Month: January 2016

Most people that have tried to lose weight have heard of both the Jenny Craig diet as well as Weight Watchers. Studies have shown pretty conclusively, I believe, that these diets seem to help people lose over the long term although the weight loss never seems to be very substantial according to the studies. And of course every day this time of year we are seeing Oprah talk up her Weight Watchers.

So why do these diets seem to work pretty well?

I have thought about this and as usual I have a list of things that I think make Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig work where most fad diets just don’t seem to.

Why Do Paid Diet Plans Work?

1. Commitment by spending money – It is hard to give up on a diet that you have to pay money to every week.

When you know that on Tuesday they are going to charge your credit card or some other form of payment you are going to think twice before eating that piece of chocolate cake. There is always a help when you are doing anything where you feel more committed because you are paying.

2. Success all around – In a Weight Watchers meeting or at a Jenny Craig office you get to see people like you and people that used to be like you that have lost weight.

It does not seem like so much of a fantasy when you see a few people that you can actually see and talk to that have lost 50 pounds and feel great about it. I know that Weight Watchers in particular are very good at celevrating success within the group and if you get to a certain level you get a lifetime membership for your effort.

3. Something to believe in – There is a long track record in both Watchers as well as at Jenny Craig.

Both of these diets have seen a lot of other diets come and go so most people look at them both as pillars in the weight loss community. I know that over the last 30 years everyone has become confused at some point with so many different diets that seem to contradict each other and both will show promise as a great way to eat. Vegetarian, Paleo, Atkins, Vegan, intermittent fasting all work but sometimes it is hard to trust somethi8ng that you know nothing about

4. Writing things down makes you accountable – This is the big one to me. Both Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig both make you right down in some form what you have eaten today and what kind of exercise or other activity that you participated in.

I love the idea of personal reflection as well as personal commitment through the written word. When you are writing down exactly what you ate and what exercise you did it holds you accountable to yourself tomorrow to follow through and do the same thing again.

I don’t think for a moment that either Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers are the best thing out there for everyone but they do seem to work for most people. The real diet that will work for you is a process that you believe in without a doubt so that you will not question it and a way to hold yourself accountable.

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David Zinczenko’s Eat This Not That! for Kids is part of the best-selling author’s popular series of Eat This Not That! books. It addresses the need to educate children and parents on restaurant and prepackaged foods in order to help them make healthier choices.

With the rising childhood obesity rates across the United States, there is a great need for a nutritional guide geared towards children. Both parents and kids can use this book to help them decide what foods to eat and what to avoid.

Eat This Not That! for Kids Book Description

Numbers don’t lie. Childhood obesity rates are alarmingly high, with one out of every three kids being obese or overweight. Eat This Not That! for Kids is a book for parents who want to give their children the best nutrition possible. This book contains nutritional information on food choices for kids at popular restaurants and supermarket aisles.

The book is not a diet plan; rather, it seeks to educate parents and children with the goal of helping them make healthier food choices.

Basic Rules for Healthy Eating

The book begins with eight common-sense rules for the family to follow, such as never skipping breakfast, eating in moderation, and reducing sugar intake. Children are also urged to eat a variety of colorful foods (fruits and vegetables) for their vitamin and mineral content, and also to avoid highly processed foods.

The availability of snack foods is one reason why many children today are obese or overweight. David Zinczenko tells parents and kids to snack “with a purpose.” Kids must be mindful of what they eat. It’s a bad idea to sit in front of the television and stuff your face.

Diet and Nutrition

Eat This Not That! for Kids contains nutritional information on different food products and menu items so that you will be able to make healthy choices for your kids at restaurants and the supermarket. When reading this book, you have to keep in mind that it is not a diet plan that tells you how many grams of carbohydrates, proteins and fats your child should eat every day.

It simply provides information on the nutritional value of certain foods and whether or not your child should eat them.

Eating at Restaurants

Several chapters deal with choosing the right foods when eating out. The author compares favorite menu items at popular fast food restaurants and tells you which ones are the better choice, nutrition-wise. The book also discusses “menu decoding.”

Since there are numerous restaurants and they can’t all be covered by the book, you’ll learn how to read a typical menu and figure out what choices are best. You can do this at any restaurant, including Chinese restaurants, Italian restaurants, and even school cafeterias.

Cooking at Home

A chapter on home-cooking provides useful tips for healthier home-cooked meals. Menu suggestions and recipes are also included.

Exercise on Eat This Not That! for Kids

The author of Eat This Not That! for Kids is aware that kids need physical activities too. The book has a chapter on exercise that includes physical activities that are fun for the whole family. Exercise is important because it helps burn extra calories and keeps parents and kids fit.

Pros of Eat This Not That! for Kids

• Provides plenty of nutritional information to help parents make better choices about what foods to eat
• Entertaining and easy to read, even for children
• Teaches children how to make better food choices
• Includes a quick summary of nutritional causes of childhood obesity
• Teaches children the importance of eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables
• Teaches parents how to read restaurant menus and nutrition facts labels
• Promotes physical fitness for children

Cons of Eat This Not That! for Kids

• Does not provide an eating or diet plan for kids
• Limited suggestions on how to encourage your kids to like eating healthier foods
• Appears to advocate eating processed/packaged foods
• More suited for families that eat most of their meals at a restaurant

What Readers Say About The Book

Eat This Not That! for Kids is an entertaining read that provides a lot of nutritional information that parents and children find useful. Many readers confessed they were shocked to discover that a lot of food choices they thought were healthy turned out to be unhealthy after all. One good thing about this book is that it makes kids aware of the need to make healthy food choices.

Some people, however, are not too impressed by the nutritional advice in this book. The author’s intent is to help you choose between two similar products and decide which one is the healthier choice, relatively speaking. It doesn’t mean that the “good” choice is best for you.

A few people also commented that the “eat this” choices should consist of whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, beans, and lean meats, not processed or packaged foods.

One reviewer noted that the book is more suited for families that eat out a lot. The same reviewer praised the “menu decoder” that helps people determine the health and nutritional value of items on a restaurant menu. Many people also liked the lessons on reading and understanding nutrition facts labels.

If you are looking for a diet plan, this is not the book for you. But if you want reliable nutritional information that will help you make better food choices for your family at restaurants or the supermarket, Eat This Not That! for Kids will fit the bill. You can purchase this book online from Amazon.

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Tonight I was watching the Biggest Loser and one of the product placement devices was the Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band.

I have always been a fan of the FitBit for a tracking fitness band but seeing this and doing a bit of reaserch made me think that the Garmin would be something more interesting to look at.

The FitBit is definitely a market leader and ever since it hit the market everyone has compared all of the fitness bands to the FitBit.

The fact is that the fitbit has lots of people setting their data on computers, competing with friends and strangers, and sharing results on Facebook. FitBit Flex is a fantastic tool to track basic exercise.

One of the real problems though with the FitBit Flex is that it does not have an onband display of what you have done, or time, or anything else.

Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band

When I looked at the stats and info on the Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band I could see that this is a real competitor. With $129 for a basic band and $169 for the band with a heart rate monitor, it looks like Garmin really is a serious competitor to the FitBit.

So what are the features of the Garmin Vivofit Fitness Band?

The Garmin allows you to sent a personalized daily goal, tracks your progress and reminds you when it’s time to move.

• The Garmin Fitness band shows your steps
• Goal countdown
• Calories
• Distance
• and time of day on its easy-to-read display

The Garmin Fitness Band also monitors your sleep stats for later review online. Pair it with a heart rate monitor1 for heart rate data during fitness activities. vívofit is water resistant and has a 1+ year battery life.

This band also features wireless sync to Garmin Connect, a free online community where you can join fitness challenges and save, plan and share your progress just like the FitBit does.

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