Could I do this on my own?

[alisonlerae]

If I used Slim Fast for the shakes, and Healthy Choice for the meals... would it be the same?

[bargoo]

It cetainly would be similar.And cheaper.

[speedofsound]

It probably would be the same, but for me Slim-Fast is no where near filling enough to sustain me. I tried it several times and it just was not enough to keep me even remotely satisfied.

[alisonlerae]

Hmm, thanks bargoo and speedofsound. In about a year my husband and I are going to start trying to conceive. I of course, I have to lose weight first. I talked to my mother about it, and she said she did the medically supervised weight loss program that some hospitals provide, only because that's what her doctor recommend. She did that twice, once to conceive me and once for my brother.

I've checked into it and it's sooo expensive! =/

[bargoo]

You can lose weight without those expensive programs. I have spent a lot of mney on various programs only to regain it. This last time I said I was not going to pay someone to tell me what to eat so I changed to calorie counting and it works well for me.
There are other programs that are popular such as South Beach, Atkins , Weight Watchers just to name a few. None of these would be as expensive as the program you describe.

[Vex]

I definitely believe that you can do it on your own.

I did Jenny Craig years ago and now I am doing "lean cuisine". I didn't start out planning on eating almost everything prepackaged this time, it just sort of ended up there.

The difference really between those systems and yourself is that those systems come with a support system. (online, weekly weigh ins, etc.) If you can find a place to get support - here maybe - then I think you can do it on your own.

.

[4star]

Yes, you can do this on your own. I calorie count and I only use diet foods for convenience but I don't even know the last time I bought any. I portion food and track calories, making sure to keep my carbs moderate and my protein high. It's worked better than expected for the last 50 pounds so it should work for the next 30 pounds too.

I also checked into these plans and I just couldn't double our grocery bill to lose weight so I found a good calorie range for myself through online calculators and filled it with good old fashioned nutritionally dense foods while watching the calories. It's not magic, it's calorie control.

[essbee]

You totally can! I'm actually doing a diet based off a book that was released in December of last year. You should check out the thread Dr. Anderson's Simple Diet in the "General Diet Plans and Questions" area. Basically it's an easy and convenient "meal replacement" plan that uses shakes and meals from local stores. You have 3 shakes per day and 2 frozen entrees and you're also required to have a minimum of 5 servings of fruits and vegetables in addition.