Weight Watchers – Online at www.weightwatchers.com , Weight Watchers offers a few choices. They have a couple different food plans; monitor points or simply go with food choices. Then opt for a real-world membership with weekly meetings where you learn about healthy food choices and activities, hear inspirational leaders/ speakers, pick up tips and program information, recipes and menus and have confidential weigh-ins. How meetings work is that you attend once a week for about an hour from a huge list hosted all over. You pay a small fee when you attend (beginning around $9 - $10 per week with special packages / plans available, depending upon area). Find a meeting place online by entering your zip code or call 800-282-8908 (24/7).

Or opt for cyber-planning with Weight Watchers online tools. For a little less money per month, around $5 per week, you get recipe and meal ideas in a click, a points tracker and calendar, progress charts, restaurant guide and other resources. And connect with their online community 24/7 instead of driving around town juggling meetings in your schedule. Jenny Craig – Available online at www.jennycraig.com for around $11 a month (or choose package deals). Online they feature eTools, a new product that is tailored to go hand-in-hand with original real-world Jenny Craig Program. You can purchase foods from them or use their recipes / cookbooks. With eTools, member also receive an online journal, they can track and mark off meals from daily menus, monitor exercies / activities, calculate number of calories burned, include your feelings about your weight loss. These eTools also offer access to plan and print an unlimited number of Menu Plans.

There is also a Recipe Box with additional Jenny Craig recipes from their quarterly cookbooks. There are free message boards available for all members (eTools or not). Some may offer “member-only sections” in future. For programs in your area and pricing information, call: 800-597-JENNY.

The Weight Down Workshop – Gwen Shamblin’s Bible-based weight loss program is online at www.wdworkshop.com . Not a diet plan, Weigh Down Workshop does not incur costs for consultants, foods or exercise plans. One program, “Exodus Out of Egypt” costs around $118 in fees (plus $7 for shipping and handling) that include your attendance at 12 weeks of class lessons, plus a set of 12 audiocassettes with workbook, access to toll-free advice, encouragement and help. The program teaches you to spend and eat less of regular foods you find about anywhere. Find a real-world workshop by completing an online form or by calling their toll-free number: 888-829-7500. For online support, information, packages and payment information, call them toll-free: (888) 751-5767. They have several plans available and people have to call to get descriptions and pricing.

There are a few things to note when making meal choices and menu planning. First, some foods may be advertised a certain way, but that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment. For instance, eggs and sausage can be served for dinner, not just breakfast. And waffles can be made from healthy wheat grains and eaten for lunch with fresh fruits instead of sugary syrup and heavy butter for breakfast.

Add variety, too. Have other family members jump in and prepare meals some nights and on weekends. Kids enjoy making macaroni and cheese, so host mac-n-cheese night on Wednesdays, for example. Then alternate different vegetable combinations, colors and textures to vary menu on a weekly basis (no need to let boredom take over on Wednesdays with same routine!)