By Kelsey Murray
Who ever would have thought that Purina pet food and Jenny Craig would be teaming up to work on a weight loss program?
According to Jenny Craig, now going by “Jenny” only, 66 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, but they are not the only ones with a weight problem. A study in 2010 found that 55 percent of dogs are considered overweight or obese and 54 percent of cats are also considered to be carrying too much weight. In an effort to combat this problem, and get both man and man’s best friend in better shape, the two companies have created a website for their weight loss program Project: Pet Slim Down.
The website will feature several overweight pets as they start and complete their weight loss journeys. You can even submit photos of your own pet, if Fido is a little chunky or if Whiskers needs to trim up a little bit. The website also offers plenty of tips concerning weight loss for pets, such as how much food you should be feeding your pet and how to help Fluffy tone her abs. (Yes, dogs have abs, too!) For inspiration, you and your pet can watch the pet weight loss reality series that is also featured on the website.
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US News and World Report made its Best Diets 2012 announcement today. The list by the high profile news magazine started last year, with Weight Watchers taking the top spot.
Released today, DASH Diet gets the highest marks on the list, being named the best overall diet. We wouldn’t disagree. In fact, our resident pharmacist and diabetes specialist, Dr. Sarah G. Khan, wrote in November that the DASH Diet is an ideal weight loss plan for diabetics. “The DASH diet consists of lowering sodium intake to less than 2400 mg per day, eating fresh fruits and vegetables and carbohydrate sources coming from whole grains,” wrote Dr. Khan. “It also includes proteins coming from lean meats, fish and chicken, and moderate amounts of fats such as olive oil and nuts.” Dr. Khan also notes endorsements for the diet from the American Heart Association, The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and the Mayo Clinic.
DASH wasn’t the only program getting high praise and attention today.
The US News and World Report Best Diets 2012 also breaks the diets down in to multiple categories, naming the best diets for weight loss, heart health, diabetes, and even the easiest to follow.
The Best Diets 2012 list is as follows.
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Mariah Carey is back in a size six after giving birth to her twins, Moroccan and Monroe, on April 30. She has lost 30 pounds using the Jenny Craig program since starting on July 22. Mariah is also the newest celebrity spokesperson for the company.
Jenny, as the company has been renamed, is planning to use Mariah’s song Make It Happen along with her weight loss story in upcoming commercials to attract younger women to the program. When speaking about her weight loss, Mariah stated “I feel better in every way. To me, it’s mind, body and soul. I was in a bad place physically during my pregnancy.”
During her pregnancy, Mariah had gestational diabetes and edema, which is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in the body’s tissues. After starting on the Jenny program, she ate the company foods as well as cooked some of her own, which is part of the program. For exercise, Mariah does mostly aquatic workouts for 45 minutes four-to-five days each week. Now Mariah says she doesn’t go by the scale, but by “my dress size. Right now I am between a four and six.” Mariah’s height is five feet, nine inches.
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Celebrities are real people. They go to the grocery store (unless their assistant goes for them), drive cars (if their driver has the day off), and their weight fluctuates.
Diet companies have a recent history of corralling celebrities into being their spokespeople, but is this the best marketing strategy? People who see a celebrity as a diet spokesperson believe that they “know” the person who is losing weight right in front of them. So what happens when this known person gains the weight back?
We all remember Kirstie Alley‘s shining moment on Oprah as she danced around in her bathing suit after her weight loss on Jenny Craig. Jenny Craig gave her the boot when she gained her weight back and she was back on Oprah, this time with conservative dress and a solemn look on her face.
Notorious yo-yo dieter Carnie Wilson was the spokesdieter for The Fresh Diet and had a successful start with a 20 pound weight-loss.
“She dropped, like, 20 pounds in the first three months. Then she, I mean, she had to go off of it. There’s no question. She might have eaten the meals, but she ate the meals with a lot of other stuff. She started a cheesecake company.” Zalmi Duchman, chief executive for Fresh Diets, said.
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With the first day of school already taking place in some parts of the country, and plans starting to be made for Labor Day weekend, it’s clear that summer is about to give way to fall. Checking in with yourself at the start of fall can be a good idea. As active as summer can be, summers like this where the heat seems to break a new record each day can leave us sitting inside just trying to stay cool, never mind working out. With the kids back in school and you back in control of your schedule, there’s no time like the present to re-start your weight loss efforts.
We’ve identified seven programs that, so far this year, really stand-out as leaders, offering their customers healthful, balanced approaches to weight loss and healthful living. Consider these for your fall weight loss resolution.
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