So you think you can't afford an Eating Coach --

I was doing research the other day and came across a report entitled:

What 10 Diet plans cost: you can spend a little or you can spend a lot, but shedding those excess pounds doesn't depend on it.

The article gives an interesting table (posted April 2004) of the 10 leading diets and there cost.

Forbes cites the average single American spends $55.44 per week on food. The average Jenny Craig member spends $137.52 (prices are just for the food portion of the plan).

The article gives a table with food costs for:
Jenny Craig
NutriSystem
Atkins Diet
Weight Watchers
Zone Diet
Ornish Diet
South Beach Diet
Slim-Fast
Sugar Busters
Subway Sandwich
No diet

Worth the read but here's the take home -- Diets work when people by into them. It is less what you are eating and more just cutting calories.

If you are spending big money on pre-packaged foods, what skills are you learning? When you "go off" that diet, have you learned how to portion the meals you serve yourself correctly? Have you learned anything besides "Eat everything that is put in front of you and when it is gone, Stop"? How will this skill fit in to eating at your favorite restaurant?

So, let's say you buy into the Eating Coach philosophy. The whole approach is to take the food that you are eating ($54.44 per week) and spend some time learning new skills to understand where your stopping point should be -- meal by meal. Learn to say "No" to the donut that doesn't look fresh or the piece of chocolate that is waxy --to enjoy the foods you are eating and learn to be satisfied (happy even) when you get up from the table feeling confident, light, content, and guilt-free.

That will bring your total for your week's spending to $104.44 (your food + your coaching)for a number of weeks. But, what you get out of it, are skills, strategies, and a common sense approach to eating that will do away with your fear and anxiety of eating and bring more peace to your life.