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A Weight Off My Mind, Thyroid/Autoimmune Diet Newsletter -- Back Issues | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Helping Thyroid and Autoimmune Disease Patients Lose Weight and Feel Great from Mary Shomon JANUARY 2002 Welcome to the second issue of "A Weight Off My Mind," Mary Shomon's email newsletter for thyroid and autoimmune disease patients who are interested in losing weight and feeling better through diet and nutrition. You are receiving this issue because you signed up at some point in 2001 to receive this free email report. (Note: If you are no longer interested in receiving future issues, or you wish to unsubscribe, email weightoffmymind-unsubscribe@topica.email-publisher.com . If you have something you'd like to see covered in future issues, drop me a line anytime at news@thyroid-info.com IN THIS ISSUE In this issue, you'll find an in-depth look at the increasingly popular LA Weight Loss Program, which I believe offers some promise for thyroid and autoimmune patients, information on some of the various online diet programs you can investigate, plus an interview with Susan Burke of eDiets, the Internet's most popular online diet support program, and whether it can be a help to people with metabolic dysfunction. LA WEIGHT LOSS: IS IT FOR YOU? LA Weight Loss doesn't tell you much about their program in their ads or at their website, (http://www.laweightloss.com), and if you call to ask about the program, they won't give you much information over the phone. Like most diet organizations, their objective is to get you in the door so they can sign you up for the program. Basically, the way LA Weight Loss works is that once they get you in the door to talk with a counselor, you decide on how much weight you'd like to lose. Then, they divide that by 2 pounds per week, and come up with a total number of weeks. Multiple that total by $7, and that's the start-up fee. So, for example, if you wanted to lose 24 pounds, that would be 12 weeks, at 2 pounds a week. 12 weeks times $7 per week is $84. Usually, your overall "program" time also includes additional weeks at no extra charge, for maintenance. They also highly recommend doing bloodwork when you start out, to assess cholesterol levels, thyroid function and a variety of other issues as well. At the center I went to, that was an additional $60. At that point, you pay -- in advance -- for the program fee and bloodwork. Cost-wise, an important part of the program are the high-protein "treats" (either shakes or protein bars) called "LA Lites" that are recommended parts of the program. Not inexpensive, but they're comparable to the cost of power bars or protein shakes from health food stores. You can buy them in bulk (they'll push you to do this), but if you're committed to the program, this is actually a better deal, because if you're like me, you're going to really come to depend on those treats to help you with the overall program. Don't get nervous about the soy protein contained in their protein bars -- they don't contain isoflavones (the hormonally active part of soy), and don't appear to interfere with thyroid function. At these they didn't stop me from losing weight. Once signed up, your counselor provides you with a customized diet program, based on your body weight and any specific health issues. But it's safe to say that the LA Weight Loss program depends on a low-glycemic diet (for a person in the 150 to 200 pound range trying to lose weight, the total "starch" intake for the day is 2 servings, and one serving is a slice of diet bread or a piece of melba toast or a half of a small baked potato. Emphasis is on vegetables and on lower-fat sources of protein -- as well as lower calories. In LA Weight Loss You track all your intake in a small food diary, and typically go in for personal (not group) weight in and counseling session two to three times a week while you're working on losing weight. The personal counseling aspect was key to me -- I learned many of the best tips that I still apply to my current diet via this program. If you want a structured, low-glycemic diet, with personal counseling -- and you can afford the cost of a program like this -- it's worth it. After trying a variety of weight loss programs, including Weight Watchers, LA Weight Loss was the only program diet on which I ever lost weight, and I continue using this program as the basis for my own current weight loss program. Remember -- this is not an Atkins or SugarBusters style diet that encourages all you can eat of high-fat protein. Nor it is like Weight Watchers, which still emphasizes more carbs than many thyroid patients can tolerate, weightloss-wise. It's a reduced calorie, reduced fat, low-glycemic diet, but honestly, it's one of the only diets that seem to be almost tailor-made for thyroid patients. Some of LA Weight Loss' approach is actually the basis for my own customized diet, which, when I follow it faithfully :-), usually helps me lose 1.5 to 2 pounds a week. My own diet is described in depth in my Thyroid Diet Guide. For more information on LA Weight Loss, see their website, http://www.laweightloss.com GET ONLINE TO TAKE OFF POUNDS? If you've been reluctant to join a weight loss program because you don't want to share your struggles with a group of strangers, help may be just a click away. A study by Brown University discovered that people who join an organized weight loss on the internet do better than people who try to lose weight on their own. In the study, those who participated in the structured program lost three times more weight in the same amount of time as the people who were trying to lose weight on their own. Structured online programs offer complete menu plans, shopping lists, exercise tips, email reminders and more. Among the most valuable parts of these weight loss sites is the community of support built around bulletin boards. Members can share weight loss tips, exchange recipes and offer encouragement to one another. One of the benefits of an online program is privacy -- you may feel embarrassed in a public forum, or among a roomful of other dieters. But since dieters who have support from others do better than those who go it alone, it's a good option to get much-needed support for those who don't like the group settings. If you're confused by all the diet and fitness sites on the Internet, investigate some of these sites first: CyberDiet.com - Simply register with this free site to gain access to a wealth of weight loss tools and information. The daily meal planner lets you choose what you want to eat, then provides you with shopping lists. It's easy to see why this site was chosen by "Forbes Magazine" as the best site for diet and nutrition in their "Best of the Web 2001." http://www.cyberdiet.com DietQuest.com - Another free site that offers meal plans, shopping lists, exercise plans and more. Plus, find printable training sheets and measurement tracking sheets. http://www.dietquest.com DietWatch.com - Similar to eDiets, and about the same price -- about $10 a month. Get personalized feedback once a week. Plus, you have the option of paying more for access to a private dietitian. http://www.dietwatch.com WeightWatchers.com - Did you know you can join Weight Watchers online? If your schedule is hectic or you're uncomfortable sharing your weight loss struggle in meetings, grab your credit card and head to this web site. The cost is about $15 a month. http://www.weightwatchers.com Nutricise - This program is more expensive - about $30 a month - but they claim you get what you pay for. When you join this online weight loss program you get personal counseling for nutrition, fitness, behavior modification, and motivation. http://www.nutricise.com WebMD.com - Lots of free advice from medical experts on diet, exercise and weight loss. Also offers message boards, recipes and a free weight loss newsletter. http://my.webmd.com/condition_center/obe FreeWeightLoss.com - Body fat calculator, calorie analyzer, recipes and lots of helpful tips, including "100 Painless Ways to Cut 100 or More Calories." http://www.freeweightloss.com/ IN-DEPTH WITH EDIETS eDiets is the Internet's most popular online weight loss program. I had an opportunity to interview eDiets' Director of Nutrition Services, Susan L. Burke, M.S., R.D., L.D., CDE, regarding the program in general, and some specific questions as relate to thyroid and metabolism, and the program's emphasis on soy foods as part of its successful approach. Mary Shomon: I understand that the eDiets program includes 5 main components/benefits. Can you touch upon these a bit, and how you feel they are a benefit and value to your members? Susan Burke: There are indeed 5 primary benefits to our program, the COMBINATION of which makes our program so unique. These are:
eDiets.com has employed a subscription based business model from our inception, which has been the key to our success and longevity. Our continued growth even in a slowing economy supports our belief that the online model of the billion-dollar diet center business is superior to the offline model, in that personalization, convenience and privacy are powerful consumer benefits that are difficult to replicate offline. The Internet-based distribution and subscription model allows us to maintain strong cost controls for member acquisition initiatives and operations, and we retain members for a significantly longer period of time than our offline competition. eDiets online support groups are the online alternative to in-person group meetings commonly held by brick and mortar diet companies, though eDiets provides a plethora of distinct advantages including a wider "reach" (accessibility) and complete anonymity. As such, information disclosure is usually more forthcoming and truthful. Dieting is an extremely personal event in a person's life, and many shudder the thought of public weigh-ins and/or group meeting sessions. Facilitating a member's ability to remain anonymous while interacting through our Support Center features (bulletin boards, chats, online meetings, etc.), as well as with our member support hotline, is an absolutely integral part of the eDiets program that's been a benefit of our core offering since the very beginning. In terms of my psychology-oriented interactions with eDiets' members, many simply feel safer sharing real feelings and honest thoughts under the umbrella secrecy. We understood the power and uniqueness of the Internet in relation to dieting back in the commercial Web's infancy, and have developed the eDiets service accordingly from the onset. In addition, because the Internet allows for instant access to a member's personalized information on a 24/7/365 basis, he/she can get the tools, resources, information and support they need at any time of the day or night, and from anywhere in the world. eDiets' site guarantees that our members always have a place to go and people to talk to "when the going gets tough." Certainly, offline information and support resources are not as readily available, and those that are do not come inexpensively. Online-based communication facilitates a quick response time when someone is in need. For example, when I receive a communication that's a clear "call for help", I always respond immediately. The advantage for the member is that there are no additional fees incurred to ask questions of eDiets' experts and, because they have access from their home and/or office, placing inquiries demands very little of their time or effort to reach a myriad of professionals in the fields of psychology, nutrition, fitness and beauty. The privacy of our member's personal information is heavily guarded. All of the information that each member enters into his or her personal profile remains completely private. Only members can access their own private, password-protected files. Mary Shomon: What is the cost of the eDiets program? In your opinion, how does it compare value-wise to some of the commercial diet programs, or Slimfast, for example? Susan Burke: At $11.66/month (that's $0.39 per day), eDiets will create a 100% custom-tailored diet program based on each individual's unique needs, preferences and lifestyle, and that's available to the member from any internet-enabled desktop computer 24/7/365. For this same fee and in addition to the personalized meal plans, members are further enabled and encouraged to not only interact with on-staff licensed dietitians, psychologists and other health professionals, but each other as well. Interactive, personalized support is the key to a successful weight-loss program. Constantly being in touch with other people who understand how difficult dieting can be, and that have the same goals and objectives, is an important factor for maintaining one's motivation and stamina. This is why the eDiets.com "Support Central" area - Support Boards, Chats, Online Meetings, Mentor Programs, Polls, and other interactive features - are so important. We've created a variety of forums where members can get the support they need, when they need it from both our extensive community as well as trained staff professionals, in the privacy and comfort of their home or office and while maintaining complete anonymity, if desired. This is a very nominal fee, particularly as compared to the "traditional" diet programs on the market, many of which require the purchase of self-branded foods and/or supplements. eDiets recommends only the healthiest of the 12,000 items on supermarket shelves. The eDiets program follows the guidelines of the Partnership for Healthy Weight Management, and all menu plans adhere to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and the Unified Guidelines. eDiets does not sponsor its own line of food, and weight-loss drugs are not a part of the program. In addition, the Company subscribes to The Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct for medical and health Web sites. The weight-management industry consists of commercial weight-loss centers and physician-directed programs. Programs that are provided by physicians using prescription medications serve a relatively small segment of the market and are relatively expensive. Magazines, books, periodicals and public services offer unsupervised programs. The cost of these unsupervised programs range from free to the cost of a book or tape. Supervised programs offered by weight-loss clinics provide personal guidance and supervision, and cost substantially more than the eDiets program. Typically, the cost to the consumer for a program that provides personal guidance similar to that provided by eDiets range from $10-$14 per week, excluding the cost of food. Specialty foods offered by some weight-loss clinics cost approximately $60 per week. Mary Shomon: How many people are currently actively members of eDiets? Susan Burke: Currently, eDiets has over 9.8 million opt-in subscribers to its free bi-weekly email-based newsletter, eDiets Diet & Fitness News, and during the third quarter of 2001 the company had 300,000 paid members (Q4 numbers still pending - to be released in February). Mary Shomon: Do you have a success rate? Among those who diet with your program for a particular amount of time, how many lose weight? Is there an average weight loss? Susan Burke: On average, our members lose 1.8 pounds per week. eDiets does not advocate weight-loss greater than 2 pounds per week, and will actually MODIFY a member's meal plan if our systems discern (through the online weigh in process) that a member is losing weight too rapidly, which is deemed unhealthy . Members may continue the eDiets program past the original three-month minimum subscription term for just $10 a month. On average, members stay on the eDiets program approximately seven months - a key indicator that our programs are highly effective. If eDiets personalized diet and fitness programs did not work, we would not have been able to service over 500,000 unique members throughout 2001! It's also noteworthy that A 1999 Brown University School of Medicine study concluded that those who participated in an Internet weight-loss program that incorporated a behavioral component lost three times as much weight than those who didn't. You might also be interested to know that Jupiter Media Metrix ranks eDiets as the 2nd most trafficked GENERAL HEALTH site on the Internet, only behind WebMD. So, not only is eDiets the leader in the diet-specific category, but is a leader in the more comprehensive e-Health space in general - quite impressive for such a niched site. Mary Shomon: Do you typically recommend weight loss and dietary supplements, like some of the commercial programs do? Susan Burke: Again, I'll reiterate from the above: eDiets recommends ONLY the healthiest of the 12,000 items on supermarket shelves. The eDiets program follows the guidelines of the Partnership for Healthy Weight Management, and all menu plans adhere to the USDA Food Guide Pyramid and the Unified Guidelines. eDiets does not sponsor its own line of food, and weight-loss drugs are not a part of the program. In addition, the Company subscribes to The Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct for medical and health Web sites. Mary Shomon: What are your thoughts about the stimulant weight loss supplements, such as ma huang and ephedra? Susan Burke: I recently completed an interview with a pharmacist regarding stimulant weight loss products, and we both despaired at the willingness of the American public to take non-standardized and unregulated supplements. Ma huang and ephedrine are the same central nervous system stimulant-like substance derived from the plant ephedra. Although ephedrine is an ingredient in many over-the-counter medications for colds, flu and asthma, when you take it unsupervised, it's like playing "Russian Roulette" with your health! Although herbs have been a part of health care for people around the world for centuries, in our country, consumers tend to rely on the advice of clerks in health food stores, who have no actual training in herbal medicine... Ma Huang and ephedra are especially problematical when combined with caffeine, common in many weight loss supplements. Health experts warn that this combination enhances the already stimulant effect of both, and so become more dangerous. Mary Shomon: Some commercial programs indicate the exercise (i.e., LA Weight Loss) is not necessary in order to lose weight on their program. Others integrate it into the plan. How is exercise dealt with as part of eDiets? Susan Burke: Though not required, eDiets members are offered participation in a customized fitness program for an additional $10 (to cover the first 3 months of membership, $5 extra/month thereafter). eDiets strongly believes that exercise is an integral factor in one's quest for overall health and wellness, and that exercise will facilitate the individual's weight loss and overall health seeking efforts. We strongly encourage our members to add fitness to their lifestyle in a variety of ways (programs, challenges, etc.), even having changed our newsletter title from "eDiets News" to "eDiets Diet & Fitness News" as we run an extensive amount of fitness editorial (free to members and non members alike). For those members who do not opt to pay for the customized exercise program, a plethora of fitness information remains available to them such as our comprehensive animated fitness instruction that visually teaches our members how to conduct a variety of exercises for each body part. Mary Shomon: I deal primarily with a population of women who have hypothyroidism, or who have been hyperthyroid and were treated and are now on thyroid replacement therapy. There's no question that these conditions -- which can have a demonstrable medical impact on metabolism -- can contribute to weight gain, and make weight loss more difficult. Is there any particular support Ediets provides that is customized to thyroid patients and their particular needs? Susan Burke: As a registered dietitian, I'm familiar with the clinical difficulties associated with weight loss and hypothyroidism. But, at eDiets.com, we never practice medical nutrition therapy online. It would be irresponsible for any clinician to counsel people about chronic disease without doing a thorough evaluation of that person, including the doctor's treatment plan and the individual's medications. If we get an email or call from someone who asks if they can lose weight, or is having difficulty with their weight loss, as so many hypothyroids do, we ask them first to please consult with their doctor about their treatment and medications. Often a modification of medication may improve their condition. That being said, my focus for everyone is a total lifestyle of healthy living. If there are thousands of hypothyroid women in America, then there are hundreds who are trying to lose weight with eDiets.com. All of our meals and menus are formatted with the American Diabetic and American Heart Associations recommendations in mind. Our meals and recipes provide between 50-60% of the calories from carbohydrate, between 20-25% of the calories from protein, and the rest from fat. And we teach that all carbohydrate is not created equal! Simple sugars should be avoided since hypothyroids are often insulin resistant. We recommend carbohydrate choices from complex carbohydrates, whole fruits and vegetables, and whole grains and whole grain breads and cereals. What makes eDiets different and more effective than the other online weight loss is our community support. What we have is phenomenal. Our support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With hypothyroidism, the process is not as easy and often takes more work and time, but we can and do help! We have a Nutrition Support board, just one of the many support boards where members can communicate and share their strengths and weaknesses, their success strategies and tips for staying with their plan. Our meal plans are personalized so that each individual's calories are calculated for weight loss based on the individual's height, weight, age, and activity level. Now, since weight loss is also an individual undertaking, based on the person's body type and metabolism, people will lose weight at different rates! And we are always there to support them. Mary Shomon: One of the main frustrations for thyroid patients is that we sometimes have to work harder and longer to achieve fewer results than others following similar programs. The simple fact is that weight loss can come more slowly, and require more work. This can make it harder to stick with any healthy eating and diet program -- when we see ourselves following the diet to the letter, exercising faithfully, and our friend who is cheating a bit and not exercising much loses more each week than we do. What sorts of support can eDiets offer to help us over that particular hurdle? Susan Burke: The fact that hypothyroid may make weight loss more difficult is not lost on us! Any weight loss plan is challenging! Making lifestyle changes takes work and commitment. We provide support for members in significant ways. First, nutritionally, all our meals and menus are balanced and provide variety and taste. Our nutrition team holds online meetings, chats and monitor support boards so that if a member is having trouble with their weight loss, they can communicate either by email or by phone and get support, information and motivation immediately. Second, because a fit body is a more metabolically active and healthy body, our fitness experts provide a personalized fitness plan so that a member can begin to alter their metabolism, a proven winning strategy. We encourage our members to start slow, and to stay with it. Building some lean body mass will help them lose weight and maintain their weight loss. We are first and foremost a healthy living website, and we're not only focused on weight loss, but we have a maintenance program that members can choose when they achieve their goal weight. Mary Shomon: One of the issues for thyroid patients that we have found is that many of us cannot successfully lose weight unless we eat a very low-glycemic diet, and limit starches significantly, and limit carbohydrates to almost exclusively fruits and vegetables. What are your thoughts about that, and is there a way to accommodate that sort of diet within eDiets for thyroid patients who need to stay on a more low-glycemic approach? Susan Burke: My emphasis here at eDiets.com is nutrition information! When a member communicates that they have a special condition, we can make general recommendations for them to modify their diet within the existing parameters of our meal plans. All of our meal plans are set up with the recommendations of the American Heart Association, the American Diabetic Association and the American Dietetic Association in mind. The glycemic index is a controversial concept, however, it's the portion size that foods that counts! Complex carbohydrate in the form of whole grains and cereals, whole fruits and vegetables, and limiting refined sugar to an occasional treat is the way to keep blood sugar stable and include beneficial fiber. We provide all members with their personalized substitution list. The list categorizes all foods into groups, and we encourage members to use the list when shopping for the week, and learn about portion sizes of breads and starches, meat and protein foods, fruits, vegetables and fats. Once a member learns their meal plan and the portions of food that's right for them, they can use the list and go shopping! We encourage them to choose complex carbohydrate in the form of fruits, vegetables and legumes instead of white breads, refined cereals and pasta. It's easy to use the substitution list and make healthy choices! Mary Shomon: What about the issue of soy. Your diet recommendations include soy fairly liberally, but as you know, it's a bit of a controversy among the thyroid world. Some experts believe that soy's phytoestrogenic properties can interfere with thyroid function, while others claim that has not been substantiated in research. But for thyroid patients who wish to avoid overconsumption of soy products, what options do you offer? Susan Burke: It's like most things in life, moderation in all things! As you say, there is no conclusive research in humans that show that moderate consumption of soy foods have any negative effect on thyroid function. The Food and Drug Administration allows a health claim on food labels stating that a daily diet containing 25 grams of soy protein, and that is also low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce the risk of heart disease. Our meal plans are so flexible! Each week a member is provided with a whole new menu for the week, full of tasty and original recipes and snacks. A member can choose to change any meal for any day of the week, and if they want to include one soy food meal per week, or even one a day, they can! Similarly, they can choose to exclude all soy foods from the menu, if they prefer. We don't include isolated soy components in the meal plan, only soy foods like tofu, tempeh and soy milk. Members can also choose to use whey protein powder for snack shake. It's an individual choice. For more information about eDiets, see their website.
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All information is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions. You should seek prompt medical care for any specific health issues and consult your physician or health practitioner before starting a new treatment program. Please see our full disclaimer.