Food-Included Weight Loss Programs: Should You Try One?

Food-Included Weight Loss Programs: Should You Try One?
My husband decided to shed a few pounds, so to make it
easier for him I volunteered to shed a few pounds also.
(Misery loves company.)

How did we decide to do it?

We bought a month's supply of Nutrisystem meals.

The advertising is terrific. The demonstrations on the home
shopping shows are compelling. By golly, it looks like real
food, good food, and plenty of it. It's a system made in
heaven. Or is it?

Yuk.

And I do mean yuk. If you've tried it and had success with
it, good for you. But I hope you didn't stay on it too
long. It just can't be a healthy way to eat for a long
period of time.

Dried egg powder in a packet. Hotdogs in a packet. Dried
soup in a packet. Cereal in a packet. Ham in a packet.
Everything is either dried or vacuum-sealed. The packaging
is designed to keep the contents edible almost forever.
That may be ideal for a supply of survival food you keep in
the garage in the event of a catastrophe, but food to be
eaten every day? I don't think so. Even if you add your own
fruit and vegetables, it's not acceptable.

The pictures on the containers of the prefab meals look so
tempting. As example, the picture on the lasagna carton
doesn't even remotely resemble what's in the carton. Truth
be told, the meal is not very appetizing to look at.

To be fair, several of the pasta meals were tasty. Some of
the snacks were tasty. Most of the dinners were just so-so.
I had to toss a couple of roast beef dinners because the
food trays were not sealed properly and the contents had
been leaking. Not smart to eat that.

When you think about it – if you are successful with
the program, what happens after you lose the desired
weight? Unless you rethink and retool your diet, in no time
you will be back to square one.

It's easy to understand why these diet systems are popular.
Many people accustomed and even addicted to our
prefabricated, processed fast food way of life find it
difficult and even impossible to lose weight. In some
cases, the love affair with processed food is so
overpowering that trying to lose weight is a lost cause.

Another problem is that many people are pressed for time
and it's easier to stop at the burger place to eat than it
is to go home and cook. The solution is to prepare food
ahead so you have something in the fridge or freezer ready
to go when you get home from work. Crock-pot meals are also
helpful.

Weight loss is not difficult or time consuming if you have
the will and determination to get back to basics. One of
the best weight loss programs I've ever tried may no longer
be around. I think it was called the Diet Center Diet. Our
whole family went on the program many years ago because our
daughter wanted to lose weight.

At first it was hard -- I missed the carbs -- but in no
time we all became accustomed to it. There were no
prepackaged meals. You cooked your own chicken, fish, and
fresh vegetables, using a variety of provided recipes that
were quite good. We stayed on it for a year without
difficulty, modifying it as we went along, but still
keeping it basic. I lost a lot of weight – perhaps
even too much. I was down to 95 pounds, but feeling great.
It was truly the perfect example of what I call a back to
basics diet. It was the way people ate before the processed
and fast food revolution invaded our lives.

Bottom line: You don't need Jenny, you don't need
Nutrisystem, or any other expensive program that provides
prepackaged meals. You just need to decide that you can and
will do what you need to do to be in charge of your health
and your weight.

About the Nutrisystem food we didn't eat, which was most of
it: I agonized about whether to give it to the homeless
shelter or just throw it away. I decided that when you are
hungry, something is better than nothing. The shelter was
happy to accept it.

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Barbara Morris is a pharmacist and author of Put Old on
Hold. Visit her web site, http://www.PutOldonHold.com and
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