Dr. Allan Horowitz, published newspaper article, Richmond Hill Liberal, Copyright February 14, 1990


As a continuation of my series on “dieting” today’s column will discuss the relative merits of a group known as the “Diet Centres”. There are several different locations of the Diet Centres and these operate as franchises using the diet centre’s literature, pamphlets, charts, video cassettes and various diet centre food products, vitamins and supplements.

Last week I discussed the pros and cons of Weight Watchers and Nutri/system, and while both of these organizations have proven very effective in helping people lose weight, there are some disadvantages to each group (see last week’s columns).

DISADVANTAGES

            There are also some disadvantages to the diet centre approach to weight loss, but overall it is a good, healthy plan, and if you stick to their guidelines you will lose weight and keep it off.

The statistics I have show that compared to Weight Watchers ($7-$9/wk.) and Nutri/system ($50 for food plus program costs) diet centre is a reasonably priced program at an average cost of $13 per week. There are costs on top of this if you wish to purchase the Diet Centre brand of salad dressing, muffin mixes, vitamins, minerals, and so on, but these are not essential for your program.

Like most good, well balanced diets, this plan suggests a low fat, moderate carbohydrate, moderate protein diet.

They break their plan into five phases: 1) Conditioning, which prepares the dieter for what he/she is going to face, 2) reducing, which is the main weight-loss part of the diet, 3) stabilizing, during which the dieter is given a wider range of food to choose from, thereby making the diet something that can be followed for life, 4) maintenance, which prepares the dieter to face the “real world” of chocolate fudge without their diet counselors, and 5) image one, which is a series of videos designed to educate the dieter.

There is no secret to this diet. It will work the same way any diet will work if you stay on it. This diet is well researched and healthy. What I like about the diet is the fact that the counselors guide you into and out of the plan.

TOTAL CHANGE

As I discussed in my first article on dieting several weeks ago, there should be no “on diet, off diet” thinking. There should just be a “total change of lifestyle and eating behaviour.”

This is accomplished by individual, private counseling and weigh-in sessions. They also have weekly group sessions to help you along.

The Diet Centre diet can be followed at home, at restaurants, and all supermarkets will have the foods necessary to eat according to their recommendations. You will not have to chase after stewed, apricot seaweed, or desert hawk tail soup, or Syrian sand coolers. You wont have to separate the egg white from its yolk, the potato from its skin, or the bread from its crust. There is nothing fancy about this diet. You will be taught how to eat, what to eat, how much to eat and when to eat. You will lose weight and if you have learned anything from all of this teaching, your weight will stay at or near your desired level.

You will not be abandoned by the group as soon as you lose your weight. You can go back forever if you want to, or if you feel you are forgetting some of the techniques they have taught you. It is a good diet and it does work.

In summary, I repeat that any good, well balanced diet will help you to lose weight if you follow it as you should. Any plan will help you to keep the weight off.

However, it is sometimes difficult to choose a diet which is easy to follow, sound in principle and will be a good model to follow for the next 50 years.

CUT BACK A BIT

My usual recommendation to patients is that they just cut back a bit on the high fat foods and increase the amount of exercise they get. This will work with many people and as you might expect, it is easy enough to follow.

However, when a patient needs a bit more help and their doctor or I cannot find time to sit them down and tell them what they must do, I recommend either Weight Watchers or the Diet Centre. Both are good, both will work, both can be found in the yellow pages under weight control services. (Be careful that you don’t phone someone from “Weed control services” which is found just next to “Weight control” in the yellow pages. If you use the wrong service you will not only be skinny, but you will also be weed free.)

If I had to give one last bit of advice to help you choose one group over the other I would say that if you are a bit on the shy side, or don’t really want to talk about your eating habits in front of a large group, then Diet Centre’s private sessions will be more to your liking. If the “one for all, and all for one, fat battle” is for you, and you like telling everyone about your binging sessions, then Weight Watchers would probably be more to your liking.

GOOD LUCK

            Whatever you choose to do, good luck with your resolution to lose weight. Remember, be smart, follow the advice given in the last several columns, and you wont have to follow the same advice next January when everyone else is making their resolutions to lose weight.