Weight watchers is a great way to lose weight. It also costs about $40 a month. Some might think that $40 a month is no big deal and maybe it isn’t but in this sluggish economy that $40 could easily go to so many other places in your budget. Weight watchers, or a really close imitation, could easily be accomplished with a little research and dedication for free at home.

There are plenty of resources out there that will help you figure out how many points you are allowed each day and how to attach point values to the food you eat, just like weight wathcers. So, get out your calculator and start figuring. It really is pretty easy, just follow some simple steps to arrive at the numbers you need.

You might need to go out and get a book with calorie counts for food that doesn’t have labels like fresh fruits and vegetables or find a free one online. I am sure they are out there, you just have to look.

Weight watchers does work, I lost my first 16 pounds with weight watchers. The problem lies in being able to afford the monthly payment throughout the whole time you need to lose weight. I could only make it about 3 months. I wish I could have gone longer and maybe I could have just continued the program on my own. They give you everything you need to continue to lose weight even if you have to quit going to the meetings. I should have had the motivation to continue but I didn’t and I am still overweight.

When you know that that $40 per month could benefit you in so many other ways it is hard to justify using it for what amounts to purely selfish reasons. Not that losing weight is selfish but it only benefits you. Of course, you want to lose weight and be healthier and that can benefit your family, as well, but as a mother, I have felt the guilt of wanting something all for myself when my children needed or wanted something else.

Anyway, if you do have the money to afford weight watchers then I would highly recommend using it to get thin and fit. With the weekly meetings and monthly weigh-ins you are held to a higher standard than you would be if you were trying to lose weight on your own. There is an accountability with weight watchers that keeps you on your toes and moving keeps you moving forward and the numbers on the scale moving downward.

You realize, when going to the meetings or even doing the program they have online that you are not the only person in the world who has to lose weight, no matter how much you have to lose. Whether it is 20 pounds, or 120 pounds, or more the people at weight wathcers are there for you and they have great supplements and snack foods that will help you stay on track and not go running back to all the bad carbs and calories that you have been used to.

In this article I will go over the types of weight loss programs that are available to do as well as list some pros and cons of each. Hopefully, that information will help steer you in the right direction so you can determine which is the best option for you and your unique personality and needs.

Before you start any type of weight loss programs, though, make sure you talk to your doctor. For one thing your doctor can probably offer you some recommendations but if not, she can at least guide you in regards to any limitations you may have so your weight loss is done safely.

Now that that is out of the way, here are some ideas of some programs you may want to consider:

1. The pre- packaged food program. This is pretty straight forward; you sign up and you get fully prepared meals delivered right to your door. The companies claim that the meals will allow you to lose weight because they are nutritious and have the perfect combination of lean protein, fats and carbs as well as just the right amount of calories.

There are several such plans like this available, two of the most well known are Nutri-System and Seattle Sutton (which I have personally used and found very good).

When you are trying to decide between one or the other, make sure you carefully check out all the types of food plans, what is included (how many meals), the price including any shipping or handling costs, what their cancellation policy is in case you aren’t satisfied and the actual calories and nutritional benefits of the meals themselves.

2. Meeting type programs. These have been around for a long time and most people will immediately think of Weight Watchers. This is a type of diet plan where you not only get ideas of what types of foods to eat and in what quantities, you also get help from others who are trying to accomplish the same thing.

This approach allows you to interact with each other and keep each other focused and moving forward. Since you are all trying to lose weight, there are no feelings of embarrassment or awkwardness.

And, there is no public weight in! If you go to an actual meeting (though now you can get access to the materials online if you prefer) you will be weighed but it is 100% private and no one will see or know what your weight is.

How many times have you considered joining a gym, for example, only to feel out of place and get intimidated by all the hot bodies they have on the commercial? I know I have.

When you are trying to lose weight you don’t want to be reminded of what you aren’t (yet) you want to be surrounded by others who look about the same way you do, right?

There are many weight loss programs available today but before you sign on the dotted line you need to read the fine print. You need to know what it is, what it isn’t and what to do if you aren’t satisfied. Making an informed decision will allow your weight loss to be a dream come true instead of a nightmare.

Have a big event coming up soon? Want to be able too lose a few pounds before it arrives? Well, if so, there are some things you can do if you need to lose weight fast.

Please don’t think that you are going to drop 20 lbs. in a week, you’re not. Even if that were possible, and I’m not sure it is, it would be unhealthy for you.

Your better bet is to start early. I mean, come on, let’s face facts, we know if we have a wedding or a class reunion coming up. We have plenty of time to lose weight if we really want to, don’t wait until the last minute.

If you just want to lose 5 – 10 pounds in a few weeks, that is much more realistic.

Now, I’m going to warn you, some of these tips are borderline unhealthy. For many people, if they aren’t done to extreme or for too long, they are fine but you have to talk to your doctor first.

Getting your doctors ok is the best way to ensure success and that you don’t end up in the hospital. Talk to your doctor and run any type of weight loss plan by her before you start, not after.

So, if you need to lose weight fast, here are some tips I recommend:

1. Find a healthy cleanse or fast. Sometimes you may accomplish both at the same time. There are many recipes online that will allow you make a cleansing drink. You can then go on a diet for a few days which will consist mainly of a liquid diet with only a little bit of solid foods.

Always make sure you talk to your doctor first and always make sure you stay on such a program for no more than 2 or 3 days.

This can help you clean out your body and purge excess toxins out of your system. Most of the weight loss you see will only be water weight and you will gain much of it back when you go off the cleanse, but it may be enough to help you fit into that new suit or dress for your special event.

2. Drink more water. At first you may actually get a little bloated but after a day or so you should see you are losing water weight. That is because you are going to the bathroom more frequently.

You will also flush excess toxins from your system. Another benefit is that you are keeping your body well hydrated which will improve the appearance of your skin and hair.

3. Do not starve yourself. Instead eat 5 or 6 small, nutritious meals daily. When you do that you are keeping your metabolism working more efficiently and burning hot all day long.

That is the best way to lose weight more quickly. I lost 6 pounds in one week using this method and the best part was that I lost excess body fat and not just water weight.

Just include the right balance of lean protein, carbs and fat. Find out how much of each you should have by talking to your doctor first.

If you need to lose weight fast make sure you talk to your doctor, stay healthy and use these ideas as a starting point.

Can you really lose weight quickly? That is the question that many of us ask. We live in a time and in a society where we want and expect almost instant results. It is no different when we think about losing weight and getting in better shape.

The problem is that the manufacturers of weight loss and fitness products know that about us too. They gear their advertising campaigns around the idea of telling us what we want to hear.

They make claims and promises about how we can lose weight quickly if we just use their product. But, have you ever noticed what is on the side of the package?

Whether you’re talking about a exercise gadget or a supplement there is always a disclaimer that says that the product will deliver the results it promised if you use it with a sensible diet and exercise program.

Now, I’m not saying that is a bad thing but it does kind of make you wonder how much of the result comes from the product itself and how much comes from the “sensible diet and exercise”.

I personally think you can lose weight pretty fast and without a ton of hassle if you do it the right way.

So, what is the right way? Well, first of all the right way for you would be to talk to your doctor first. Only he can let you know what is the right way for you.

Your doctor should be able to tell you what types of eating plans and exercise plans that would be best for you based on your health needs and current health.

So, I can’t speak for you or tell you what to do but I can tell you what I did and what worked great for me. Hopefully it will inspire you too and it may even work for you.

So, what did I do to lose weight? Well, it was pretty simple; I ate more of the right kinds of food more often during the day and I exercised.

Not necessarily fun or easy but it worked for me and it works for millions of other people… and it may just work for you too.

The only thing you need to determine is what types and quantities of foods you should eat. Again, this is something you should discuss with your doctor.

Here is the plan I used:

1. I ate 6 small meals a day. Each one of them consisted of a few ounces of lean meat (chicken, fish or shrimp) along with a cup of greens (usually spinach) and a few ounces of carbs (usually rice). The exact foods you choose as well as the exact amount will depend on your body type and your weight loss goals.

2. I drank more water throughout my day.

3. I walked. I either walked around my pool when it was really hot or I would walk around the block if it was a little cooler.

That’s it. That’s all I did. I stopped eating out, I stopped eating too much of the wrong things and I gave my body what it needed.

My results? Pretty good, I lost 6 pounds in one week, almost a pound a day just by doing what my body needed me to do. As far as I’m concerned, that is the only way to lose weight quickly.