While you can lose weight with diet alone, combining it with exercise increases your chances of success. Eighty-nine percent of the members of the National Weight Control Registry--a group of more than 5,000 people who have successfully lost significant weight and kept it off for more than a year--report losing weight with a combination of diet and exercise reports the American Council on Exercise. The majority of the NWCR participants also used the help of some sort of diet program to help them succeed. Understanding the requirements and structure of a few of the hundreds that are out there can help you figure out if they work for your schedule and lifestyle.
Jillian Micheals
Jillian Michaels offers an online weight loss program that involves both an exercise and dietary component. Her program emphasizes the basic concept of burning more calories than you consume to lose weight. A key element in the Jillian Michaels plan is behavior adjustment. You are asked to take an initial online quiz, and the answers help to devise a program suited to your body shape, metabolic profile, fitness level, health, emotional inclinations and goals. The plan provides you with guidelines for your daily calorie intake and menu plans with recommended macronutrient ratios for your body. An exercise plan, suited to your specific needs as per the quiz, is also included--no gym required. An exercise planner and anatomical guide that tells you why you should work certain muscles are unique features of Jillian Michaels' program. Fitness experts and fellow dieters offer online support.
Body for Life
"Body for Life" is a top selling diet and fitness book written by Bill Phillips. The book boasts hundreds of body "transformations," where people lose fat and gain muscle without following a deprivation diet. The plan emphasizes the consumption of five to six mini-meals during the day with each containing a serving of protein and healthy carbohydrate. The book offers sample meal plans, but the companion book, "Eating for Life," provides more detailed information on nutrition. Exercise is a primary component of the Body for Life program and consists of performing three, 20-minute cardio sessions and three, 45-minute weight training sessions weekly. The book provides details on how to do the strength training exercises with proper form. While the program is healthy and sensible, you must be committed to the plan and be willing to schedule your life around your diet and workouts.
South Beach Supercharged
In 2003, Dr. Arthur Agatston released the "South Beach Diet," a diet book that quickly shot to the top of the best-seller lists. Although the program called for a healthy approach of emphasizing lean protein, healthy carbohydrates such as vegetables and whole grains and good unsaturated fats, it was criticized for not including specific exercise recommendations. In 2008, Dr. Agatston published "South Beach Supercharged," which answered some of his critics and provided a specific prescription for exercise. The "Supercharged" plan is mostly the same as the original diet, but includes a 10-week fitness plan to help dieters gradually raise their level of activity and become more fit. You are asked to perform 20 minutes of interval training--alternating bouts of brisk walking with even faster power walks--several times per week to "supercharge" your metabolism and stimulate weight loss. The book also recommends body toning exercises to be performed on non-consecutive days, and gives clear illustrations for proper execution. Some experts, as noted in a "USA Today" article in April 2008, maintain that the benefits of Agatston's exercise plan are overexaggerated, but the program does encourage dieters to make positive lifestyle changes.
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