Title : The Ins as well as also also Outs of Internet Dieting as well as also also How to Find Your Online Dieting Groove
The Ins as well as also also Outs of Internet Dieting as well as also also How to Find Your Online Dieting Groove
The Ins as well as also also Outs of Internet Dieting as well as also also How to Find Your Online Dieting Groove
Does online dieting work?
There have been several studies by the University of Vermont as well as also also Brown University which show some interesting progress with online dieting. The most recent (http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/abstract/15/1/155) compared an “online, therapist-led structured behavioral weight-loss Web site” with eDiets.com. In This specific case the therapist-led group lost significantly more weight as well as also also kept the idea off. In another study, researchers at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (http://www.obesityresearch.org/cgi/content/full/12/6/1011##F2) compared eDiets.com using a simple “weight-loss manual.” Here again researchers reported which “participants who received the weight-loss manual lost significantly more weight at weeks 16 as well as also also 52 than those assigned to eDiets.com.” Another recent study published inside Archives of Internal Medicine (http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/167/9/944) suggests which the Internet is usually no better than print marketing campaigns to motivate exercise (which could be considered a not bad thing, nevertheless the Internet is usually not necessarily a less expensive alternative).
According to Dawn Jackson Blatner, R.D., a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association, the bottom line is usually which “research shows which #weight loss as well as also also maintenance are increased when participants have personalized feedback via the program, log in regularly, complete food as well as also also activity diaries as well as also also use peer/social support tools.”
What are the different types of online diets?
There are many types of programs online, including:
- E-mail counseling with nutritionists as well as also also/or dietitians (e.g., PersonalDiets.com)
- Web tools, including food as well as also also activity diaries (FitDay.com, MyFoodDiary.com)
- Web tools, meal planners, social support (eDiets.com, WeightWatchers.com, Southbeachdiet.com)
What are the advantages?
- Privacy as well as also also Anonymity: “Many dieters are very self-conscious about their bodies as well as also also are sensitive to being judged. The Internet is usually a great way for someone who struggles with those issues, or someone who’s isolated, to get some support without the scarier commitment of seeing a coach or group face-to-face. If you know you need someone to definitely collar you to get you to a group or exercise class, as well as also also if you just can’t get yourself motivated, the Internet may not be your best option,” says Annie B. Kay M.S., R.D., author of Every Bite is usually Divine (Life Arts Press, 2007).
- 24/7 Access: You can get to your #online diet via anywhere at any time.
- Time Saver: “the idea reduces the barrier of traveling to a clinic. the idea also allows people to have access to a regular source of check-in, even when they are traveling. So if someone is usually in Chicago on Thursday as well as also also next Tuesday in brand-new York, they still develop the same check-in time. In theory, people can do the idea on their own schedule,” says Gary D. Foster, Ph.D., director of the Center for Obesity Research as well as also also Education at Temple University.
- Support: Internet diets also offer wonderful opportunities for individuals who are going through similar experiences to support each additional. Research supports the concept of peer-to-peer support for many #health matters, including weight control. This specific also includes the concept of success stories. “Hearing as well as also also seeing someone who has ‘done the impossible — lost weight as well as also also kept the idea off’ is usually highly motivating for many individuals. Internet weight-loss ‘buddies’ are also very helpful for many people for which reason. One of the reasons which a commercial diet program like Weight Watchers is usually so successful is usually the weekly group meeting,” says Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN, author of Cholesterol Down (Crown, 2006).
- Cost: “They’re usually much cheaper than face-to-face consultations using a nutritionist or personal trainer, as well as also also there is usually a ton of high-quality information available for those who know how to find the idea,” says Kay. The typical charge is usually about $5 per week using a three-month commitment. Personal dietitian counseling is usually about $7–$10 per week.
What are the negatives?
- No accountability: “Many of the sites are fancy tools which offer no accountability. Individuals are often more successful at weight loss when they are monitored by another party (such as weekly weigh-ins at Weight Watchers). Internet diet programs often lack the interpersonal communication of one-on-one contact as well as also also support,” says Brill.
- Time Consuming: Keeping track as well as also also entering your food as well as also also activities, updating your meal plan, shopping using the shopping lists online — the idea’s more work then having a nutritionist assist you.
- Computer Skills Required: You need to definitely know how to use the Internet as well as also also computers to make most of these programs work.
- Interference: “There’s more product marketing on the sites than inside usual personal session. Ads as well as also also inducements to buy products which may or may not help the dieter are everywhere, as well as also also beg the question of what type of relationship is usually being established,” says Kay.
- Lack of Feeling: According to Kay, “The biggest drawback is usually which there’s no real substitute for quality personal contact. As a dietitian, when I see someone face to face, I see my client’s emotions more clearly, as well as also also the nuances of a face-to-face conversation just can’t be replicated over the Internet.
- No Activity: “Sitting at the computer is usually a completely sedentary activity which contributes to the couch-potato lifestyle which must be reversed to promote a lifetime of weight control,” says Brill.
- Maintenance is usually Difficult: Prescriptive meal plans are difficult to stick to, even if you personalize them, as well as also also what happens when you go off the meal plan? Are you supposed to follow the idea forever?
- Getting Involved: If you want to avoid dieting online — you simply don’t log on. the idea’s easier than skipping an appointment using a nutritionist or personal trainer. Blatner suggests producing the online diet program your home page. However, the idea’s easy to avoid your online diet. “I think you need to have online support groups, live chats as well as also also additional events which get you excited about checking in. The e-mail communications must be individualized as well as also also consistent. as well as also also, the more which checking your e-mail is usually like checking in with your friends, the more fun as well as also also successful the idea will be for everyone,” says Kay.
- Pricing: Many of the dieting sites don’t tell you the cost of the program until you’ve filled out the uninformative “diet profile.” This specific is usually an annoying as well as also also time-consuming practice.
What are the characteristics of a not bad Internet dieting program?
According to Blatner all online programs should include:
- Diet recommendations, recipes as well as also also menus
- Exercise recommendations, suggested exercises
- Log/tracking system
- Social component, chat rooms, bulletin boards
- Individualized feedback, counseling as well as also also accountability
Additionally, Foster recommends which some sort of weekly check-in is usually critical. “With the check-in, there should be feedback (a system of accountability) — tailored sites work better than non-tailored sites. Meaning, if you don’t check in, you will be prompted with an e-mail. which is usually, the program should ask you what day as well as also also time is usually not bad for check-in (i.e., Mondays at 6 p.m.). If you don’t check in within 24 hours of your scheduled time you might get an e-mail reminder.”
Blatner also warns against “scam” sites. They usually:
- Promise a quick fix
- Make claims which sound too not bad to be true
- Give recommendations based on 1 research study (or none at all)
- List not bad as well as also also bad foods
- Make dramatic statements which are refuted by reputable scientific organizations
- Push products such as supplements/have weight-loss supplement advertisements on the site
How much does the idea cost?
- WeightWatchers.com: $65 for your first three months, $16.95 a month thereafter
- eDiets.com: $17.96 per month, three-month minimum ($25 cancellation fee)
- South Beach Diet Online: $65 per three months
- FitDay.com as well as also also SparkPeople.com, DietDetective.com (with code “newspaper”): Free
- PersonalDiets.com: $0 for three months
Questions you need to ask yourself before you join.
- Are you at your computer often? Will you remember to log on to the diet site?
- Are you self-motivated?
- What diets have worked for you inside past?
- Do you get a not bad feel via the site? is usually the idea easy to navigate?
- You like the tools, nevertheless will you definitely use them?
- is usually the information on the site engaging?
- Will This specific site work with your lifestyle?
- Does the program include accountability?
- Can you afford the idea?
- is usually there a free option which does the same thing?
- Do you need face-to-face interaction, or will virtual interactions be enough?
What are the right questions to ask about any online weight-loss program?
- What kind of specific support do you offer your members?
- Are there message boards? Are they monitored by a professional, a member of the group, or are they completely unmonitored?
- How many active members do you have?
- Do you sell supplements?
- is usually the pricing policy clearly stated on the Web site?
- is usually there a base fee?
- Are there any additional charges aside via the base fee?
- Do you require food purchases, or are they simply an add-on to the program?
- Who developed the program? Was the idea designed by qualified health professionals who have previous experience in weight-loss counseling? Did at least one registered dietitian (R.D.) assist with the development?
- is usually your site medically supervised? Psychologically supervised? Registered dietitian supervised?
- When you say “personalized” or “tailored,” what does which mean?
- is usually the support simply customer-service messages? Or are there real, live people responding?
- What is usually your cancellation policy?
- Do you have a guarantee? What is usually the idea? is usually the idea listed on the site?
- Do you have a phone number with an address? Do you answer the phone? How long is usually the wait?
- What kinds of physical activity or exercise programs do you offer? Who developed them? Were the programs developed by certified exercise professionals? (American College of Sports Medicine or the National Strength as well as also also Conditioning Association)
- is usually there advertising on the site? Do you have an advertising policy?
- is usually the site easy to navigate as well as also also use?
- Does the site look professional?
- What is usually the privacy policy?
- Are there articles on the site? Who wrote them? Are they experts?
- is usually the site promoting or advertising quick weight loss?
- is usually the diet very restrictive? Will the idea work for you? is usually the idea healthy?
- is usually the idea a one-size-fits-all diet, or is usually the idea tailored or designed specifically for your height, weight, gender, age, personality, eating preferences as well as also also activity level? What if you’re a vegetarian or have additional food restrictions — will the diet accommodate them?
- Does the site belong to HON — Health on the Net Foundation — as well as also also follow the HON Code of Conduct (HONcode) for medical as well as also also health Web sites?
Tags: F2 health online diet weight loss
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