Copyright 2006 Adam Waxler

Anyone who is focused on weight loss has seen the before and after photos from various weight loss programs along with testimonials from people who have lost weight and look great.

Do these weight loss programs really work? The answer is both "yes" and "no". It all depends on what kind of dieter you are and which weight loss program works best for you.

Of course, the question then becomes how to decide which weight loss program to choose?

First, you have to remember that "yo-yo" dieting puts stress on your body that can make losing weight more difficult and putting weight back on far too easy. The ultimate goal of any weight loss program is not just to lose weight, but to lose weight and keep it off. That is why it is important to choose a weight loss program and diet plan that will help you make changes to your eating habits that will last a lifetime.

Unfortunately, too many people who are trying to lose weight jump back and forth between a very restrictive diet and then returning to "normal" eating after they have experienced some weight loss.  All this will do is lead the dieter to put the weight back on. Instead, what you need to do is re-educate. Instead of choosing a strict weight loss plan that you'll abandon when the diet is done, commit to the recommendations for healthy eating from the USDA, and add half an hour of exercise to your daily routine five times a week. You'll establish healthy habits that will take off the pounds - and help you keep them off forever.

Secondly, decide just how much help you need. What motivates you? Are you a private person by nature, or do you do best with a lot of social support? Are you a strong-willed person who can decide to do something and 'just do it', or will you need help overcoming temptation?

If you thrive on social motivation, joining a weight loss program like Weight Watchers might be the best option for you. You'll have social support, motivational rewards, and weekly check-ins to help you stay on track and give you weight loss goals to aim for.

Next, do you do best with regimented, strict instructions that tell you exactly what you should do step by step, or are you happiest and more comfortable with a little flexibility?

If you do best when you have strict guidelines to follow and like routines, then look for a diet plan or weight loss program that gives you daily menus with precise measurements. While that may feel restrictive to many people, the trick is to choose a weight loss plan that works for you.

If restrictive diets and inflexible menus aren't for you, then try a diet that gives you the option of mixing and matching your meals within certain parameters. Whether you count carbs or calories, diets like the Atkins diet or Zone diet give you some flexibility within the prescribed 'allowed foods'.

Finally, what is your weight loss goal? How much weight do you want to lose? How long have you been trying to lose weight? Will quick results keep you motivated, or is slow-and-steady progress all you really need?

If you are looking for quick weight loss, try a quick-start with the Atkins diet to strip off the early weight - a lot of it water weight - so that you will see results immediately. When your results from such restrictive eating are slow, pick up the activity by adding a little more exercise and vary your diet a little. Most weight loss experts agree that your weight loss goal should aim for a steady 1-2 pounds per week, but if you need an extra boost, drop back to a more restrictive pattern to give your metabolism a little kick. However, be careful…if you stay with an extremely low calorie diet for too long you will actually slow your metabolism and it will become more difficult to lose weight.


------

Adam Waxler publishes a series of weight loss information products including his weight loss blog that posts weekly weight loss tips @ http://www.weight-loss-machine.com/blog and his new weight loss resource filled with with FREE weight loss articles @ http://www.1-800-Weight-Loss.com

weigthwatchers

These links are my listings of favorite sites about weigth watchers. Everyone who has visited my blog should visit the first site, it really has some good information about weigth watchers

Our portal is dedicated to weigth watchers and many other popular topics, including weigth watchers. We are always ready to serve you the best weigth watchers results and resources. As you are reading this, please be advised that weigth watchers isn't always found on the internet, but we are doing everything for you to get weigth watchers. We have been expiriencing problems with weigth watchers resources, but today weigth watchers is one of our most popular searches. Yesterday weigth watchers was searched many times on the internet, but only few people received quality weigth watchers links. We write articles on this topic: "weigth watchers", and we know we are always ahead of everybody who's dealing with weigth watchers. All weigth watchers articles are written by professional specialist who study the weigth watchers topic and know, what they are writing about. If you think, that a story of weigth watchers isn't written properly, or the weigth watchers writer is not right. We will be more than happy to help you reach quality weigth watchers people.

  • About: weigth watchers

    The best advice I can give you for writing successful fundraising letters is to act as if your donors are obese. Really obese.

    Imagine, for example, that they struggle with their weight every single day. Imagine that they hate the way they look. Imagine that they want nothing more than to lose weight and look fabulous.

    Now imagine that you have the weight-loss program that your donors need to shed those unsightly pounds and return to the weight and energy level they crave.

    But how are you going to persuade your donors that you have the weight-loss solution they need?

    With amazing before-and-after pictures.

    You know the kind I mean. You see them on the covers of the magazines at the supermarket checkout lane. There's a photo of Tom before his diet and another photo of Tom after his diet. "Before, 357 lbs. After, 168 lbs." "Tom lost 189 lbs in 12 months! So can you!"

    I once read through an issue of Weight Watchers magazine that was filled with these sample before-and-after photographs. Even though each example bore a disclaimer saying that the results for each person depicted were not typical, these photos were compelling and persuasive. I was obese. I wanted to lose. So they persuaded me. They proved that the Weight Watchers program worked.

    Your donors may not be obese. But they are nevertheless looking to invest their money in charitable causes that make a difference. Your role as a direct mail fundraiser is to prove that your organization is changing the world. The best way to do that is to show your donors before-and-after pictures, both literal and figurative.

    You could show the clearcut forest from the 1960s and then show it today, reforested, thanks to your organization.

    You could show a before photo of Ahmed malnourished in a Somali refugee camp, and an after photo of him graduating from Yale.

    Or you could simply describe your before and afters, showing through vivid word pictures what life was like before your organization intervened and what it is like today.
    People who are overweight are drawn to before-and-after photographs of people who lost a lot of weight because these photos show the problem and the solution together. They work because they prove the link between the solution and the problem. They demonstrate cause and effect.

    What you must do in your donation fundraising letters is show donors samples and examples of the before and afters. Obese people are looking for hope, and looking for proven weight-loss programs. Your donors are also looking for hope and proven solutions. They want to eradicate poverty. They want to stop drunk driving. They want to find a cure for breast cancer.

    So go ahead, act as if your donors are upset with the way things are and want to make a difference. Then show, with vivid before-and-after pictures, how your non-profit organization is changing the world thanks to the gifts that it receives from donors just like them.

    © 2006 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and in print provided the links remain live and the content remains unaltered (including the "About the Author" message).


    --
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor, coach, author and newsletter publisher who helps non-profit organizations to raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using cost-effective, compelling, creative fundraising letters. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.RaiserSharpe.com