Healthy For Life is an Internet-based weight loss program that you can sign up for with a few keystrokes and a credit card. It's billed as a program that will help you improve your eating and lifestyle habits for life so that you lose weight and keep it off. Always check with a health care provider before starting a new weight loss program.
History
The Healthy For Life plan was developed by Dr. Ray Strand, a specialist in preventative and nutritional medicine from Rapid City, South Dakota. In addition to his web-based weight loss offerings, Strand has written several books including, "What Your Doctor Doesn't Know about Nutritional Medicine." He also purports to have nutritional recommendations for more than 100 diseases on his website.
Elements
The Healthy For Life program is a behavioral modification program aimed at helping you lose weight while becoming healthier, according to raystrand.com. In a nutshell, the plan teaches you to exercise and to make food choices that will not spike your blood sugar and insulin levels. You receive emails with personalized instructions for your eating plan and exercising. You also get motivational messages and information on why what you are doing will improve your life each week, according to the program website, releasingfat.com. The program has some elective elements, namely paying for blood work throughout the course and paying for a personal coach. In lieu of a coach you can choose a "self-directed" program.
Considerations
The meal plan that you end up with depends your age, height, current weight, goals and other factors, according to dietician.com. You are required to log what you eat into a food and exercise journal for 12 weeks prior to receiving your meal and exercise plans, notes the Diet Spotlight website. You also have to get your body measurements and blood sugar taken before starting.
Features
You do not count calories on this plan or weigh your foods as you follow the program's meal plans. Instead, Healthy for Life relies on foods that are low on the glycemic index, meaning they won't spike your blood sugar. There are more than 800 in the program's essential foods list, according to dietician.com. You also are allowed to snack when you are hungry instead of waiting a preset amount of time for another meal --- as long as you consume a low-glycemic snack or meal, according to releasingfat.com.
Expert Insight
This program is easy to use but expensive when compared to similar weight-loss programs, according to Diet Spotlight, especially if you opt to pay extra for a coach and blood work. The basic enrollment is about $50, plus the cost of blood work. The coach program is about $250 plus blood work. On the plus side, if you use this program you may well learn to make healthy lifestyle changes and improve your eating habits. The emphasis on exercise is another positive for this program, notes Diet Spotlight. Exercise is one key to a successful weight loss program because dieting alone will not help you shed pounds and keep them off, according to the Mayo Clinic. Making healthy food and exercise a part of your lifestyle likewise helps you enjoy long-term success, say the experts at the clinic.
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