It has been 9 weeks of Dieting and the Challenge has come to an end. The Participants lost a combined total of 169.7 lbs in 9 weeks!
Below find the rating scale that the participants used along with the scale used by nutritionists Thomas Roe and Whitney Barns.
The participants answered these questions about their respective diets:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet,
B- I will return to this diet when I need to lose weight
C- I may do this diet again
D- Probably not likely
F- I would never do this diet again
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
A- The diet was extremely easy to maintain
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
C- The diet was difficult at times, I had some trouble following it
D- I slipped up a lot on the diet
F---It was extremely difficult
3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
B- There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet
C- There were major items in this diet that were expensive
D- I wouldn't be able to afford this diet over an extended period
F---This diet was too expensive for me
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
B- I felt normal on the diet
C- I was sometimes tired, sluggish, hungry
D- I was often tired, sluggish, hungry
F--- I had no energy, I felt sick
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence
B- I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet successfully
C- I would recommend it to certain people, but it's not for everyone
D- I wouldn't recommend it to very many people
F---I would NEVER recommend this diet
The nutritionists graded their diet based on the scale below:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet,
B- I will return to this diet when I need to lose weight
C- I may do this diet again
D- Probably not likely
F- I would never do this diet again
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
A- The diet was extremely easy to maintain
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
C- The diet was difficult at times, I had some trouble following it
D- I slipped up a lot on the diet
F---It was extremely difficult
3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
B- There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet
C- There were major items in this diet that were expensive
D- I wouldn't be able to afford this diet over an extended period
F---This diet was too expensive for me
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
B- I felt normal on the diet
C- I was sometimes tired, sluggish, hungry
D- I was often tired, sluggish, hungry
F--- I had no energy, I felt sick
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence
B- I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet successfully
C- I would recommend it to certain people, but it's not for everyone
D- I wouldn't recommend it to very many people
F---I would NEVER recommend this diet
All of the Participants agree that they have learned about portion control, using a hunger scale to determine their hunger level and most of all being accountable. Both of the diets received very high grades. They both teach healthy eating habits which can clearly be the foundation for a healthier lifestyle in the future. Overall Diet Face Off 2 was a great success!
Stay tuned for our next Diet Face Off !
Seth
Total Weight Lost: 22 Pounds
Read Seth's final blog
Seth's grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet,
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence
Total Points = 19
Whitney's Grades:
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 10 percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods
3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices
Total Points = 15
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Renee
Total Weight Lost: 18 Pounds
Watch Renee's final video blog.
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet,
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
B- I felt normal on the diet
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence
Total Points = 18
Whitney's grades
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 8 percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods
3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices
Total Points = 15
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Megan
Total Weight Lost: 8.4 Pounds
Watch Megan's final video blog.
Megan's Grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet,
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
3. How cost effective was this diet?
B- There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet
Total Points = 18
Whitney's grades
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
C- 4 percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods
3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices
Total Points = 14
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Kai
Total Weight Lost: 12.1
Watch Kai's final video blog.
Kai's Grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet,
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
A- The diet was extremely easy to maintain
3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence
Total Points = 20
Whitney's grades
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 9 percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods
3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices
Total Points = 15
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Carolyn
Total Weight Lost:
Watch Carolyn's final video blog.
Carolyn's Grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet to lose the last 35 pounds I have to lose, and will most likely incorporate this diet into the rest of my life
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
A- The diet was extremely easy to maintain: I'd give it an A minus, because although it was fairly easy for me, there were foods we were asked to give up that may be hard for some people - although, the pay off is totally worth it! I was not hungry except when I was supposed to be.
3. How cost effective was this diet?
B- There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet.
Examples of this are whole wheat bread (although you can find cheap bread, too), some foods that have no partially hydrogenated oils, and some snacks that are more expensive than, say, chips.
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy- especially when I was consistent about eating snacks and exercising!
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100% confidence- and have already many times!
This diet would be especially helpful to someone who really wants to modify their eating habits to be more healthy. It's a gentle, gradual change to more healthful foods.
Total Points = 19
Whitney's grades
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 6 percen
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
B- Limited or excluded some foods
3. Ease of plan
C- Easy to follow when eating at home and preparing your own meals, but difficult to eat out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices
Total = 15
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Check back for the final blog to get the overall grades.
Susan
Total Weight Lost: 18.6
Read more about Susan's weight loss experience in her final blog.
Susan's Grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100 percent confidence
Total Points = 19
Thomas' grades:
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 7.8 Percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat
3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
A- Ecstatic! Loves it!
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A- Absolutely!
Total Points = 19
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Ruth
Total Weight Lost: 12.6
Watch Ruth's final video blog.
Ruth's Grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
B- I felt normal on the diet
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100 percent confidence
Total Points = 18
Thomas' grades:
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
C- 4.97 Percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat
3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
A- Ecstatic! Loves it!
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A- Absolutely!
Total Points = 20
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Peter
Total Weight Loss: 17.1
Read Peter's final blog.
Peter's Grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
C- The diet was difficult at times, I had some trouble following it
3. How cost effective was this diet?
B- There were a few instances that I spent more than usual on food for this diet
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
C- I was sometimes tired, sluggish, hungry
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
B- I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet successfully
Total Points = 14
Thomas' grades:
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 7.1 Percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat
3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
B- Probably, but may need to make some sacrifices
Total Points = 17
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Kim
Total Weight Lost: 7.4 Pounds
Read Kim's final blog.
Kim's Grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100 percent confidence
Total Points = 19
Thomas' grades:
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
C- 4.97 Percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat
3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
A- Ecstatic! Loves it!
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A- Absolutely!
Total Points = 17
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John
Total Weight Lost: 27.2
Read John's final blog.
John's Grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
A- The diet was extremely easy to maintain
3. How cost effective was this diet?
A- It wasn't expensive to maintain the diet
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
A- I felt amazing on this diet! I had tons of energy
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
A- I would recommend this diet to all my friends with 100 percent confidence
Total Points = 20
Thomas' Grades:
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
A- 9.2 Percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat
3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
A- Ecstatic! Loves it!
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A- Absolutely!
Total Points = 20
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Brad
Total Weight Lost: 13 Pounds
Watch Brad's final video blog.
Brad's Grades:
1. What is the likelihood that you would continue this diet.
A- I will definitely stay on the diet.
2. How would you rate the difficulty of the diet? Were you hungry often? Was the food terrible?
B- The diet was fairly easy to maintain, I slipped up now and again
3. How cost effective was this diet?
C- There were major items in this diet that were expensive
4. How would you rate your overall health? Energy level, quality of life?
B- I felt normal on the diet
5. How likely are you to recommend this diet to a friend?
B- I would recommend this diet to friends, in general, most people could do the diet successfully
Total Points = 15
Thomas' Grades
1. Percentage of weight lost by contestant
B- 5.6 Percent
2. Overall "healthiness" of plan
A- Included foods from every food group and encouraged fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean proteins and heart healthy fat
3. Ease of plan
B- Usually pretty easy, but may have to be choosier when eating out
4. Happiness of contestant on the plan
B- Pretty happy and optimistic
5. Likelihood that this plan can become a lifestyle
A- Absolutely!
Total Points = 17
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Read the final blog to see the overall results.
Team Weight Watchers
Starting Weight: 278lbs
Last Weight: 268lbs
Current Weight: 265lbs
Loss/Gain: -3
Height: 6'4"
Starting Weight: 278lbs - Ending Weight: 265lbs
Starting Bodyfat: 36% - Ending Bodyfat: 31%
Wow, what a ride! The last 10 weeks have flown by. I have a bittersweet feeling about the end. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to participate, but I'm also a little glad it's over and I don't need to be in the spotlight for a while.
As for the program, Weight Watchers is great. It's not so much a diet as a lifestyle adjustment. At it's core, he program teaches making quality food choices and portion control. You also get the support of other members at your local meetings. You weigh in once a week, but in most areas, you can attend as many meetings as you like. Currently, the best value is getting a monthly pass for $39. (as of 10/1/09)
If you're not a meetings person, you can also do the program online. The upside to the online service is that the same money will get you 3 months of access. Also, if you're a guy, the weight watchers site tailors itself to you so you don't have to weed through articles on things you're not interested in. Even the success stories are all men. You can also access the site on your mobile via their mobile site or the WeightWatchers iPhone app.
I want to thank everyone involved with the Diet Face Off. Suzy, Krisserin, Thomas, and the crew at LiveStrong.com, the other participants - great work guys!, and the DFO followers. If they do this again, I highly recommend submitting yourself for it. It was a blast!
Starting Weight: 205.2
Starting Body Fat %: 35.1
Ending Weight: 196.8
Ending Body Fat %: 34.3
Total Losses: 8.4 lbs, .8% body fat
I am so grateful to Livestrong for giving me this opportunity. Due to my schedule at work, it was hard for me to fully jump into the DFO at first. My late nights at work, and 2 jobs, made it difficult to follow an eating schedule, and to get any exercise in. Sure I was running some, and I ran a 10k race, but it wasn't enough. At first I thought it was going to end before I really had a chance to take fully advantage, but when the DFO was extended, I said "OK, this is my time!" I actually checked my body fat at the end of 6 weeks, before I joined the gym, and it hadn't changed from the start. Basically that almost 1% loss has only been in the last 3-4 weeks.
I've learned a lot about myself over the course of starting the Best Life Diet. In learning about the Hunger Scale, I've found out that I eat a lot out of boredom, and when I'm alone. That's also when I tend to eat the worst. I've also learned a lot about my personal habits, and "laziness" that stops me from doing a lot of things. At the beginning of this more than at the end, I would find myself coming home from work planning to exercise, and make some sort of excuse. I still do this occasionally, but have managed to get at least 5 hours of exercise in per week for almost 4 weeks now, so I'm getting better. I've also learned that things I like to eat that are bad for me, don't really make me feel good either. Too much sugar gives me a headache, and if I eat ice cream after dinner my stomach gets upset, like it's too full. I don't know why I never noticed these things before.
I still have about 20 lbs to lose, which is a long way to go for me. I need to continue to stop making excuses, and continue to push myself out of my comfort zone. I will still try to follow the Best Life Diet as well as I can. I really like that it's reasonable, and follows the basic principals of eating well and exercising regularly. Any restrictions and I usually fail, but with this, I feel like I can allow myself a bad day here and there, and it's OK in the end. Now I'm just continuing to learn how to make the bad days fewer and farther between, and really getting the most out of this "diet". I know that on the days and weeks where I really followed the plan, it worked, but I need to continue to be more consistent, and stop sabotaging my progress by holding onto old habits.
If anyone wants to continue following my journey, I use my food diary to post comments almost daily, and I'm going to continue my blog posts once a week on my profile. Thank you all so much for your support! If it weren't for this DFO, I probably would not have found the same motivation that I've had for the past 10 weeks. This really was the kick in the butt I needed!
Team Weight Watchers
Starting Weight: 278lbs
Last Weight: 270lbs
Current Weight: 268lbs
Loss/Gain: -2
Height: 6'4"
Starting Weight: 278lbs - Ending Weight: 268lbs
Starting Bodyfat: 36% - Ending Bodyfat: 31%
Well, we've made it too the end of the Diet Face off. It's good and bad for me. I enjoyed doing it for ther most part, although I'm a little disappointed with my results. During the last couple of weeks my workload among other things got in the way of my workouts and necessitated less than optimal food choices. I had grand visions of 3-5lbs a week losses, but it was simply not to be. Although, I have managed to lose just over a pound a week while on the DFO. I'll take that and be happy with it. A loss, no matter how small, is a step in the right direction. My other measurements tell a more complete story. Since we started this I have dropped 5% body fat and 4 inches from my waist. My arms and legs have also gotten bigger with the working out, so theres a plus as well.
As for the Diet Face Off itself, and Livestrong.com, I have enjoyed the challenge of logging to my plate, blogging and video diaries each week. On the other hand, I'm actually a little glad it's over. I feel like, between my contests at work and livestrong, I have been doing all my struggling under a spotlight and I'll actually be glad to get into the dark for a little while. I'll still be loggin food. I may even blog here and there, and I know my friends want me to stop twittering all my food. :-)
Overall, I think Weight Watchers is a fantastic program. It's easy to follow, easy to stick to, and unlike some fad diets, gives you the tools to make life changes versus quick fixes. The meetings are as good as the meeting leader, and I was fortunate enough to have a great one in Melissa. She brings a warmth and humor to the meetings that is very refreshing, especially at 8am on Saturday morning. If you're not meeting inclined, you can also follow the weight watchers program online at weightwatchers.com. Either way, it's a great program and well worth checking out if you need to lose a few (or more) pounds.
