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Losing Weight For The New Year

BOSTON (CBS) - The commercials for weight loss started right after Christmas this year.

Two-thirds of adults are overweight. Thirty-four percent are obese. And a study published in the AMA Journal found that only 25% of dieters stuck to their diets for over a year.

We are being tempted every day to over indulge. We human beings are wired to eat when food is plentiful and now it is always plentiful.

The Biggest Loser losses are unattainable for the average person. Let's review some diets that work.

Weight Watchers has been ranked the number 1 diet by US News & World Report for three years in a row. They provide local meetings and have a very active website, claiming they have close to 4,000 recipes for you. You can go to as many meetings in a week as you need (sort of like AA).

They promote learning to survive in the real world with real food and real temptations and the people who work for Weight Watchers must be Weight Watchers graduates, meaning they have lost weight on the program.

The weekly meeting fees are $14 or you can buy a monthly pass for $43. Or you can deal just with their website for $19 a month.

Jenny Craig has a program where they provide one-on-one counseling, usually 20 minutes a week.

Membership fees vary with free introductory offers to $399. Then you must purchase your foods through their Center, which is where they make their money.

Their prepackaged food costs on average $12 a day, which is about $350 for four weeks. Plus the cost of fresh fruit and veggies and milk.

NutriSystem  is also a prepared food program, which is being advertised a lot on TV. You need to purchase all of your meals from them. Cost is about $350 for 4 weeks of their food ($11 a day). Plus the fresh fruit, veggies, and anything else you purchase.

All these plans are for both women and men!

One more thing:  A weight watcher tip: use a journal to keep track of what you are eating. If you bite it, you write it! If you nibble, you scribble!

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