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CNN Live At Daybreak
The Cost of Dieting
Aired January 08, 2004 - 06:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So, you have resolved to lose weight for the new year. Well, this morning we have more help in picking the best diet plan for you.
Lisa Drayer of Dietwatch.com is back with us live from New York with the cost of dieting.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, today we're going to talk about Jenny Craig, Atkins and the Zone Diet.
So let's start with Jenny Craig. Jenny Craig is a great option if you like the convenience of foods prepared for you. That is, you get the pre-packaged foods. You meet one-on-one in person with a Jenny Craig consultant, who will actually tailor a meal plan according to your calorie goal.
The cost right now is $49. This is a special over the next six weeks. That's the initiation fee. And the food can be anywhere from $10 to $15 per day. But count on spending at least $70 per week.
So the nice thing is there's a personal approach, there's a 24 hour help line, you can even get it delivered. Now they have a home- based program. But you do want to be careful. Don't become too dependent on the Jenny Craig cuisine. The nice thing is, though, by the time you reach half of your weight loss goal, you are encouraged to prepare at least two days worth of foods on your own.
COSTELLO: Yes, because $70 a week, that seems a lot to me.
DRAYER: Right. And that's the low end, Carol.
COSTELLO: Wow.
Atkins? Do you want to go there next.
DRAYER: Yes, let's go to Atkins. We have, you can start at the new, rather, the "Atkins New Diet Revolution." That's the original paperback book for just $7.99, primarily geared towards weight loss. Or you can get the now, the "Atkins for Life," $24.95. Carol, it includes lots of recipes. You can get recipes for things like coconut ice cream and filet mignon, only six grams of carbs, but over 600 calories. So just be careful there. Lots of recipes, a carbohydrate gram counter. You can see how having just one pear will max you out for the day in terms of carbs during that first phase.
Just watch the saturated fat. They encourage a mix of all the fats, but I would say go for the healthier fats, like the olive oil, the peanuts, the avocado, over those unhealthy fats that you would find in red meat. And if you have kidney problems, just be careful. You want to avoid high protein.
COSTELLO: And now for the extremely complicated diet, the Zone.
DRAYER: Right. Very complicated. If you like math, this is a good one for you. You want to stay in the zone, which means that you want to eat 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat. But there is a book that will help you get there, $7.50 for "A Week In the Zone." But you can also get a starter kit just under $90. It can do everything from the Zone meal bars that you see in the stores now and the shakes and, you know, a welcome kit to get started. It's a nice start.
But the meal planning can be a little bit complicated if you're not relying on the Zone products.
COSTELLO: You know, exercise is free. You can get out and walk for 30 minutes each day and you'll lose weight. You really will.
DRAYER: It's so true.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Lisa.
DRAYER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 8, 2004 - 06:54 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: So, you have resolved to lose weight for the new year. Well, this morning we have more help in picking the best diet plan for you.
Lisa Drayer of Dietwatch.com is back with us live from New York with the cost of dieting.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, today we're going to talk about Jenny Craig, Atkins and the Zone Diet.
So let's start with Jenny Craig. Jenny Craig is a great option if you like the convenience of foods prepared for you. That is, you get the pre-packaged foods. You meet one-on-one in person with a Jenny Craig consultant, who will actually tailor a meal plan according to your calorie goal.
The cost right now is $49. This is a special over the next six weeks. That's the initiation fee. And the food can be anywhere from $10 to $15 per day. But count on spending at least $70 per week.
So the nice thing is there's a personal approach, there's a 24 hour help line, you can even get it delivered. Now they have a home- based program. But you do want to be careful. Don't become too dependent on the Jenny Craig cuisine. The nice thing is, though, by the time you reach half of your weight loss goal, you are encouraged to prepare at least two days worth of foods on your own.
COSTELLO: Yes, because $70 a week, that seems a lot to me.
DRAYER: Right. And that's the low end, Carol.
COSTELLO: Wow.
Atkins? Do you want to go there next.
DRAYER: Yes, let's go to Atkins. We have, you can start at the new, rather, the "Atkins New Diet Revolution." That's the original paperback book for just $7.99, primarily geared towards weight loss. Or you can get the now, the "Atkins for Life," $24.95. Carol, it includes lots of recipes. You can get recipes for things like coconut ice cream and filet mignon, only six grams of carbs, but over 600 calories. So just be careful there. Lots of recipes, a carbohydrate gram counter. You can see how having just one pear will max you out for the day in terms of carbs during that first phase.
Just watch the saturated fat. They encourage a mix of all the fats, but I would say go for the healthier fats, like the olive oil, the peanuts, the avocado, over those unhealthy fats that you would find in red meat. And if you have kidney problems, just be careful. You want to avoid high protein.
COSTELLO: And now for the extremely complicated diet, the Zone.
DRAYER: Right. Very complicated. If you like math, this is a good one for you. You want to stay in the zone, which means that you want to eat 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent fat. But there is a book that will help you get there, $7.50 for "A Week In the Zone." But you can also get a starter kit just under $90. It can do everything from the Zone meal bars that you see in the stores now and the shakes and, you know, a welcome kit to get started. It's a nice start.
But the meal planning can be a little bit complicated if you're not relying on the Zone products.
COSTELLO: You know, exercise is free. You can get out and walk for 30 minutes each day and you'll lose weight. You really will.
DRAYER: It's so true.
COSTELLO: Thank you, Lisa.
DRAYER: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
