The Programs that Didn't Work

Last week's poll question had to do with the many diet programs that are out there. I asked, "What diet program(s) have you tried?" I received a lot of responses. Twenty-three people voted on the poll and they were allowed to select more than one answer. I ended up with more than 40 answers. Here's how it turned out:

Jenny Craig - 8%
Weight Watchers - 69%
Nutrisystem - 13%
Other (such as Atkins, etc.) - 34%
My Own Program - 52%

The reason I chose each of the answers is because I have had some sort of an experience with each. I thought I'd blog about why I chose to use or to stop using each of the programs and how they worked for me.

Most recently I tried Nutrisystem. For anyone that doesn't know, it's exactly like Jenny Craig in that they send you food monthly for a fee and you have access to coaches and online resources in order to stay motivated. However, you also need to supplement the food sent to you so it ends up being quite a bit more costly than it originally looked. I was on the program for a few months and dropped it fairly quickly. It became just too darn expensive, and it offered basically little to no leeway for eating out. I had to make sure a stove, oven or microwave was accessible to me at all times and that became impossible. More so, my doctor told me to stop using it because it was having seriously negative effects on my body (internally).

Before trying Nutrisystem I tried Weight Watchers. I think the process Weight Watchers encourages is fantastic and works. The points system, keeping track, etc. is exactly what works for me, but I absolutely hated the meetings. I really felt uncomfortable with them, and I felt like I wasn't gaining anything at all for what I was paying for. Once I had the "equipment" to keep track, I had no idea what the weekly fees were going toward. That sense of confusion eventually got to me and I stopped going to meetings. However, even though I then had the tools, I lost all motivation since I wasn't going to the motivating meetings, and I fell off the program. So -- maybe it does work after all, I just wasn't willing to give it the right kind of try.

I haven't actually used Jenny Craig, but I have signed up with them and started the process, only to stop when I realized it was exactly like Nutrisystem and wouldn't be my cup of tea. I've also tried various things over the years including eating as little as possible, cleansing diets, talking with an herbal nutritionist and my own versions of Atkins and South Beach. None of those worked for me because they weren't catered to me. After all, in this equation, the absolute most important factor is myself.

So, when the idea of catering a diet to me was brought to my attention, I knew it was definitely a step in the right direction. I'm not doing anything outrageous, ingenious or new, but I'm doing what works best for me and my lifestyle. When my coworkers go out to eat, I go with them and then make my decisions on food. When Mike and I want to have a dinner out instead of cooking at home, that's in the cards too! I feel like I'm still able to be me and live my life while taking part in this journey, and I think that's key. If I could offer advice to anyone, I'd simply say that you need to find something that works best for you. If you don't like public meetings then find something similar online. If you never eat out, but hate cooking, try something like Nutrisystem or Jenny Craig. There's something for everyone, you just have to find it.

A Dummy Who Needs to Lose Weight

I truly believe that in order to go from fat to trim a person needs to reach their breaking point. Much like an addict, there is a rock bottom that must be hit before realizing that drastic changes need to be made in order to not only change the way you look, but to change your lifestyle.

I hit that rock bottom awhile ago when I couldn't bare to look in the mirror unclothed and when I refrained from doing a lot of things that I enjoy. My problem wasn't that I didn't WANT to change, but that I didn't know the best way and I didn't see any proof that any of the methods worked. I've been on Nutrisystem, WeightWatchers, cleansing plans, diet drinks, etc. and nothing showed real results and all of them cost way too much money. So now, I'm trying something new.

I have a poker blog called Poker for a Dummy and that's where I realized that the word dummy can stand for a lot of things. For that blog, it simply means a human-like figure that sits in the place of someone real. Since I'm not a poker pro by any means, I'm a dummy, that pretends to be one of the greats. For Losing Weight for a Dummy I think the term is much more literal. I am a dummy when it comes to dropping the fat because after countless attempts, I simply haven't done it yet!

So this is my new blog, something that I'm sure caters to more individuals than poker because approximately 300,000 adult deaths in America each year are attributable to unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity. This is all due to the fact that nearly two-thirds of all American adults are overweight and have a body mass index of more than 25. One-third of adults have a BMI over 30 (Centers for Disease Control). A healthy BMI, depending on age and height and some other factors is between 17 and 24. BMIs over 30 are considered not just overweight, but obese.

I am obese. That may be the HARDEST short sentence I have ever written, but I am obese. When I started this new regime (which I'll get into more later), I weighed 228 lbs which is a ton for my 5'6" frame. After three days (Friday-Sunday) I now way 221 lbs and my BMI has dropped from 36.8 to 35.7. I have a very very very long way to go, but those changes in only three days are proof to me that not only can I do it, but it's as easy as eating better (not necessarily eating "right" according to books and experts) and adding movement (not necessarily hours and hours of exercise at the gym) into your life make all the difference.

I am a dummy and I need to lose weight. Up until last week I had no idea how and I thought that losing weight was something only people with a lot of money who could afford trainers and programs, etc. could do. I owe a lot to my friend who was in town visiting me this weekend and who recently lost more than 50 lbs herself. She taught me that watching calories and the types of food I eat, and adding walking, or even high steps when going up the stairs can make that little bit of difference that helps me lose a pound or two a week.

I'm going to keep track of my weight-loss journey and share what I'm learning, both what works and what doesn't. Anyone who has something to share, please post comments as well. I hope this journey works for me and that if I'm successful I can inspire someone else because my friend certainly inspired me.