SELF Reach Your Goal Plan

Commit yourself to your weight loss goal for just one month and you can make it come true. That's the premise of the SELF Reach Your Goal Plan: a calorie-controlled, high-fiber, high-calcium diet and a personalized exercise plan. The diet promises that the 1600-calorie plan is simple to follow. And you can go up to 1800 calories if you need a little more food. When it comes to exercise, this is a laid-back plan. The diet suggests you start by getting yourself moving just a little. You'll be able to increase your workout intensity and reach your goal.

Basic guidelines, on the SELF Reach Your Goal Plan, are to eat three meals, one snack, and one indulgence daily. If you don't like the seven options the diet provides for each meal, the website can suggest other meals that you may prefer. The diet also provides strength and cardiovascular workout plans to follow several times per week.

What makes the SELF Reach Your Goal Plan a different weight loss program?

A member of the calorie-controlled, high-fiber family, this is an interactive, online diet plan. You log your food intake and daily exercise on a web site. And the program calculates and tracks your progress. This plan also provides supplemental web resources such as a cardio song list for downloading to your MP3 player so you can jazz yourself up even more during your workouts. The SELF Reach Your Goal Plan also sets itself apart by offering help finding an exercise buddy and providing online forums with experts.

What is the SELF Reach Your Goal Plan?

Using your Ultimate Shape-Up Kit, you can choose one of the following goals:

• Start an exercise habit. If the idea of exercise scares the living daylights out of you, this is probably a good place to start. Making exercise fun and simple are the keys.
• Drop eight pounds in one month. This plan will help you shrink a size naturally.
• Sculpt sexy muscles. This may be your goal if you would like a sleeker, stronger overall look.
• Go from walking to running. You'll learn how to work your way up to a painless run.

Once you choose your goal, the SELF Reach Your Goal diet outlines a simple, flexible, and filling eating plan. The basic plan is set for 1600 calories. But, if you feel you need more, you can add 200 additional calories. A registered dietician has created each typical day's menu. The emphasis is on high-fiber, low-fat, calcium-rich foods. Here is a possible day in the life of the Reach Your Goal diet:

• Breakfast: Bowl of plain oatmeal topped with a heaping teaspoon of brown sugar, ¾ cup of raspberries or blackberries (frozen or fresh), two tablespoons of chopped pecans, and 1 cup of skim milk.
• Lunch: Three-minute Southwestern salad combining ¾-cup of black beans, ¾-cup of canned corn, one chopped red pepper, three tablespoons of salsa, ¼ cup of shredded Monterey Jack or similar cheese.
• Dinner: Two slices grocery-store pizza and three cups of mixed greens tossed with your favorite 60-calorie dressing.
• Snack: 12-ounce non-fat latte.
• Daily indulgence: Frozen fruit juice bar (no more than 125-calories).

The web site offers extensive resources such as a diet and fitness progress log that summarizes your total calories burned and total workout minutes. Other features of the SELF Reach Your Goal Plan includes asking a nutritionist or fitness expert questions, finding a fitness buddy to help keep you motivated, and suggesting additional meal and snack ideas. You can download free music and exercise slides. Tips of the day and an online newsletter are also available to help you reach your goal. And, if you sign up, you may win a free gym pass.

What are the weight loss expectations?

Since some of the goals target a healthy lifestyle and don't focus on weight loss, the weight loss expectations vary. The general promise is that you'll lose two pounds a week for four weeks, for a total loss of eight pounds.

Is exercise promoted?

Exercise is just as important as diet. Depending on the goal you choose, the SELF Reach Your Goal Diet Plan suggests different exercises. Most important is that exercise should be fun. (Have you tried doing the horizontal mambo?) Each exercise regimen has a cardiovascular and a strength training component that starts slowly and builds up throughout the month. If you choose, for instance, the goal of dropping eight pounds, you may start calling yourself the Cardio Queen. You'll be doing smarter, but not longer cardio routines. You'll follow strength training exercises three times a week on nonconsecutive days, while you steadily increase the cardio time.

The following is an outline of the cardio regimen done three times a week on this goal:

• Week 1: Two 28-minute workouts of heart pumping activity that you enjoy (such as biking, running, or jumping rope). Your third 28-minute workout should be a different form of cardio such as swimming.
• Week 2: One 29-minute workout and two 45-minute workouts of your favorite cardio activity.
• Week 3: Two 29-minute workouts and a third 45-minute enjoyable cardio workout.
• Week 4: One 45-minute workout and two 40-minute workouts. Add a bonus workout such as salsa dancing or inline skating.

Are supplements recommended?

No supplements are suggested on the SELF Reach Your Goal Diet Plan.