I’m pleased to say there is now available a diet book, researched and written by an expert in BOTH nutrition and psychiatry, that you may find to be reassuring. No matter what your weight might be you will discover how your food habits are strongly influenced by hardwired instincts. If you have found weight loss to be an uphill battle there is a good reason why! Dr. Susan B. Roberts, the author of The Instinct Diet, will teach you how to work WITH your instincts rather than against them to make weight loss less of a struggle.



Dr. Robert’s credentials for writing the weight loss book are impressive. Not only is she a professor of nutrition and psychiatry at Tufts University in Boston, she is also the director of an Energy and Metabolism Laboratory. Her book is the synthesis of more than 20 years of research about why we eat what we eat.

What Dr. Roberts learned in her many years of research studying eating behavior is that we are guided by unlearned, instinctive responses to our environment. Although we might think we are different from one another in our responses to eating and enjoying food we share the same biological tendencies.

We each have moments when we sense an almost uncontrollable urge to eat. The stimulus for that urge comes from the inner workings of our subconscious. Dr. Roberts identified five basic food instincts that have an enormous impact on our eating behavior.

1. Hunger: We have a strong and very normal need to satisfy our hunger.

2. Availability: We tend to eat whenever we can.

3. Calorie Density: The more calorie dense a food the more we like it!

4. Familiarity: We prefer and like familiar foods because we associate such food with safety and comfort.

5. Variety: The more food choices we have the more we eat.

Each of these seemingly simple responses to food are the result of learning how to survive in less than hospitable conditions throughout much of human history. What worked so well for thousands of years now works against us. All too often we are surrounded by endless opportunities to eat.

The book is divided into two parts. The first half is devoted to the three stages of the diet plan including strategies for how to overcome entrenched habits. The second half of the book includes menu plans and recipes. There are four basic variations to the menu plan. You can select either a meat-based or vegetarian diet and for each of these you have a choice between making home-cooked foods or buying prepared foods depending on what would work better with your lifestyle. Included with the book are more than 100 recipes and 8 weeks of menus.

This diet may not be for everyone. It does require some advance planning to be prepared with meals and snacks throughout the week. Dr. Roberts teaches you ways to eat less without feeling hungry as I do on this website. However, don’t expect to never, ever be hungry. That’s just not realistic.

Although I have spent a good deal of time researching what this book is about and reading some excerpts, I have not yet had an opportunity to read the entire book. I need to finish reading Tom Venuto’s new book The Body Fat Solution: Five Principles for Burning Fat, Building Lean Muscles, Ending Emotional Eating, and Maintaining Your Perfect Weight, which I’m enjoying, as well as a number of others. I own a Kindle reading device (Kindle 2: Amazon’s New Wireless Reading Device (Latest Generation)) from Amazon.com and so I am in the middle of about 5 or 6 books at the same time. Having to keep track of only one reading device for all the many different books is wonderful. But I think I may have gotten a little carried away!

I am eager, however, to read The Instinct Diet: Use Your Five Food Instincts to Lose Weight and Keep it Off as soon as I can. I didn’t want to wait to let you know it is available! Do take a look at the reviews on Amazon.com and elsewhere. There seem to be quite a number of satisfied weight loss customers.

Till next time, watch those calories and remember to eat healthy food!

A number of weeks ago I wrote an article on why you might want to consider owning a body fat monitor (Body Fat Scales) to assist your weight management efforts. I would like to purchase a bathroom weight scale for my husband and me that includes this feature. After spending quite a bit of time researching the possible choices, I learned a lot about what is available and what to look for when buying a unit.



Tanita body fat monitors seem to be one of the most accurate and popular of the available products. A company by the name of Omron also makes electronic scales that are rated fairly well. In addition, Omron offers some handheld body fat monitors but these do not seem to have the same degree of reliability or accuracy as the more traditional looking bathroom weight scales.

Electronic weight scales for home use now come with a number of additional features in addition to weight and body fat measurement. Some of these features include daily calorie estimation, metabolic age, body water percentage, muscle mass, and physique rating. However, the accuracy of these features is not clear.

Here’s what I think you should keep in mind when choosing a bathroom scale with a body fat monitor:

1. Accuracy and Consistency with body weight. Ideally your weight will be the same whether measured at home or at your doctor’s office. When I visited a number of online product review sites, I found many satisfied customers who purchased scales that meet this test. There are a number of scales that also seem to rate well for consistency. If you test a scale in a retail shop, each time you step on, then off and on again, you should get the same reading.

2. Multiple-User Memory. Most scales come with the ability to store personal data for a minimum of two users. Some provide data storage for four or more users plus a guest. This is great for families so each person can track his or her own measurements independently. Another feature to look for are buttons to change from one user to another with your big toe (“toe buttons”). These buttons eliminate the need to reach down to make a change.

3. Easy to Read Digital Display. The larger the window and size of the numbers on an analog display, the easier it may be to read. I understand that some electronic scales have a display window that is backlit for better viewing. A few may even have a speech function to report the weight.

4. Consistency with body-fat measurements matters most.. Although body fat measurements may not be accurate, consistency will work. Look for consistency in the results and direction of change if you either lose or gain body fat. (To learn more about how body fat monitors work and why consistency matters please read my previous post: Body Fat Scales)

5. Caution! Body fat monitors should not be used by anyone with a pacemaker or by pregnant women. The small electric current emitted to measure body fat could interfere with the functioning of pacemakers and may be harmful to pregnant women.

6. Additional Features. Some electronic scales may offer an option to provide results specifically for athletes. If you work out 10 or more hours a week or have a resting heart rate of 60 or less (Tanita scales) this may be important for you. Athletes tend to have a much higher ratio of muscle to body fat, which changes the way the values are calculated. Other interesting features, as mentioned earlier, include daily calorie estimation, metabolic age, body water percentage, muscle mass, and physique rating.

7. Electronic weight scales need batteries to operate. They will work with four AA or a lithium battery.

Tanita Body Fat Monitors

Tanita BF679W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor with Body Water

This scale offers a measurement mode for two adults and a guest. It monitors body fat and body water percentages in addition to weight. Changes in body water will have an effect on body fat measurement so this could be a valuable feature if it works. It also offers a unique feature for estimating daily calorie intake based on current weight level.

The Tanita BF679 is manufactured to work for anyone weighing up to 300 pounds and it is backed by a three-year warranty. Of the 91 reviews I found at one site, this monitor received an average rating of 4 out of 5. (Many negative reviews seemed to come from individuals who had not sufficiently read or understood the limitations of the product.) At Amazon.com the Tanita BF679 received 36 reviews with a rank of 4.3 out of 5 stars. Overall this unit seems to offer good value for the price.

Tanita BF680W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor with Athletic Mode and Body Water

This scale offers four different modes of measurement: adult, child, athlete, and guest. It also has a recall function to compare your current weight with the last weight and body fat percentage. (The guest mode does not store data in memory.)

This scale will work for anyone weighing up to 300 pounds. It has a 10 year parts and labor warranty. Of 27 reviews on one site it ranks 3.7 out of 5 stars.

Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series

This body fat monitor and scale is one of the most comprehensive you’ll find for home use at a reasonable price. It is more expensive than the others reviewed here but it may be a good choice for you if you work out more than 10 hours a week and you would like to have more complete feedback about your diet and fitness routines.

The unit provides measurements for metabolic age, muscle mass, healthy range, visceral fat, BMR, and physique rating in addition to body weight, body fat percentage, and body water. It will store user information for up to four individuals and can measure weight up to 330 pounds.

Of 97 reviews on Amazon.com, this product received 4.1 out of 5 stars.

Omron Body Fat Monitor and Scale

OMRON HBF-400 Fat Loss Monitor with Scale

The HBF-400 supports up to four personal profiles and can measure weights up to 330 pounds. The manufacturer claims this unit is designed to provide measurements for people of nearly all heights and ages (10 to 79). It also claims to customize measurements for males and females.

This Omron scale provides measurement for body weight, body fat percentage, and body mass index (BMI).

Average customer review is 4.0 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com.

In conclusion:

Each of the units reviewed here should provide you with an accurate body weight and consistent body fat measurement. Beyond that you will want to consider which features are relevant to your needs and which are not. Having more features does not necessarily make an electronic scale a better buy.

If you do buy a unit, remember to read the instructions carefully! The specifics of each monitor are important. (For example, weigh yourself with dry not wet feet.) If you want to have the most accurate and consistent results possible, you will need to adhere to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

(To read more about how body fat scales/monitors work read: Body Fat Scales)

Have a great week, watch those calories, and remember to eat healthy foods!

I have an excellent guest article to share with you today written by the highly respected fat loss expert, Tom Venuto. I’ve shared one or two of his articles previously as well as a review of his highly regarded fat loss book. This new article is as good or better than the others! In it he shares the latest research from a survey of individuals who have not only been successful in losing weight but who have succeeded in maintaining the loss.



Tom discusses research results from a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. This study confirms what we had learned from the National Weight Control Registry.

Tom talks about the difference in lifestyle and behaviors of those who are successful with weight loss maintenance compared with those who regain weight. The concepts gained from this study are so important! If you understand why they matter and put them into practice you will not only move ahead more quickly with your weight loss efforts but you will also be well-prepared to maintain that loss.

I plan on spending more time on topics related to fat loss, body weight, and body fat in future blog posts. However, I will continue to post sample low calorie diet menus and low calorie foods along with other weight loss tips!

Next week (or sooner) I have a surprise for you. I hope to give you the opportunity to use a new tool (no cost) that will help you to quickly and easily access some of the websites I have found to be very helpful. My hope is that it will give you additional support and save you time with monitoring and assessing your weight loss efforts!

Till next time, watch those calories and eat healthy!

Listen to Maintainers, Not to Losers: 5 secrets to keeping the weight off for good

By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
www.BurnTheFat.com

I have very little interest these days in all the media-hyped stories of dramatic, rapid losses of body weight. “Big losers” don’t impress me, for numerous reasons. For example, weight is not fat. “Weight” could be composed of mostly lean tissue, or it could be mostly water weight. In fact, I would go a step further and point out that rapid loss of bodyweight correlates very highly with a greater chance of relapse, weight re-gain and long term failure.

So what does impress me? What gets my attention?

I pay attention to what the “long term maintainers” have to say – those are the people who have maintained an ideal weight for over a year… preferably even 2-5 years or more.

The difference between losers and maintainers

As I was researching the subject of long term weight maintenance recently, I was surprised at the huge amount of research that’s already been done in this area.

One paper that caught my interest was published by Judy Kruger and colleagues in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, titled,

“Dietary and physical activity behaviors among adults successful at weight loss maintenance.”

This was not an experimental study, but a compilation of data from the “Styles Survey” which was representative of the U.S. population and asked respondants questions about strategies to aid with maintaining an ideal weight.

In this particular survey, only one-third (30.96%) of the respondents said they were successful at keeping their weight off. The researchers wanted to know the difference between the small group that was successful and the majority that were not.

Both groups reduced the amount of food they consumed, they ate smaller portions, more fruits and vegetables, fewer fatty foods and fewer sweetened beverages.

Not really any surprises there, but what we want to know most is not what losers and maintainers have in common, but what the maintainers did that the losers didn’t.

Some major differences emerged between losers and maintainers:

First, a significantly higher proportion of successful maintainers reported exercising 30 minutes or more daily, and they also reported adding other physical activity to their daily schedules (recreation, sports, physical work, etc). In addition, more of the successful maintainers included weight training in their exercise regimens than did the losers.

Reducing sedentary activities (TV watching, etc) was also a significant difference between those who successfully maintained and those who did not.

The next big difference that separated the successful maintainers from the unsuccessful was in their “self-monitoring behaviors” including:

* tracking calories
* tracking body weight
* planning meals
* tracking fat
* measuring the amount of food on their plate

Unfortunately, these types of self-monitoring behaviors, especially weighing and measuring food and counting calories, are among the most avoided and even criticized weight control techniques. Some weight loss “experts” even claim that it’s detrimental to count calories, weigh yourself or measure and weigh your food.

However, these self monitoring behaviors are being identified more and more frequently in the research as part of “the difference that makes the difference.” I agree, and they have always played a major role in my own Burn The Fat program.

A final difference was that people who reported self-perceived “barriers” to their success were 48-76% less likely to be a successful maintainer.

For example, they said they had no time to exercise, they were too tired to exercise or it was too hard to maintain an exercise routine. I interpret this as: the unsuccessful losers were excuse makers!

THE TOP 5 STRATEGIES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL MAINTAINER

So let’s recap and turn these research findings into some practical action steps you can apply today.

1. Increase your total daily activity level, including formal exercise as well as sports, physical work or recreational activity. Exercise improves weight loss, but more importantly, it is critical for weight maintenance.

2. Decrease sedentary recreational activities by cutting back on TV watching, computer games and web surfing. Take up physical recreation such as sports, boating, biking, walking, hiking, gardening, physical hobbies and playing with your kids, if you have them.

3. Include weight training as part of your formal exercise program, throughout the fat loss phase and even more seriously during maintenance.

4. Track and monitor everything! Count calories and nutrients, measure your portion sizes, weigh your food, plan your menus in writing and monitor your body weight and body fat percentage.

5. Avoid excuses and maintain positive beliefs and attitudes towards your environment and what you perceive as “barriers.” For example, say, “I can always make time for what is most important to me” instead of, “I don’t have time to exercise.”

If you’re currently on a fat loss journey, and you want to know how good your odds are for being a successful maintainer, it’s pretty easy to predict using these 5 strategies. If you’re not using all 5 of them yet, then when would be a good time to start today?

There are limitations to survey results such as these, including the fact that they are cross sectional, and therefore cannot prove causality. However, I believe these findings are important and significant.

Not only do they confirm previous similar studies and agree with the findings of other groups of successful maintainers (such as the National Weight Control Registry), I found that these results match precisely what I’ve seen among my most successful “Burn The Fat” clients.

THIS is the type of advice I’d suggest you listen to the most: Advice about how to lose body FAT, not body WEIGHT, and how to maintain an ideal bodyweight and body composition over the long haul, not how to lose weight as fast as possible.

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto
Fat Loss Coach
www.BurnTheFat.com

P.S. There was one more “difference that made the difference,” in this study, and this one may surprise you (although it didn’t surprise me). Successful maintainers were LESS likely to take over the counter diet products (pills, etc).

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, certified personal trainer and freelance fitness writer. Tom is the author of “Burn the Fat, Feed The Muscle,” which teaches you how to get lean without drugs or supplements using secrets of the world’s best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get rid of stubborn fat and increase your metabolism by visiting: www.burnthefat.com

Just exactly what are the best sites for locating nutrition calculators for calorie counts and nutrient data? I realized I didn’t know the answer to this question as well as I would have liked. So I set out to do some research, comparisons, and write a review. What I discovered is that “best” is relative to what you need. There are many different websites providing a range of services.



I hope this quick review will help you to save time by locating the best sites for your needs. Some sites have massive food databases but offer little else in the way of services or support. Some provide more detailed nutrition information along with the calorie counts. A few sites give you additional feedback by rating the overall nutritional value of foods. This can help you zero in on the best food choices.

A lot of great information is available for free. But some of the best sites require that you sign up first with a free account or become a paid member for access.

I’ve included sites for calculating your calorie needs and calories burned with various activities as well as those with nutrition calculators that only provide the calorie and nutrient content of foods. It all matters if you want to lose weight. I am a firm believer that calories count. But nutrients count also if you choose to increase your chances for a successful outcome from your weight loss efforts. Accomplish this with a healthy diet (way of eating) and lifestyle you can continue for the rest of your life.

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Calorie-Count

Calorie-Count is a service provided by About.com. The food database is huge! They claim to have calorie and nutrient data for more than 74,300 foods. Along with calorie and nutrient data, you are provided with a calorie breakdown by fat, protein, and carbohydrates and tips as to the “good” points for the food in question along with the “bad” points. Another feature I particularly like is the overall rating given to foods. For example do a broad search for something such as macaroni and cheese. A long list of brand name products comes up most with a rating of C, D, or even F. But a few are rated A or B. Really? Now that’s something to follow-up on. Calorie-Count also provides a forum to interact with others, a library of articles, and many recipes.

Something I question about this database is the accuracy of the information. It seems that site users can enter food data that then becomes part of the main database. This limits the reliability of the results.

My Food Diary

MyFoodDiary is not just about calories and weight loss. It is a site that provides you with all the tools you will need for healthier living with diet and exercise. However, to access the tools and services provided you must pay for membership.

At this site you will have a more detailed calorie and nutrient breakdown in a user friendly format than any free site I have found. The nutrient and calorie tracking tools can give you excellent feedback as to how well you are doing with your diet and exercise choices based on your specific dietary needs. I am a member of this site and I am clearly biased but I joined because I feel it is worth every penny of the membership fee. If you would like to learn more you can read my review.

My Calorie Counter

My Calorie Counter has an online diet and exercise journal that is free to access in exchange for creating an account. (You can access many of the calculators and other information without having to sign up but if you want to keep track of calories, carbs, and other nutrients you’ll need to provide your name and email address.) The food database provides calorie and nutrient information on more than 45,000 fast food, brand name, and generic foods.

In addition to tracking calories in the foods you eat, you can calculate the calories burned during exercise. Two nice features of this site are the community forums and the option to create your own blog. Something else they provide that is not easy to find online is a body fat calculator (the results provided are a rough estimate of your body fat).

My Net Diary

MyNetDiary seems to be an attractive and well-designed site that offers a number of helpful tools and services for weight loss assistance. You can take a free test drive to check it out. However, the calorie and nutrient database does not seem to be available without membership. Also, the size of the database is not given.

I am intrigued by the claim that MyNetDiary will “remember” your choices as favorite foods so you will not need to access stored information from past entries when recording the same foods you selected on previous days.

This membership site costs $9.00 per month ($7.00 per month if you purchase an extended membership.)

Food Count

FoodCount has an extensive food database you can use to calculate and record the calories you consume each day along with certain key nutrients (protein, carbs, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, iron, and grams of fiber). The database has more than 30,000 foods. A feature of this site that I have not found elsewhere is that your nutrient profile is compared with the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for your age and gender. AND you have the option to save your diet history so that you might track your eating patterns over time. This site might be especially helpful if you need to follow the TLC diet (Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes to lower cholesterol levels) in addition to watching calories. Registration is not required but it seems that the ads are not shown if you become a member.

FitDay

FitDay provides a free Diet and Weight Loss Journal to track the foods you have eaten, daily exercise, current weight, and weight loss goals. Detailed calorie and nutrient calculators are provided but I have not been able to determine the size of the database (the home page says there are 1,000’s of foods). The drawback to this site is that you must set up an account to access the services provided. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Often the sites that ask for registration and/or a membership fee are more well-designed, visually attractive, and provide additional services you won’t find at other sites.

Calorie King

Calorie King provides free access to a large database (50,000) of brand name as well as generic foods. Whenever possible foods are rated for calorie density. This is a nice feature that can help you make better choices at a glance based on the calorie count for different foods. Clicking on a food item pulls up another window with nutrition facts. Calorie King also sells software for a complete food and exercise diary, including a food database, for use on your Palm OS or Pocket PC.

CalorieLab

Don’t overlook this website as I almost did. If you want quick access to a wealth of calorie and nutrient information without having to set up an account or pay for membership this may be your site. At CalorieLab you can do food searches with a database that includes 70,000 foods and 500 restaurants. When you do a search, a list comes up that gives you instant results for protein, fat, carbs, and calories for a number of related foods. Just click on the “more” link for the specific food you are looking for and you will be taken to a new page that expands on the information with a complete nutrient profile (if available). I like the level of detail and organization with multiple categories. What I don’t like on this site is the visual clutter and the type size is too small for my older eyes. However, I understand the site owner may be making some changes soon.

The Daily Plate

I think The Daily Plate takes the prize for the largest food database online. They claim to provide calorie and nutrition data for more than 237,000 foods! Amazing! However that said, finding what you are looking for with this massive database does require having a little patience and being specific in choosing the words you use for a search.

Also provided for you are a free Food Journal, Calorie Calculator, and a Fitness Log. The food database and a number of other features are provided for free. However, if you want to track your vitamin and mineral intake (as well as calories from fat, protein, and carbs), and receive additional support for weight loss, you will need to purchase a membership. ($29.95 for six months)

The Calorie Control Council

The Calorie Control Council is sponsored by contributions from corporations in the beverage and sweeteners industry. Membership in this site costs $25.00 for a six-month plan. With membership you can access a large database of foods (but it is not clear how many) as well as many other services to help you succeed with weight loss. The free calorie database seems to be quite limited.

Diet Facts

Diet Facts provides calorie and nutrient information on brand name foods. I have found this site to be most helpful for doing research on restaurant food but it doesn’t seem to be updated as well or as frequently as some of the other sites.

Nutrition Analysis Tools and System

This site has a quick and easy to use energy calculator. If you want to estimate your daily calorie needs based on your age, gender, height, weight, and activity level with just a few easy steps this is the site. The results are not likely to be as accurate as what you might find with the health tools at the Global Health and Fitness site but it seems to be close. (Be honest with your estimates!)

[UPDATE March 2009: The Nutrition Analysis Tools are no longer available?]

Calories per Hour

Calories per Hour is a site you will want to visit when you need to calculate calories burned for just about any activity you could imagine. From changing bed linens to standing and talking with someone at church to bobsledding, they should have you covered. You’ll also find a Food Calories and Nutrition Calculator for a nicely organized list of foods in categories ranging from Groceries, Ethnic cuisines, Fast Foods & Restaurants to Brand name foods. An interesting feature is a category for 100-calorie snack foods. The one thing I think could be improved upon at this site is the nutrient breakdown. At the moment it seems to be limited to calories, protein, fat, carbs, fiber, and sodium.

Nutrition Data

The Nutrition Data site is one you will want to bookmark (or save to favorites) if you have a need to search for foods that are good sources of specific nutrients. This may be especially important if you have specific dietary needs. Say you would like to have a list of breakfast cereals with a high nutrient content for iron, folic acid, and fiber but are low in sugar and sodium. It’s that specific. But I will warn you that you will still have quite a list to plow through and look at more closely to find the best choices.

The nutrition information on this site comes from the USDA’s National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. It is supplemented with data from restaurants and food manufacturers. Although the size of the database is not clear, it must be huge.

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There are many more weight loss sites with nutrition calculators that provide calorie and nutrient data such as eDiets and Weight Watchers. But I have chosen to single out the sites that have free access to databases or those that have membership sites but the primary focus is on calculating calorie needs, calorie counts, and nutrient data. I hope you find this information to be helpful. If you do, would you please help me out by spreading the word? Bookmark this article at your favorite bookmarking site. Thank you!

Anne Collins has a wonderful site! A quick visit to her home page reveals the value she has to offer with a list of seven great features:

1. No Gimmicks
2. Recommended by Doctors
3. Very Easy Diet Plans
4. World Class Support
5. Tons of Motivation
6. Great Exercise Advice
7. Unbeatable Price! (This deserves repeating: An unbeatable price!)

Now all of this IS great value but what you will want to do when you visit her site is click on the link at the top of the page to read what women and men who have participated in her program have to say!

“…lost 60 pounds and made incredibly wonderful friends…”, “…fell in love with the amazing support of other members…”, or “…I weigh less than I ever have in my adult life…” and so many more! (Ready to take a look now?)

I can see why the members of Anne’s site are happy. I joined her program to evaluate if she offers advice I could comfortably recommend to others and I’m very pleased with what I found. I’d like to share with you the many things I liked along with a few I did not. Keep reading to see if this site might offer you the help you would like. I believe it will be the right fit for many people but not everyone.

First of all the site is well laid out and easy to navigate. Did I say EASY? This makes finding whatever you are looking for a snap. No getting lost and not knowing how to get back to the main pages.

Anne starts out her site (inside for members) with a welcome page and lists her most popular pages along with other key pages so you can jump to what will likely be most valuable right away. On the top of the list for the most popular pages is a link for “Which Diet is Best for You?”

You will find a wealth of healthy diet plans to choose from! She has a plans to fit the needs of most people:

-No-nonsense Balanced Weight Loss Diet
-Low Glycemic Diet
-Low Carb Diet
-14 Day Low Calorie Booster Diet
-Cholesterol Lowering Diet
-10-Minute Meals Diet (I really like this!)
-Diet for Life
-Vegetarian Quick Start Diet
-Vegetarian Diet for Life

For each diet, Anne provides a set of guidelines to quickly and easily help you determine which diet would be best. (And once you start if you would like to switch to another, she has additional guidelines to help you do that as well.)

Each diet plan is outlined in detail with respect to food choices and amounts with many variations. All the recipes are included (as far as I could tell). Anne also provides guidelines for making substitutions with occasional meals eaten away from home (fast food meals). What she includes with the diet plans, meal suggestions and recipes is worth far more than the price of membership. But there is so much more!

Anne also provides many pages of detailed information about exercise–what to choose and how much is enough. She also has a lively and upbeat forum! No wonder she has such enthusiastic and happy sounding members. You could choose to seek out advice from other members, find a diet-buddy, or simply browse the ongoing conversations of others and not participate till you are ready.

You can post questions for Anne on the forum or email her for a private response. I can tell you right now that I am not aware of any other weight loss program that will offer you this kind of value for the price of membership! Having support from other participants in the program and directly from the professional in charge will give you a strong advantage in achieving your weight loss goals (read my earlier post on successful online weight loss programs).

How much do you think all of this is worth? Thirty dollars or more a month? I believe it is easily worth this much. But Anne charges only $19.97 for an ENTIRE YEAR! That’s only $1.66 a month. Unbelievable. I honestly think she could charge so much more. (Go take a look!)

O.K. I’ve shared what I like and it is a lot, but there are a few things about her program that I do not like.

Most of the diet plans are low calorie (as opposed to a somewhat reduced calorie diet). (Anne does recommend adding in additional calories for different situations and this is something you will want to keep in mind.) In the short term, a low calorie diet is all right but not for long. Such low calorie diets could slow down your metabolism and make it more difficult to continue to lose weight or maintain your weight loss when you have met your goal.

Also, if you are committed to exercising, I believe the low calorie diets may be too low.

If you are specifically wanting to lose stubborn fat that refuses to come off such as belly fat, then I would strongly encourage you to consider Tom Venuto’s advice in the book Burn the Fat. It is not just for men or body builders! Read my review in an earlier post.

So, a there are a few things to keep in mind. But for most women, Anne Collins Weight Loss Program is a great place to start. For $19.97 you just can’t go wrong. Give it a try! What have you got to lose but some extra weight you likely don’t need! Maybe I’ll see you over at Anne’s site when I’m browsing the forums and elsewhere on the site for great recipes and other healthy diet ideas. GO NOW and Sign Up!!

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