Students wishing to lose weight only have to flip on the T.V. to see a host of commercials advertising a low-carb, low-fat, or 10-day diet guaranteed to the peel pounds from their frame. With all of the options out there, it can be hard to distinguish the healthy diets from the unhealthy, and the realistic diets from the unrealistic.
To make your life easier, The Reveille has compiled information about the lastest diets on the market and which give you the best bang for your buck — and belt buckle.
Weight Watchers
What student would not love to eat their favorite foods and lose weight? Doing this in moderation is the basic premise of the Weight Watchers program.
Lisa Craig, Weight Watchers representative, said the program works because it does not “demonize food.”
Craig said strict diets restrict certain foods which may cause a person to overeat because of guilt.
“If you have one or two slices of pizza, you’re still on your diet, no guilt,” Craig said.
The Weight Watchers diet is based on a points value system. Foods are given points based on fat, fiber, calories and portion, Craig said.
The dieters are permitted to consume a certain amount of points based on their weight.
Craig said this diet is ideal for college students.
“It’s so livable. You could have pizza and beer, college students’ favorite,” she said.
The weight loss plan also has “healthy guidelines” that recommend consuming water and vegetables daily, Craig said.
A booklet is given to participants that guides them through an exercising program.
Craig said Weight Watchers provides its customers with “tools for living.” The program targets the emotional reasons for overeating.
There are also group support systems that fit different people’s needs. The group meetings are also available online.
“When people try diets on their own they lose weight and gain it back,” Craig said. “But when you become a lifetime member you keep it off.”
The Weight Watchers registration fee is $25 and $9.95 a week.
Dieters typically lose one to two pounds a week.
Autumn Douglas, a dietician at the Wellness Education Department, said the Weight Watchers diet is “great” because it allows dieters to eat anything, but in moderation. She said she teaches the same premise when she consults students on their weight loss efforts.
It is important to choose smaller amounts of high-fat foods while not restricting certain foods, she said.
Jenny Craig
The luxury of having healthy pre-prepared meals sent to one’s home comes at a price.
Monica, a company customer representative, who was not allowed to give her last name because of company privacy policies, said the menus for the Jenny Craig program are put together by the American Diabetic Association.
Dieters are given three balanced meals and desserts, Monica said. The food is pre- prepared and includes frozen and non-frozen meals.
There is a $36 fee for six weeks of the program. The food is a separate fee of $12 to $15 a day. That is up to $115 per week for food. The food is sent to the dieters’ homes daily through Jenny Direct Shipping.
Monica said the program is ideal for college students because it is convenient and easy to follow. She said restaurant meals can be exchanged if dieters wish to dine out.
Unlike Weight Watchers’ group support method Jenny Craig has “one-on-one support.”
Jenny Craig dieters are assigned a consultant who assesses their weight loss needs and gives them weekly weigh-ins.
Dieters can expect to lose one to two pounds or 1 percent of their body weight a week, Monica said.
She said the program is sufficient for anyone’s weight loss needs.
“It’s good whether you want to lose 300 pounds or five,” Monica said.
Douglas said Jenny Craig is a healthy weight loss program but does not allow the flexibility that college students need.
Atkins
TGI Friday’s “Cheese-burger Cheeseburger” caption on the menu reads, “Do your best to pass on the ketchup and we’ll be sure to keep the buns in the kitchen.”
The two beef patties topped with melted American cheese are a part of the Friday’s Atkins Advantage approved menu.
Donna, an Atkins Advantage representative who was not allowed to give her last name for privacy reasons, said the diet is based on a high fat, medium protein, and low-carbohydrate diet.
“You feel satisfied and maintain stable blood sugar,” Donna said.
Donna said the book is recommended but is not needed to follow the program.
The Atkins Essentials book is available at the Atkins Web site for $7.50. It features all the practical information needed to follow the program, according to the Web site.
There is no particular brand of food that needs to be purchased to follow the program but there are Atkins- approved menus at Subway and Friday’s and there is a food product line by Atkins Advantage that is sold in grocery stores.
Douglas said she would not recommend this diet because it is unhealthy for long term use.
“You can’t even eat a vegetable,” she said about the beginning stages of the Atkins diet.
Although the diet will burn fat, it also burns muscle which will lower the metabolism, she said. Atkins dieters usually do not have energy and gain the weight back quickly when they return to a normal diet.
The Best Way to Lose
Although Douglas said she would recommend Weight Watchers to students more than the other programs, she said seeing a registered dietician is the best way to assess dietary needs.
“Everyone has individual needs,” she said.
She said she teaches students how to dine out, eat on a budget and ways to prepare quick meals.
“Ninety-five percent of people who lose weight will gain it back within one to five years if no life-style change has been mad,” Douglas said.