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Consumer Guide to Diets

There are many diets out there, and some people feel as if they have tried them all. Some of the more popular diets are Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, the South Beach Diet and the Glycemic Impact Diet. Many of these diets educate participants in such aspects as stress reduction, portion control, exercise and healthy food choices.

  1. Weight Watchers

    • Weight Watchers is a popular diet program that takes a healthy, long-term approach to weight loss. It has been around for over 40 years, and it has helped millions of people lose weight. The focus is a low-fat diet with balanced nutrition augmented by exercise and education. Weight Watchers claims that technically it is not a diet because participants learn how to eat right and live a healthy lifestyle. The program features Weight Watchers Meetings, where leaders help attendees set goals and give tips, guides, books and recipes. Weight Watchers is also available online. Weight Watchers meetings average around $9 dollars monthly, while online participants pay an average of around $18 per month.

    Nutrisystem

    • Nutrisystem is a diet program that uses meals that are calorie-controlled and prepackaged for convenience. It provides a wide range of choices, with over 100 different meals to choose from. Meals contain suitable portions of fiber, protein and fat, and portion control is a main component of the diet. Online and telephone counseling support is included in the program, and Nutrisystem provides education on reducing stress in people's lives, the importance of exercise, and visualization techniques. The meals in the Nutrisystem plan are delivered to the homes of participants. Nutrisystem costs around $270 per month, including food.

    South Beach Diet

    • The online South Beach diet plan helps participants track weight loss, plan meals, locate recipes and create a grocery list to buy healthy food. This low-carb plan is designed to improve cholesterol and insulin levels by using a balanced diet that includes lean meat, fruit, whole grains, vegetables and nuts. There is an initial phase for quick weight loss and two other phases that allow for a more moderate weight loss. Education is a main component of the South Beach diet, and participants learn which carbohydrates are the best choices for weight management. The South Beach Diet costs around $20 monthly.

    Glycemic Impact Diet

    • The Glycemic Impact Diet is recommended for diabetics and heart patients, and it is healthy for those wishing to lose weight. Under the plan, foods are assigned a number according to their effect on blood sugar. Food that is higher in glycemic impact is digested by the body quickly and creates a spike in insulin levels. Eating food that is lower in glycemic impact takes longer to digest. This keeps the dieter feeling satisfied longer and reduces the amount of fat the body produces from food. The initial weight loss phase of this diet is more restrictive than other diets. The maintenance phase allows for greater variety in the diet. Participants can manage the diet online. The Glycemic Impact Diet costs around $18 per month.

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