Weight loss clubs and support groups help you maintain focus and motivation.
Everyone is familiar with Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig in the weight loss club arena. While these are great clubs that have had amazing success, they are not the answer for everyone. For many different reasons, either Weight Watchers did not work, or there isn't a good location near you, for some, the cost is just simply out of their budget. So what are some other weight loss club options?
There are many different weight loss clubs around the country and on the Internet. It will depend on how you prefer to connect. Some clubs will have weekly or monthly meetings in your city while others will offer Internet chats, blogs, tips, and newsletters to help you stay connected to other members. Some of the bigger weight loss clubs offer retreats to members who wish to have a good time while still staying in their weight loss plans, and learning some new techniques or ideas from other members from other areas of the country.
Here we will list some of the more popular ones that should give you some additional options for weight loss clubs in your area.
TOPS - The name says it all - "Take Off Pounds Sensibly". This group is dedicated to a lifestyle changing plan that will focus on sensible weight loss expectations through diet and exercise. If you truly want to keep the weight off for the long term you must change your lifestyle. Many people get stuck on fad diets trying to lose 10 lbs fast only to gain 20 back. That's because true weight loss includes a plan to keep you on track and maintaining a healthy weight through out your life. Not just to get into the skinny jeans for an event.
TOPS offers their members retreats so that they can get away and meet new people, learn new ideas and gain valuable insights from others in the group. There are usually several TOPS chapters in an area so that you can choose the meeting site that best fits your schedule. Membership fees are minimal at $26 per year U.S. and $30 per year in Canada. Each chapter will have a small due fee (usually around $5 month) for operating costs of that chapter. TOPS recommends you meet with your doctor to set an appropriate goal weight before joining the program. Once your goal weight is reached, you can move from the TOPS (taking off pounds sensibly) program to the KOPS (keeps off pounds sensibly) program. The KOPS program is for members who have reached their goal weight and want to maintain it properly. All in all, this group seems to be very supportive and have meetings in most areas. See their website for more information and check the chapters button to find a chapter meeting site in your area.
For Internet weight loss clubs you can generally find one for any age, ethnic, or region. If you would prefer to do it on your own I personally had great success with MyFoodDiary.com.
Over a few years time I had gained an unsightly 50 lbs on my small frame. I felt tired and miserable all the time. A friend suggested I try My Food Diary. It was at first difficult to keep track of everything I ate during the day, but I soon started seeing results. The great thing about the site was that it not only tracked my food intake, but it taught me what to look for when I purchased food at the grocery or ate in restaurants. You set your goal weight and the program tracks your food intake, exercise time and gives you daily feedback on how you did with your calorie intake, fats, carbs, sodium, and gives you little smiley faces when you meet those goals. I realized that I was eating a lot of empty calories and taking in too much sodium. After about 6 months I had lost 40 lbs and have kept it off for two years. I don't need to track my daily intake anymore because I learned over time what worked for my body and how to eat healthy and get the exercise I needed when I indulge in that piece of chocolate cake I love so much! The program is a very reasonable $9 a month and has an amazing database of food items so you don't have to type in nutrition labels for everything. It also has nutrition guide information for many restaurants and fast food chains so that you can see exactly what you are eating when you hit the drive thru. Let's just say I don't eat fast food much at all anymore.
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