OMG... Battling the bulge: losing the pounds can cost lots of euro ...amazing
YOUR wallet will certainly be a lot slimmer if you sign up for a weight loss programme in the annual New Year festival of frugality
YOUR wallet will certainly be a lot slimmer if you sign up for a weight loss programme in the annual New Year festival of frugalityNever more so than at this time of year when post-Christmas weight loss mania kicks in for many of us, Diets promising a magic fat banishing fix are massive business
Many of them involve uber-strict eating plans, consuming tiny amounts of calories and laying off carbs like spuds and bread for months. Many also entail buying into pricy supplements, special branded foods and other products. We looked at six popular programmes -- and what they cost
Here are some of the most popular options and their price tags
Motivation Weight Management Clinics
The claim: Lose a stone in under six weeks without feeling hungry or deprived
Low carb, high protein, A tailored low calorie, low fat diet and advice on changing bad eating habits. What's involved: A 20-week programme with weekly one-to-one sessions with a mentor
Add a further possible €600 for supplements and other diet aids. Costs: Starting at €560 for 20 weeks
Extras: Protein bars, €25-€35 each, motivational books and CDs, liquid protein drinks costing around €30 a week
Motivation Clinics say that 86 per cent of customers 'who complete a maintenance programme' reach and maintain weight loss for more than four years. Lasting value for money
Therein lies the rub -- can you stick it out for five months of carb deprivation, no booze and complete a maintenance programme
Dieter experience: "I lost eight pounds in three weeks," says Anna Kelly. "But any special occasion, not to mention Christmas, is torture on this diet and I tumbled off the wagon plenty of times. It's worth the money in my opinion, but God, am I sick of protein bars..."
Costs as much as: A year's insurance for your average saloon car
Orsmond Clinic
The slightly terrifying Finnish doctor who appears on RTE's Operation Transformation, Fronted by Dr Eva Orsmond
Guarantees that you'll reach your goal by the end of the programme -- if you stick to it. The claim: Ten per cent weight loss within six weeks, so someone who weighs 13 stone could drop a stone
What's involved: Choice of a nine-week or a 12-week programme. A tailored very low calorie, then a gradual reintroduction of ordinary food, low carb plan, low GI
What it costs: €535 for 12 weeks, €365 for nine
Then extra "nutritional supplements" will be required, costing extra, Extras: If you choose the nine-week option
It's all up to you to keep that lard off, When you return to the land of normal eating. Lasting value for money
Costs as much as: A year's fancy gym membership
Educogym
The claim: It differs from other regimes in that it incorporates a strong exercise component as well as diet
Intense 20-minute gym sessions and a low-carb diet aiming to shed fat and build muscle, What's involved: Short
Around €200 a month, What it costs: With diet and supplements. A six-week supervised training programme which includes a full consultation with an expert trainer costs about €400
Extras: Supplements and vitamins costing up to €30 a week
Post-programme it's down to you and willpower unless you shell out for more sessions. Lasting value for money
Costs as much as: An average annual mobile phone bill
Dukan Diet
It's Pippa Middleton's choice of diet, reportedly
Low-fat diet, In other words it's a high-protein, low-carb. But weight loss through eating as much as you like of "permitted foods" which are "those eaten by primitive man, hunter-gatherers, proteins and vegetables", The claim: No promises that you'll get a posterior like Pippa's
What's involved: A personalised programme with a daily online slimming coach. Four phases running over several months
It would usually be €220), What it costs: Around €175 for a nine-month stint (there's 20 per cent off at the moment
Extras: Optional supplements and books
You'll keep the weight off, Dukan claims, If you follow "three simple, concrete, easy but non-negotiable measures" for the rest of your life post-diet. Lasting value for money
Dieter experience: Elaine Neillis opted not to get into the online coaching so her only expenses are the Dukan diet book (about €20) and the extra cost of buying more meat and fish
"When I first started it cost me €40-€50 upfront for three days worth of lean protein foods like fish, poultry and lean steak and eggs," she said. "I like this diet because you eat real food, not protein shakes -- and you can eat as much as you want, as long as you stick to permitted foods."
Even managing to resist roast potatoes and other Christmas temptations, She lost well over a stone in seven weeks
Costs as much as: Two months of petrol money
Weight Watchers
One of the oldest players in the weight loss game
The claim: Eat the foods you love -- and still lose weight
You can eat whatever you like as long as it's within your points allowance. Exercise can be deducted from your daily points. You attend weekly weigh-ins, you have a "points" allowance, where every type of food is worth a certain number of points. What's involved: Unlike many other programmes no food is verboten
An eight-week course costs €90. What it costs: €20 to join then €10 a week
The weighing scales costs €50, For instance. Extras: A plethora of Weight Watchers books, gadgets and snacks and meals that would hike up your outlay
It's a tenner a week to continue on if you feel you can't keep the weight down on your own. Lasting value for money
The experience: "I signed up at the end of May weighing a hefty 12-and-a-half stone," says Rachel Hargreaves. "I've lost two stone in seven months. So it's cost me €280 to do it, but I'm delighted, it's well worth it. I like that I can eat and drink what I want instead of surviving on crazy protein drinks."
Costs as much as: The new household charge
Tony Ferguson Diet
The latest of the 'liquid diet' type programmes to enter the market. Like Lipotrim and Slimfast, it's a favourite with brides who want to shrink to fit a little white dress -- and quickly
The claim: "Maintain a healthy new weight for life."
Shakes, bars and desserts then having one "normal" meal, 400 calories a day, consuming around 1, 200-1, What's involved: Swapping two meals each day for branded low GI soups. Recipes, Access to advice, menu plans and charts for recording weight loss
Shakes and desserts, What it costs: It's €18 to join then about €175 a month for your supply of diet soups
Extras: None
When you sign up online you receive 'lifetime membership' of the programme that includes 24-hour access to a Tony Ferguson adviser. Lasting value for money
Dieter experience: "This is a great short-term fat blitz," says our dieter Louise (who prefers her real name not to be used)
"I wanted to go on a three-month weight loss blitz to get my wedding ready -- and this was the perfect plan for that. I lost eight pounds in the first two weeks alone. But at nearly €200 a month you would expect dramatic results. I lost a stone-and-a-half in total -- but I put back on half-a-stone on my honeymoon."
Costs as much as: Two months' supply would buy a fortnight's luxury holiday in the Algarve
