS) during a period of time that I knew that I would have very little time to prepare or shop for food (because of work). I lost 3 lbs in one week, but this is due to the fact that everything is already measured for you. The food wasn't great (I liked the italian the best), but it helped me learn how to "eyeball" the right portions and to find out what my body needs in order to function every day. If I stayed on NS, I am sure that I would have lost quite a bit of weight in 2 months; but I knew that I needed to have a lifestyle change rather than a quick weight drop, so I started cooking my food again when my schedule allowed for it.

Overall, I think it was a helpful experience seeing what portions sizes were and being on a regimented eating plan. I purchased the food on the Internet (NS website, Amazon, and EBay!). No foods were moldy and there are lot numbers and expiry dates on each box. This doesn't mean the food will taste great, but at least you know when the food officially expires."

There was also a very interesting comment from someone whose husband had used it successfully:

"My husband lost 20 pounds on Nutrisystem and it helped me get him to the next step of eating better. I couldn't get him to make any changes to his diet, but once he got a taste of "success" we were able to build from there. I'd agree that this is a short term thing, but I did want to point out how helpful this was as a first step."

What Does The Medical Community Think Of Nutrisystem? 

My search on the site also turned up kudos from a doctor on the subject of WW. But the same doctor did not recommend food delivery based diet plans for the following reason:

"I have avoided recommending diets where one needs to purchase the food from the diet plan. I explain to my patients that it is my belief that this is dieting "in a bubble" and they do not learn how to eat or manage their food choices and portions in their ordinary lives."

This is not a knock on NutriSystem specifically, just the whole idea of delivery services where you don't develop your own coping skills. If you make an effort to address these concerns, you are going to probably do ok.

Using NutriSystem As A Diet Transition Tool?

It is easy to be a critic and hard to do stuff. My thought is that if NutriSystem did work to help you lose a bunch of weight for a couple months that would be a really great thing. You would have to be aware of the weaknesses of the program and find a way to make it work for you. One of the things we talk about and observe in our Tip Of The Day weight loss coaching newsletter is the idea of "Diet Fusion" where you find the things that work for you, and not view dieting as just one tool.

Down the road you could then begin to transition to a nutrient dense diet like those advocated by Fuhrman, McDougall and now Weight Watchers. If you decide to go on NutriSystem, you might want to sign up for our Tip Of The Day email coaching program to give you a level of support so you are not alone. This would also teach you the real fundamentals of truly thin and healthy living.

NutriSystem would sort of function as a set of training wheels to get you on the path to a set of different habits that do take time to develop. Our motto is- whatever works for you.

Does NutriSystem Work?

This is a pretty interesting question given some of the criticism, but the answer is that it seems to, especially in the short run. The TV ads with famous football players seems to speak for itself, and you know those guys really did get helped by the program- you can see it with your own eyes.

Is NutriSystem Really Not That Healthy?

The fact is that they ship foods that are pre-packaged and can sit on a shelf. That limits somewhat their ability to deliver healthy food. And with Weight Watchers moving to a healthier model, they are probably under some pressure to improve the overall health profile of the foods they are shipping out. 

This is a common criticism, and I would bet that their management team is smart enough to be working one something right now. Imagine if all of a sudden they launched a special "all natural" program that featured Whole Foods as a co-branding partner- or something like that. These guys are very good marketers, and with the market moving in the direction of more plant-based, nutrient dense foods, they are sure to follow.

But you have to realize that if you lose 20, 30, 50 pounds on NutriSystem you are going to improve your health. If you made sure to start eating a lot of greens and some fruit each day you are going to be in very good shape. We are reaching out to them in hopes of getting some more granularity on these questions and will keep you posted on what they are doing.

Weight Watchers Momentum Program

There are 3 major improvements to Weight Watchers with the introduction of the new "Momentum Program." The changes are based in some good fundamentals. Here are three of the most important ones:

1) There is a greater focus on healthy food choices, which is shown to be the best path to long term weight loss. There is a lot of focus on their "Filling Foods" list, which are foods that keep you from being hungry. There is a reason they have that little furry hungry monster on their ads!

A List Of Healthy Foods and Foods To Move Away From

2) Weight Watchers is getting solid reviews of their new recipes. There are a lot of them and they are very good from what we are hearing. When you join you get to choose from a wide array of choices, tailored to your tastes, and we think you get a Momentum Recipe book.

Healthy Recipes To Help You Lose Weight

3) The third area of focus and improvement is on the psychology of weight loss. Most of us know what to do, but have a hard time following through. PEERtrainer has put together this quiz to help you find out your odds of success on something like the Momentum program. As good as it is, you will only be successful on it if you are ready and motivated to do so. Some find it helpful to take the quiz and then keep reading this page.

 

 

Can I Do Weight Watchers Momentum Program On My Own?

 

The company now sells a series of comprehensive kits on Amazon that give you books on the new recipes, a calculator for the new points system, instructional dvd's, a basic training guide and more. There are two kits available--the deluxe has more books and guides, along with a Momentum cookbook.

 

2009 Weight Watchers Momentum Starter Kit

Weight Watchers Momentum Cookbook

 

Tip Of The Day subscribers and participants in our Point Of No Return Coaching Program know that we make sure people understand how to count Weight Watcher points, because it is such a great tool when you are outside your comfort zone. But one of the key criticisms we've seen of Weight Watchers overall was this idea that you could do the diet in an unhealthy way. 

But now Weight Watchers has made a real turnaround in this area and this Momentum program seems to tackle this weakness head on. Specifically, they are focusing on the idea of "Filling Foods" that are high in fiber and high in water content. Which means a diet high in plant-based foods which are excellent for long term health. This is really a change of focus.

In the words of Gail Gedan Spencer of Examiner.com, "Thirty points of nacho cheese rice cakes is not the same as 30 points of healthy, filling, nutritious foods."  We say in our coaching calls and newsletters, "learn the points system" and it may be that the Momentum program joins that.

 

Will Men Like The New Momentum Program?

 

It may be that men particular think will want to strongly consider the program. If you are a man you might want to read this post of ours. It is feedback from a man who lost 80 pounds in the last year from the old program. Weight Watchers for Men has been a relatively new area of focus and seems to be improving with time.

The Points System- What Is It, Has Anything Changed With Momentum?

The Weight Watchers Points System assigns point values to foods, and with Momentum there is now more focus on healthy foods when you do count points. 

Even if Weight Watchers is not a long term fit for you, you will find great value learning their approach to portion control, group support and focus on healthy filling foods. If your diet is not giving you the results you want, you need to address those three areas. This article of ours takes you through how the Points system works and how you can learn to gauge points easily. Points are still a very core part of their new diet approach. The only thing that appears to have changed is the new focus on healthy, filling foods.

What About The Flex And Core Programs?

 

From what we are hearing, the Flex and Core Systems or Programs have been rolled into the new Momentum Program. So when you show up at your local Weight Watchers meeting place, expect to now have one choice. According to one PEERtrainer member:

 

"From what I've heard, it's making core and flex one plan. The core foods are now filling foods. Basically, it's teaching you more of the basics of what foods are good for you but if you slip, you still have your points as a backup. I guess it's also to make things easier, you now only have one choice. Unless I'm wrong, it's not like there are three choices now, when you sign up for weight watchers, you're signing up for the one program, the momentum program."

 

But Doesn't It Make Sense To Reward Exercise Like They Did With Flex?

 

This is something I need to find out, because it makes sense to be rewarded for exercising with a few points here and there. But it was always pretty hard to earn points with exercise and I think pointed to the fact that diet is really the dominant component of weight loss.

 

"Filling Foods" Replaces Core Foods List

 

The Weight Watchers Momentum Program now features a "Filling Foods List" which takes into account the actual space that the food takes up in your stomach. People who have read Eat to Live or Eat For Health by Joel Fuhrman understand that volume is one of the four dimensions of hunger. Nutrients, calories and addictions are the other three. Weight Watchers has adopted this focus on the importance of volume. And they really ought to give credit to the pioneers in this space, but at the end of the day they are good marketers and will be rewarded for that.

Weight Watchers Momentum does not seem to totally embrace the idea of nutrient density yet, but the fact is they are throwing a lot at people with this new program, and it appears to be vastly more comprehensive than their previous programs where you could choose to do Flex or Core or whatever.

Recipes To Help You Feel Full

Examples From The Filling Foods List- (From Their Public Website)

 

3 Point Sauteed Shrimp Recipe- This is an example of how you can cook large peeled shrimp quickly with some nice flavorings. Note the following very healthy recommendation for what to serve the shrimp over:

 

"Fresh lemon juice and dried seasonings provide simple yet wonderful flavor for this easy sauté. Serve the shrimp over brown rice with a side of roasted vegetables for a complete, nutritious meal."

0 Point Roasted Vegetable Recipe- This gives you a nice example of the new approach to dieting in the Momentum Program. They do not seem to be penalizing vegetables at all, even with the small amount of olive oil. Dr Fuhrman has written extensively about the high nutrient values in vegetables and the very important role they play in helping you feel full. Weight Watchers seems to have adopted this philosophy, which we see work.

 

4 spray(s) olive oil cooking spray, divided

2 medium sweet red pepper(s), cut into 8 thick strips

1 medium green pepper(s), cut into 8 thick strips

1 medium summer squash, cut thickly on the diagonal

1 medium zucchini, cut thickly on the diagonal

1 medium red onion(s), cut into large wedges

12 oz canned artichoke hearts, without oil, drained and halved

1 tbsp thyme, fresh, minced

1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, or to taste

 

Examples of snack ideas on the filling foods list include cherries and guacamole. That is particularly interesting because people commonly assume avocado is not a diet food because of the fat. In my experience it really takes the edge off and is yet another great example of their new approach to dieting with Momentum.

 

You'll need to join to get access to a list customized to you or you can purchase the new Weight Watchers Momentum Cookbook on amazon. 

 

I Want To Try Before I Buy....

It might be that you are apprehensive about going to an in-person meeting, so they offer an online version of the Weight Watchers Momentum Program. If cost is an issue but you still want some level of help, PEERtrainer offers a daily weight loss coaching newsletter that guides you through some key fundamentals. We also offer a series of free weight loss coaching calls that will also give you some practical tools and rules. They are both free and you can get started right away.

Weight Watchers Helpful Habits

This is another new aspect of Weight Watchers Momentum that appears to take a page out of the work done by Judith Beck of The Beck Diet Solution. This replaces their old "Tools For Living" but starts them on the path to a small level of ideas promoted by prominent psychotherapists.

 

These rapid adjustments appear to be pretty smart, and we need to see how people actually respond. Since many people are members of PEERtrainer and Weight Watchers simultaneously, we will be able to provide a great feedback loop.

 

Weight Watchers Seems To Be More Accommodating To Vegetarians

 

One thing that always struck me in supermarkets were nutrient-poor yet low point foods that were marketed aggressively. When PEERtrainer won the 2007 Web 2.0 awards in the Health category, one thing that Habib pointed to was a concern that the dominant diets were not making people healthy.

 

In fact, he made a very pointed comment about the diet industry overall:

 

"With Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig etc. shoving processed, low calorie, junk food down peoples' throats, there is a lot to do to get the industry focused on new approaches. These kinds of foods are not improving peoples’ health. In fact, the opposite may well be true. The medical and health care community agrees and is now working with us to help reset the agenda."

 

That might not have been a totally fair assertion, but in retrospect was not too far off the mark. It is really great to see WW take this new focus, where they really cannot be accused of that any more. There will be a business benefit for them- hopefully. But there also may well be a societal benefit, which is why it is so important to really explore this program. 

 

This new program places much more focused on real foods vs processed foods. As a result, people who are into healthy diets will find a more welcome home. And if you think about this for a second, Weight Watchers is a great marketing tool for the food industry. So you may well see many of the companies who had in the past been teaming up with WW to deliver low point processed food, now change focus.

 

How great would it be to see Weight Watchers and Whole Foods team up??

 

Food Tracking And Journaling

 

Weight Watchers is also placing a heavy emphasis on tracking your foods, noting that it is highly effective. We realized this 4 years ago when we built PEERtrainer, and have a very easy to use, free form food journal that is built into every support group and team on the site.

 

Journaling your foods each day works, plain and simple. Just do it. Does not matter where.

Should I Sign Up For The Weight Watchers Momentum Program?

 

From our perspective, weight loss is incredibly hard to accomplish and maintain. So you really need all the help you can get. It is that important. PEERtrainer is focused heavily on the online, email and phone based approaches to losing weight. If you need an in-person, face to face thing, there is really no alternative. Even if you only join for a month and don't want to go to the meetings, you will find real value and what appears to be a growing set of very practical and proven tools.

 

I Am Thinking About Doing Nutrisystem Instead of Weight Watchers Momentum...

 

You need to find what works for you and what stage you are in the weight loss process. The two offerings are very different. One thing we have seen is that some men have had success with NutriSystem because they simply were not able to get started any other way. Other men have done great going to the Weight Watchers meetings. And it may be that you start WW after a couple months on NutriSystem. You have to find what works for you.

Does PEERtrainer Have An Opinion On The New Weight Watchers Program?

Their focus on identifying healthier foods may well boost their overall success rate. We base any views on what we see among our members, so our view will evolve. But we have a strong gut about what they are now doing. Again, weight loss is so hard for so many that you want to get all the help that you can.

We now have an affiliate relationship with them, and we feel good about pointing people to this new program. Many of you know that we highly recommend you own a copy of Eat For Health no matter what weight you are. If you are overweight and not making progress you probably would do very well to do Momentum. And if you join the program via this orange banner below, you help support PEERtrainer and the work we are doing with our free Tip Of The Day coaching program.

We tend to cover Weight Watchers quite a bit and if you want to read more of what we have written, please click on the link. One of the things we are interested in particularly is helping make sure you integrate all these proven tools into a way that really works for you.

 

We have also started a new thread over in the community on the new Weight Watchers Momentum Program. Please chime in there, here in the comments section or send me an email.

 

1/1/09 Update- We are now getting some great feedback on the new Momentum Plan and it seems like this system is really helping people have success. One user helped to explain that this new program is really different in the area of recipes, and that the new recipes are really really good.

It is funny because the new comments we are getting is helping to bolster my initial gut about the changes. They are very real and for the first time you really have to go to a meeting or join to get the best information.

1/5/09 Update- We just posted a note about a doctor having recommended doing Weight Watchers and The South Beach diet together. Her point was that Weight Watchers was great for portion control but that you needed to also do South Beach to add quality foods. Based on the reviews of the diet and recipes, it seems that WW has added the quality food aspect. Interesting.

We also got a great note from one of our weight loss coaching newsletter subscribers who said they just signed up for Momentum Online. She is 50 and weighs 250 pounds. We will be monitoring her progress with WW online over time.

7/14/2010 Update: PEERtrainer has just created a series of videos that will give you some immediate support, right now. 

 Click here to watch Video 1.   

Click here to watch Video 2.

 

Momentum, not momemtum!

 

Diet Fusion- A Practical Approach To Long Term Weight Loss

I got an email last night from a subscriber to our Tip Of The Day weight loss coaching/training newsletter. The person asked for some general tips on what to eat now that they have decided to lose weight. We really refer out to the experts as much as we can, but I introduced her to something we call "Diet Fusion." This is something we talk about in the Point of No Return as well, I think in week three. But here is what I said to her in response to her specific question:

"This gives me a great opportunity to get a little more clear and focused on one of the key "organizing themes" of our overall coaching program.

First of all, you need to see your doctor for specific advice. That is not just boilerplate- we mean that. And you will see some videos coming from a great doctor who will be explaining the role they have in this process, and also what a great doctor should be doing. Not all doctors are great, but finding one is well worth the effort.

 

Now, one of the key themes we talk about in the overall PEERtrainer coaching/training program is an approach I have termed "Diet Fusion". Diet Fusion is customization, finding what works for you, depending on your life stage. If there is one thing we have learned, it is that having only one diet for fitness regimen works for very few people. This is a list of some of the diets we have seen work:

 

-Fat Smash Diet, this is something we see to help kickstart a diet. Very popular, very effective in the short term, very easy to fall off track. But it is a good shock introduction to better nutrition, and does take a page or two from Joel Fuhrman's work.

 

-South Beach Diet- another diet we have seen help people drop a quick 5 pounds. It works well especially if you are in metabolic risk. But this should be done in combination with WW points and a high nutrient diet like Eat To Live.

 

-Weight Watchers- we have seen really help people get a handle on portion control. They have also completely revamped their core diet with the introduction of the Weight Watchers Momentum Program.

 

-Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live/Eat For Health- The most important idea of his is that intense amounts of greens help you lose weight, and that not all foods are created equal. He has designed a point scoring system to guide you to the best foods. He is probably the primary innovator in weight loss today, with people like Weight Watchers now following his lead.

Again the idea here is really find what works for you. Here is also a list of some very general principles, things we have seen work, and ideas put forth that we have seen help people on PEERtrainer get off the yo-yo cycle.

 

1. Nutrient Density- What this means very generally is eating a diet very high in fruits, vegetables, nuts and beans with a specific focus on greens. We see this work over and over again when it comes to successfully losing weight.

 

One of the things we continually focus on in our program is tips and ways to practically, cheaply and easily get high amounts of plant based foods in the diet each day. And making them taste good. And uncover the myths we tend to cling to that prevent us from seeing these as easy choices.

 

If you want to learn more about the work of Dr Joel Fuhrman you can read what we have written about his new book "Eat For Health". We tend to reference tips from him, simply because we see the specific effect his ideas have on people in the PEERtrainer community. We also like to link out to specific experts in different fields, to really make sure our readers and clients are exposed to as many ideas as possible. The core idea of Diet Fusion is customization, and the more good ideas you have, the more tools in your toolbox. We want to keep filling up your toolbox with things we see work.

 

There are many other doctors out there as well who are all focusing on the idea of pointing people towards diets that totally rebalance what we assume to be a "proper diet." The reality is that a growing number of people are really challenging our widely held assumptions. Dr. Bradley Willcox for example is another who is focusing on examining the habits of people in Japan who regularly live to 100, do not gain weight when they age and who tend to not get disease at anywhere near the rate Americans do.

 

It is important to point this out because what worked for you when you were 25 and single might not work now that you have a husband who you are eating with every night. Maybe you are a 70 year old man who is still eating with the diet assumptions you had in 1955. If what you are doing is not working you really need to be open to a real examinations of your assumptions. That is Diet Fusion.

 

2. Weight Watchers Points- this is another proven tool in our "Diet Fusion" approach. No matter how well you eat at home- fruit with every breakfast, salad as an entree, low levels of overall "animal protein" intake, spinach at every possible point- you are going to continually get out of your comfort zone. You will go out to restaurants, go to parties, be at the mall, on the road. You will be in situations where the option of nutritional excellence is not available to you. 

 

So you have to be able very easy figure out how many points are in a bagel, and how to eat 10 point meals when you are out. A great way to do this is quickly to google "Weight Watchers Points Calculator" and start learning to add in calories, fat and fiber. Or go to a meeting or brush off your Points if you tried WW in the past and it did not work for you. This is much better than just plain calorie counting because the points system makes you look for high fiber, low calorie foods. Which incidently tend to be plant based. "Fiber" is the stuff in plants. 

 

I have even recorded a short video that explains my own process of how I thought I was making the right choices, until I really mastered portion control.

 

3. Focus On The Transition- this is another very key point in the "Diet Fusion" approach. Restrictive diets fail because they are often all or nothing approaches. You are not going to go from eating cheeseburgers and bacon, egg and cheese bagels to spinach and fruit in a week. It is going to take time and take some work. So give yourself time and realize you cannot fail at this. View each day and each meal as an opportunity to make incremental progress. Something as small as deciding to eat a plate of veggies at a party instead of what the waiters bring around is a win- and should be celebrated.

 

4. Focus On The Volume Of Food When You Have A Chance To Eat Well. We tend to think of dieting as simply limiting calories. This is an incomplete approach for many, especially for the long run. How many times have you started a diet and then fell off?

 

You sort of have to do portion control, which is why Points are so important. But you have to feel full, not feel hungry. A truly healthy diet probably will not leave you cranky and hungry all the time. A large salad, that only has a tablespoon of olive oil in it, some lemon juice and garlic for flavor, with beans to make you feel full, tons of vegetables- can an ideal thing. You get a lot of plant based nutrients, but you also feel full. You can also feel full eating a lot less.

 

This is something that we have seen work and is something that has worked for me. Here is something that I do at home all the time- I take a two dollar bag of frozen organic spinach and a one dollar can of organic black beans. I throw it in a frying pan and heat it up. Maybe a touch of olive oil, throw some garlic in there, maybe some curry spice for flavor. Serve it with some rice. Fast, easy, cheap. I eat it, my husband eats it, my kids eat it. In fact, my husband cooks this so often that our daughter refers to them as "daddy beans". And for guys, the volume aspect is particularly important, if you are familiar with what I call "insane man hunger."   I am using this as an example of how to think about the volume aspect of it.

 

Maybe you are out at the Cheesecake Factory for example. They serve HUGE portions of foods. But they also serve huge salads. Make that work for you. Order the salad, as for dressing on the side. Better yet, ask for 4 lemon wedges. Maybe get some steak or chicken on top of the salad. There are all sorts of options. (Their menu is like a book). Squeeze the lemon wedges on the salad, maybe some pepper (try to avoid the salt), a tiny tiny amount of whatever dressing they have. And wham- you have something that fills you up and will help you lose weight. 

 

And make sure to keep the cheese and butter out of it. Cheese and butter are diet killers because of the hidden calories. Restaurants for some reason put cheese and butter in everything. Get in the habit of asking for butter and cheese free dishes. Interestingly some of the higher end restaurant chains in the US have removed butter from the menu. Seasons 52, a very good restaurant chain in the Southeast US have no butter in their dishes. Each dish is designed to be less than 500 calories as well. So this seems to be a trend.

 

5. Rethink Your Notion Of Hunger. One thing that Dr. Fuhrman teaches, and I just saw this talked about in the PEERtrainer community, is the idea of "true hunger". What this simply means is that real hunger is something you feel in your throat and mouth. It is not a panicky feeling, it is your mouth watering. If you are between meals and feel like you have to snack on something, reach for a piece of fruit, or a Lara bar or Kind bar. Nut bars are great diet tools. Very practical things you can keep with you.

 

Overall, this idea of "Diet Fusion" is really finding what works for you, and making it a practical habit. Diets fail when we feel hungry, they fail when we don't correctly control our portions, and they fail when we feel like we can't do them. How often have you felt that "losing weight is just not possible", or that "gaining weight is just something that happens when we get older." It truly does not have to be this way.

 

So instead of simply restricting calories, focus on a gradual transition to more plant based stuff. And this does not mean that you be a vegetarian- although some people do that for many reasons. I don't. But I keep reading more and more research that indicates that you don't want more than 10% of your diet to be animal based. Again, this is very general and there is a lot of conflicting information out there. You have to find what works for you. 

 

The hardest part of all of this is developing these good habits in the face of overwhelming societal pressure. Maybe you are a mom struggling to feed healthy foods to your kids. Then the grandparents come to town and their version of love is force feeding them cheeseburgers. Maybe you are a guy who works in a stressful environment, job and the only choices seem to be sweets in the vending machine. Or you go to a restaurant and want to make some good habits, only to feel subtle but strong pressure from the waiter or waitress. One thing we focus on in our intensive coaching/training program is literally training you, ingraining in you a set of habits that help you get what you want. We do this with the help of a trained psychotherapist, because it is that hard!!

 

I will close this note with a simple idea- everyone talks about the importance of a "balanced diet". But what if you body is out of balance? Hitting the salads hard, and keeping the fat out of them, might be a great way to get back into balance.

Update: People have loved this basic concept over the years, and have found it "liberating." One thing people have said though is "ok, I get the basic idea. Now tell me exactly what to do." People wanted an eating plan to help put this advice into practice. So we developed a very simple to follow list of foods to focus on and foods to move away from. We call this the "Cheat System." It works incredibly well. It is free to download from this page.

 

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Why I Love Weight Watchers

When I first started taking losing weight seriously, I actually thought I was dieting. I was passing up on cheesecake but not losing weight. And if you are not losing weight, you need more information.

Weight Watchers is excellent for portion control. When I learned the points system, what I saw I was eating about twice what I needed to lose weight. Helps to reset my mind of what a portion really is. Once you learn the points system, you just know it. Becomes something very natural. They have also just released an important update on their program called the Weight Watchers Momentum Program and I highly recommend you take a look at what we have written and learned so far.

You can also apply it to other diets like Fat Smash, The Zone, South Beach or Eat for Health.

Easy and Healthy Low WW Point and Calorie Snack Idea

We were just in a Whole Foods with the kids, and we met a woman who was giving out samples of a new line of almond butter and peanut butter called Justin's Nut Butter. It is a new company started by someone named Justin. As it turned out, his mom was the woman giving out the samples. Nice mom!

There are a lot of makers of various nut butters, and we buy the Whole Foods brand cashew butter regularly. It tastes great and it is cheap. But what struck us about Justin's Nut Butter is that they make 100 calorie squeeze packs that are flavored with things like organic maple sugar and organic honey. So they taste really good, and it is sometimes hard to get peanut butter to taste good without a ton of jelly.

The Maple Almond Butter was particularly good. (Almond butter is relatively high in calcium, so for people who are allergic to dairy and are looking for added sources of calcium, Almonds and almond butter are something to always keep in mind.)

I always tell people to always have healthy snacks handy, to prepare ahead of time for emergencies. These little packs seem like a great idea to keep in your desk or purse or glove compartment. If you can get your hands on an apple or a banana, squeeze one of these packs on the apple or banana and you have a great healthy snack. It will give you energy, you know exactly what the portion is, you get the benefit of an organic product, you get a piece of fruit in.

I think Justin's mom mentioned that each pack was about .59 cents. Add that to the cost of a banana or an apple and you have a pretty cheap snack as well. People always want to know how to eat healthy for cheap and eat organic for cheap. If you know where to look you can always find things that fit this requirement.

Getting a portion controlled product that tastes great and is super healthy can be one of those nice small wins I always talk about. So next time you are in Whole Foods or near one, get some of Justin's squeeze packs and add them to your emergency food stash. It is also a way to support a small business owner and kudos to the people at Whole Foods who brought Justin and his products in.

I also broke out my copy of Joel Fuhrman's Eat For Health to look up what he thinks about nut products. He pointed out that you don't want to overeat them, but that there are studies that show an inverse relationship between nut consumption and body weight, and that nuts and seeds help suppress the appetite. 

Making sure to add an apple or a banana to the mix in the snack makes it taste great. Fruit in the morning for energy and then fruit with a little nut butter in the afternoon to help keep you full and energized is a great strategy. The squeeze packs themselves are 2 Weight Watchers points even with the added oil and fruit is minimal points impact. So this could be one of those things that you incorporate on a regular basis.

I'll keep an eye out for things like this, and if you see something, let me know in the comments section or email me if you are getting the Tip Of The Day newsletter

What Do You Learn At A Weight Watchers Meeting?

Someone asked me this question since we have been advocating the Points system as part of our Diet Fusion approach.

Here is the thread, and I will post the responses. While it is great to get our daily tips via email, it also helps to walk in and have to get weighed each week.

"You can learn a lot:
- How to estimate portions when you can't measure
- How to plan for specially occasions
- How to choose more healthy options
- How not to deprive yourself, but instead control yourself
- Great recipes
- Tips for cooking lighter
- Strategies for changing your behaviors to be more healthy

 "I learned a lot with WW but ultimately it taught me the importance of portion control. It was my downfall when I was heavy - now I've learned to eat everything I like, in moderation of course!!"

7 Weight Watchers Points Recipe: Orecchiette With Broccoli Raab and Roasted Tomatoes

Members have been asking me for good healthy recipes that also keep weight watchers points in mind and I found this great recipe posted in our calorie wiki by a long time member, blozzom.  It only takes 10 minutes to make.  If you have a few more weight watchers points to spare, this squash risotto recipe looks great as well and it has 10 points.

I would make the pasta whole wheat (look at the comparison of whole wheat bowtie pasta to white rigatoni) if you want to increase the fiber and of course lower your points but this would also taste great with polenta or even without the pasta all together!  Add some red pepper flakes if you'd like a little more taste and even though the recipe doesn't call for it, I would add a few cloves of garlic.

Orecchiette With Broccoli Raab and Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients

1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes, drained 10 ounces orecchiette or other small pasta shells 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 pound broccoli raab (also known as rapini), washed well, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

To roast tomatoes, preheat oven to 350F. Place tomatoes on lightly oiled baking sheet. Roast 90 minutes, turning after 45 minutes, until very soft and slightly blackened. Once cooled, chop tomatoes and set aside. Cook pasta as directed on the package. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of liquid. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add crushed garlic and cook until slightly golden, 1-2 minutes. Add broccoli raab to skillet; raise heat to high. Cook, tossing constantly, until greens are just wilted, 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes, cooked pasta, reserved cooking liquid, red wine vinegar and pepper. Toss well. Serve promptly.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 min.

Cook Time: 8-10 min.

Nutrition Score per serving:

Calories	362
% Fat	12%
g Fat	5 g; 0.7 g saturated
% Carbs	53%
g Carbs	67 g
% Protein	35%
g Protein	14 g
g Fiber	4 g
mg Sodium	n/a
% Calcium	n/a
g Calcium	n/a WW Points: 7 Cal: 362 ; Fat: 1 ; Fiber: 4

If You Need To Lose 100 Pounds, Where Do You Start?

One thing we like to do on PEERtrainer is focus on different needs. Needing to lose ten pounds for a woman needs a different approach than a guy needing to lose 45 pounds. What I want to do with this article is focus on some steps people can take if they need to lose 100 pounds or more. Here are some ideas and site resources in no order. My only advice is tackle one at a time. 

1. You might want to start thinking about what you gain by being at your weight. This might sound odd, and have published an article on this entitled "What Is Beneath The Weight?"

2. Do a little digging and see how "ready" you are to commit to the weight loss process. PEERtrainer has developed a quick "Coaching Quiz" that will help you understand what your odds are of losing weight based on your current mindset. 

If you want to take some baby steps and have some ideas pushed to you as you get ready, please feel free to join our PEERtrainer Tip Of The Day coaching newsletter. If you go to the page you can learn a little more about this free program. 

3. Talk to your doctor and learn what diets and diet approaches doctors recommend. It also helps to learn what approaches are not recommended and why. But developing a relationship with your doctor, or finding a very compassionate one is an excellent start. If you had a bad experience with doctors, don't be turned off. There are many many doctors out there who care deeply.

 

4. Know that weight loss is possible. Do not get talked into thinking that bypass surgery is the only route for you if you have not made the progress that you want. Fruits and vegetables are very powerful, especially greens. They can be magic.

 

5. Weight Watchers is a great program to learn portion control. No matter what, you need to master the Weight Watchers points system so that you learn to how to make good decisions each day. They also give you three free online assessments which allow you quickly assess if you are ready to lose weight and what some of the specific health risks are.

 

6. PEERtrainer offers a free "Weightloss Bootcamp"- it is a series of 4 free calls that go over some proven approaches.

 

7. Really think about the impact the people around you on a daily basis have, and work over time to build a broad support network. Know that people you never expected are there to help you with an array of services- some free, some paid. But there are fundamental approaches that work, and will change how you think about everything.

Common Questions:

-Can I Lose 100 Pounds In 100 Days?

 

People write about this, and the Biggest Loser mentality has made extreme weight loss fashionable. But those people are under intense medical supervision. You can absolutely lose 100 pounds, but it is going to take a consistent effort and a real focus on the negative influences of those around you.

-What If I Really Don't Want To Lose Weight?

This is very common and one of the things Joshua Wayne talks about in the weight loss bootcamp is the idea of "secondary gain" where you get a benefit of a certain behavior. There are all sorts of situations where fat is actually the solution for people, rather than the problem. This is mental of course, which is why a psychotherapy approach to weight loss is needed along with an MD and a solid diet like Eat For Health or Weight Watchers. This is the focus of the PEERtrainer Coaching/Training Intensive.

What If I Really Like To Eat?

There is really nothing wrong with enjoying food. And you would be surprised how MUCH you can eat of certain foods. This blog post discusses recipes to help you lose weight. They really work!

How To Say No To Your Friends

Why is it that every time I go out with friends I eat more than I do when I'm alone?  I've read the studies and I do know you eat 40% more with friends than when you're alone but what am I going to do, stay home and never go to a restaurant again? 

The other night, while out with my friends for sushi, I ordered my "usual", a small salad, two slices of sashimi and a salmon/avocado roll.  The sushi came and went, and a friend of mine looks over and remarks, "That's all you're going to have?  Come on, let's order something more substantial.  How about a volcano roll?" 

A volcano roll is about twice the size of my stomach, and three times the size of a typical roll.  It's filled with 3 types of fish, shrimp tempura (deep fried) and it's "exploding" with calories.  388 calories in a roll and that's without the shrimp tempura.  Here's more info about what's in it and the Weight Watchers Points.  Instead of saying no, I replied with, "Sure, why not."  After the volcano roll, another friend said, "Dessert?"  She looks at my waist and says, "YOU can definitely have dessert."  So what do I do?  I order the milky way mousse pie.   I ended up with triple the food I normally have!  How did this happen?

Why are we so reluctant to just say no?  Why is it so much easier to go along?  Joshua Wayne will be discussing the fact that NO is a complete sentence in our third bootcamp call and I'm looking forward to it. (By the way, ff you'd like to sign up for our four weekly telephone sessions, please click here;  we're having our 2nd session tonight.

While I haven't learned to say no, I did use a few strategies that we'll be discussing in call 2.  I only had three pieces of the volcano roll and three bites of dessert.  But more importantly, I'm looking forward to the next time, where I build up my skills to respond, "No thanks.  I think I'll order some evening tea."