I will join a weight loss program, such as Weight Watchers

The pillars of any weight loss program that you consider are:

Recommend low-fat, low-calorie foods
Recommend eating smaller portions
Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Be physically active

However, we all adapt and respond to weight loss programs differently. For instance, some people would rather purchase prepared foods while others prefer buying and making their own foods. The good news is that there are options for all of us!

When choosing a weight loss program, consider the following:

It needs to include a diet plan that you can stick with for a long time
It should be good for your overall health — it should not exclude healthful foods such as fruits & vegetables
It should offer plenty of healthful food choices and not require an extensive or expensive list of foods or supplements to buy

Many people have lost and maintained weight loss through weight management programs. Below we’ve briefly described a few popular options, including a variety of methods to engage programs. It may be that you’ve looked into or participated in a weight loss program before, but don’t let that stop you from looking again. These programs often change or add components to stay fresh for their subscribers. NOTE: Not an endorsement of any program or product.

In 2013, Weight Watchers offers two ways to participate in their plan: group meetings or online. The plan involves: learning about how the foods you buy or prepare contribute to your diet plan, support from leaders and members, encouraging physical activity and mobile apps to help you stay on track. The fees for meetings or online plans can vary between $5-15 per week and foods made by Weight Watchers are not required. The program supports the goal of a steady weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week.

The Jenny Craig program is grounded in their own pre-portioned, packaged foods that cost on average $15-22 per day. Jenny Craig counselors are available for weekly one-on-one support via face-to-face, phone or online meetings. The serving sizes of foods are smaller and therefore the program is an option for adjusting to fewer calories per meal and snack. The number of calories one is eating prior to the program and during the program can impact initial weight loss.

With separate plans for men, women, vegetarians and individuals with heart disease or Type 2 diabetes, Nutri-System narrows the choices of prepackaged foods for each program. The plans require menu selection and corresponding food purchases every 28 days. The shipped foods are intended to be supplemented with additional fresh foods purchased by the participant. Physical activity, tracking tools and online support are also offered and encouraged. Depending upon the plan you choose, cost for the food ranges from approximately $299-320 per month.

Online weight management programs are also structured to provide tracking tools and information about foods and fitness. Some use mobile apps and others use forums and online communities to share tips for losing and maintaining weight loss. Month-to-month or annual subscriptions are options and costs range from free. Some examples include:

Calorie Counter caloriecount.about.com
Calorie King calorieking.com
eDiets ediets.com
FitDay fitday.com
NutriSystem nutrisystem.com
SparkPeople sparkpeople.com
WebMD webmd.com/diet

There are also self-help programs, such as Overeaters Anonymous and Take off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS).