Let’s face it!
Losing weight requires “more” than time, motivation, commitment, and encouragement from others.
With so many weight loss programs out there, making the right choice can be confusing. Today, we would like to take some of the confusion out of your choices.
Furthermore, we would like to help you to understand how these weight loss programs differ from one another.
Let’s get right to it…
NutriSystem
NutriSystem has been in business since 1972 and sells its program through 800 numbers and on the Internet.
With their program, you purchase low-calorie meal packages pre-selected by NutriSystem from their website or by phone, and orders are shipped directly to you. You eat 4-5 meals and snacks per day.
You are required to purchase fruits, vegetables, and dairy products separately from your grocery store.
According to their website, the four-week cost of their basic prepackaged meals is $274.96 at the time of this writing (does not include grocery store purchases). Many of their foods are freeze dried but in 2014, they added a line of frozen entrees.
They have a plan designed for diabetics — you must monitor your own blood sugar and blood pressure. NutriSystem suggests you be under a doctor’s care if you have any serious health conditions.
Further, some clients report that there is limited flexibility for eating off-plan, as in restaurants. However, NutriSystem has recently added recipes to its website for its clients.
With some plans, you can talk with a counselor for motivation and nutrition questions.
How NutriSystem Works
Jenny Craig
Founded in Australia in 1983, Jenny Craig expanded to the U.S. in 1985 where it is now headquartered.
Like NutriSystem, Jenny Craig offers prepackaged meals. You may pick up your frozen meal at one of Jenny Craig Centers throughout the U.S. or have them delivered to you. Additionally, you will be required to buy fruits, vegetables, and dairy from your local store.
Jenny Craig recommends that you consult with your doctor before starting any diet. Health conditions like high blood pressure and low blood sugar should be monitored. Jenny Craig offers a basic low-sugar diabetic plan upon request.
You receive a short counseling session weekly. The counselors, while not nutritional professionals are trained in basic nutrition, exercise, and behavioral modification.
Clients report Jenny’s program to be expensive, compared to other meal replacement programs.
Although Jenny Craig offers specials, the fee to join is around $99.00 and the monthly membership is $19.99. Neither price includes food, which costs an average of $15 to $23 each day, plus your personal costs for fruits, vegetables, and yogurt.
Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers has been around for over 50 years (since 1963) and is a worldwide program.
The program works by assigning every food “SmartPoints” based on calories and nutritional value. As a client, you purchase your own foods. Weight Watchers offers a few snack-type foods which are considered expensive.
Clients attend weekly group meetings where they discuss their progress, share recipes, and gain ideas on how to stay on track. Weigh-ins are conducted at their nationwide centers.
Group leaders are people who have lost weight on the program but are not nutritionists nor are they medically trained.
There is no one-on-one counseling offered. “Self-monitoring” of your health conditions like blood sugar and blood pressure is required and recommended.
On the program, you are allowed to eat the foods you want as long as you count the SmartPoints. However, some Weight Watcher participants report that point-tallying is tedious.
The program costs around $16 per month and does not include any food or meals.
LA Weight Loss Centers
Like Weight Watchers, LA Weight Loss Center offers a program based on measuring food intake.
A unique feature of this program is the offering of products to help you measure your foods such as Recipe Book, Food Scale, Chill Containers, and the LA Right Portions Plate.
As a client, you are required to buy supermarket foods as well as the company’s exclusive brand of nutritional supplements, bars, juices, and snacks.
The plan offers diet tips and recipes. You may talk with a counselor via phone (or in person if there is a location in your area).
Like the other programs we’ve mentioned, there is no medical supervision and the client must self-monitor any health conditions.
The cost will vary from person to person depending on the selection of nutritional bars, juice, or supplements ordered. A shipment of 8 boxes of nutritional bars starts at $109.95 for auto-shipment customers.
Medifast
Medifast is a portion-controlled program where meals come in individual packets that are mixed with water.
These meals are available in a variety of foods and flavors, including shakes, soups, pasta, stew, chili, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, fruit drinks, iced teas, hot beverages, bars, puddings, pretzel sticks, and cheese puffs.
Medifast states that their foods, “offer a healthy fast food alternative” to a busy lifestyle. They offer “written” exercise suggestions and cookbooks.
With their 5-1 program, you eat 5 snacks or meals provided by MediFast and 1 healthy meal you cook yourself.
MediFast also offers weight loss plans for special nutrition such as diabetes, gluten allergy, vegetarians, nursing moms, seniors, teens, and those with gout.
They have centers throughout the U.S. but commonly, foods are shipped to you. A 30-day Select kit starts at $395.55.
Center For Medical Weight Loss (CMWL)
The Center for Medical Weight Loss offers a meal replacement plan that takes into account your personal health profile. A physician will review your health profile and prescribe the right plan for you.
Additionally, when you choose the CMWL program, your weight loss progress is medically supervised by a board-certified doctor who is trained in clinical nutrition and behavior modification techniques.
CMWL is based on solid science and is designed to give you personal guidance and direction. CMWL consistently has a success rate higher than any other program.
From your very first visit until you reach your weight goals, professional medical counselors will be by your side to assist and keep you on track.
You will receive weekly personalized nutritional counseling and a customized dietary plan based on your motivation levels, health concerns, and personal biochemistry.
Your health conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, fluid retention, and high cholesterol will be monitored. Consistently, CMWL participants are able to reduce their medications as they lose weight and sometimes can come off their medications entirely.
As an added benefit to those who suffer from excessive appetite, Your CMWL physician can prescribe appetite suppressants.
How the Center for Medical Weight Loss Works
A Note from Dr. Perlman
So there you have it!
It is our sincere hope that after reading about the Center for Medical Weight Loss and comparing it to other weight loss programs, you now understand how being under the care of a highly skilled physician will provide benefits and services not available at other weight loss centers.
CMWL’s medical weight loss and management strategies can help you reach your weight loss goals and lead a healthier life.
And isn’t that what you really want?
We want to see you succeed. Call today to find out more about our program.
By this time next year, or next season, or next important holiday, you can be at your desired weight and enjoying the life you’ve always wanted.
Another very important component of CMWL is behavioral modification education. Behavior modification is a technique where your personal challenges—let’s call them roadblocks —are identified.
Once you have an understanding of what personal behaviors have been causing your inability to lose weight, you can gain the tools needed to change or “unlearn” faulty habits. Learning behavior modification techniques is a “win-win” because lifestyle changes can lead to lasting changes!
CMWL is truly personalized just for you. And because it is administered by medical doctors who understand your unique health profile, your medications can be adjusted along the way as you are losing weight. No other weight loss programs cannot provide this service.
Other Medical Weight Loss Services
In addition to CMWL, Advanced Plastic Surgery Centre offers Hormone Assisted Weight Loss Program to help with burning fat without hunger. Our Hormone Assisted Weight Loss Program includes all medical testing, physician supervision, weekly consultations, and metabolic testing. Your doctor can determine if this is right for you.
Furthermore, Dr. Perlman might recommend B12 injections to assist in increased energy, better sleep, and alertness.
Simply put, we treat what other weight loss plans can’t.
Frequently Asked Question
- Weight Watchers (WW): Offers a point-based system to track food intake and provides support through meetings or online platforms.
- Jenny Craig: Provides pre-packaged meals and personalized consultations.
- Nutrisystem: Delivers pre-packaged meals tailored to individual dietary needs.
- The South Beach Diet: Focuses on controlling carbohydrates and emphasizes lean proteins and healthy fats.
- Keto Diet: A high-fat, low-carb diet that aims to induce ketosis for fat burning.
- Effectiveness: Look for evidence-based results and success rates.
- Safety: Ensure the program is safe and suitable for your health status.
- Long-term Sustainability: Assess if the program promotes habits that can be maintained.
- Cost: Consider the overall expense, including any required supplements or meal replacements.
- Support: Evaluate the level of support provided, such as counseling, coaching, or community forums.
- Consumer Reports: Provides reviews and comparisons of various weight loss programs.
- Academic Research: Look for studies published in reputable journals that evaluate program effectiveness.
- Healthcare Providers: Consult with a registered dietitian or physician for personalized advice.
- Rapid Weight Loss Claims: Programs promising rapid weight loss without effort may be unsafe or unsustainable.
- Exclusion of Food Groups: Extreme diets that cut out essential food groups can be nutritionally inadequate.
- Lack of Medical Supervision: Programs that do not involve healthcare professionals may not address underlying health issues.
- High Cost with Little Evidence: Expensive programs that lack scientific backing or independent reviews.
No single program works for everyone. The best program varies based on individual health needs, preferences, lifestyle, and medical considerations. It’s essential to choose a program that fits your goals and is sustainable for you.