WeightLoss4Idiots (FatLoss4Idiots) Review - Part 1

There's one thing you didn't mention Big Jim - exercise. What does the program say about that? As anyone with even the most basic of knowledge about weight loss knows, diet, along with cardio and resistance are an integral part of any weight loss program. Cardio to burn fat and resistance to at least maintain your current lean body mass. Anyone that loses 9 lbs in 11 days is going to look like a shar-pei if they don't exercise. And further, if you lost weight at that rate, you'd be too weak anyhow to exercise. I detest the promoters of these types of diets that prey on the gulible and susceptible with advertising that at best is not only misleading, but is based on half truths and blatant outright lies. The WL4I ad is full of such hogwash. The ad copy would be laughable if it wasn't so pathetic when you consider the number of people that actually fall for it and place their hopes and aspirations on what they read. They actually believe they can lose weight at this predigious rate, all the while destroying the most precious asset they have in the battle to lose weight - their lean muscle mass. They end up getting fatter and the promoters bank account also swells. There is so much good material out there that is free, I don't know why anyone would consider shelling out $29 for this drivel. One need only look at the writings of Tom Venuto for starts, or the excellent "12 Week Fat Loss Program" by Jacob Wilson (http://www.abcbodybuilding.com/magazine/fat_loss_workout.htm) over at abcbodybuilding to fully understand what is really needed to lose weight safely once and for all, and keep it off.

The exercise recommendations are for 2x30 minute sessions of brisk walking. I don't think I've seen any mention of resistance/strength training.

I agree with you for the most part - but WL4I did have some qualities - teaching about lean proteins, avoiding sugars, and hydration etc. But you're right - pay $10 more to get BFFM. It's a no-brainer.

The other thing concerning is the complete anonymity of WL4I. They forbid any emails, and even the WhoIs of the site just gives an Internet company name.

I have tried Atkins and just to many restrictions. I felt like an idiot at first for trying weightloss4idots.com, but it does seem like an okay plan with rapid results. I was skeptical at first spending $27.00 but I figured why not. My husband printed out a meal plan for his self and he's been doing great. I'm starting tomorrow I too have printed out my own copy. Milkshakes you get to eat fruit and my husband is never really hungry. So, I'll keep in touch with everybody and see how your results are. I at one time had considered slim fast. I'm desperate. So, I spent my money so I'll try this weightloss4idiots and see how it goes. People are always going to have something negative to say. But, as I always say my money and my weight to lose.

I have been doing some research on this Weight Loss 4 Idiots because I wanted to see if it was fluff or not. God knows there is enough of it out there to lure in the "fat and the desperate". I came upon this site and, after reading the info provided and the comments, I wanted to throw in my two cents.

First of all, ChefBrian, and with no disrespect meant, you said that, "...cardio and resistance are an integral part of any weight loss program." I say horse apples. Why? Because I'm living proof that is not necessarily the case. 8.5 years ago I was on a diet through a clinic in Novi, Michigan. It was high protein, low fat, low carb with two soy protein 'supplements' thrown in everyday. The diet was very strict - you had to measure everything - but there were times when I would literally gag because I ate so much food. And you know what? I went from 208lbs to 148lbs in less than 6 months - AND I never stepped into a gym. I can assure you that I did NOT look like a Shar-pei. In fact, I never looked so radiant or had so much energy in my life and that is the gospel truth. I kept that weight off for over a year and a half until I moved to England for 7 years and then put it back on due to the plethora of high carb foods I was eating. (In short, my fiance and I were saving for our wedding and we could only afford frozen things in boxes!) Combine that with the high expense of everything, the lack of dieting resources and the lack of anything resembling help from the NHS, the weight came back. As a funny side note.. for the first time in my life I actually belonged to a gym, over there, which I DID use 3 times a week (treadmill, bike, crosstrainer and weights) for an hour at a time! It didn't make a hill of beans worth a difference.

I've since moved back to the US, however to Florida, and the clinic is not down here so I can't do their program. Hence, why I'm looking into the WL4I plan.

Anyway, I haven't tried the diet yet as I'm trying to research it first (and by the way.. I've read some really good results, from ppl who have tried it, on a few boards) but I just wanted to mention the above. I know exercise is important - I'm no fool. However, I also know that I'm kidding myself if I think I'm going to spend the rest of my life in a gym to maintain what I lose OR to get there. I also know that there are a LOT of people like me who don't deserve to be told that there is no hope for them if they don't exercise. Again, this is not meant to be nasty, I just wanted to let people know that regardless of what the fitness gurus say - I'm here to tell you that 'working out' isn't always necessary necessary to lose weight because I lost a LOT of weight without it and kept it off until my eating habits changed - NOT my exercise routine. Thanks for reading.

Alisha, :-) I like your comments. I completely agree that the whole weight loss issue is individualistic. I'm living proof. At times I've nearly killed myself with cardio and it didn't seem to do anything.

I've also seen people do nothing but change what their eating, and the pounds melt off...

I totally understand what your saying. I enjoy lifting weights (good stress release and time out), but I understand it's not for everyone. Come back and let us know how your doing!

Thanks Jim, that was nice of you to say. :) I'm going to bite the bullet and sign up for the WL4I diet tonight. I figure what's $27, really, when you can spend more than double that for a bottle of 60 pills filled with some "ancient Chinese secret" that hasn't been around long enough to show long-term effects (a la Fen Phen). Anyway, thanks again and I will keep you updated. All the best.
~Ali

I started using the LA weight loss diet (the diet was sent to us by a friend) Jan 11 2005 and within 2 1/2 wks had lost 12 pounds. That was it. Three & a half weeks later I had lost nothing more. I was terribly hungry all the time as well. Having sixty more pounds to go and having already stalled, I was very discouraged. The diet consists of lean meats, good carbs, lots of vegetables, some fruit and low fat daily--the perfect diet, right? So why no loss after just a week and a half? Anyway, while looking for a calorie counter on line, I stumbled over the WL4I site. Their sales pitch seemed logical. On my own I have also experienced some of their claims by accident. Anyway, for 27 bucks (the cost a good dinner out) I'd give it a try. It is now Mar 15th and I have lost a total of 25 lbs since Jan. 11th. This includes being off the diet for one whole week.It is not a hard diet to manage and at this point all systems are go. All this without exercise I may add. Hard excercise has never made me lose weight either. My wife has about the same weight to lose as I do. We started the LAWL together and she stalled 1 1/2 weeks into it having lost 12 lbs AND she WAS exercising 30-45 minutes HARD on the treadmill daily. Discouraged after losing the initial twelve pounds, and then stalling for over three weeks, she started WL4I at the same time as me and she has lost 23 lbs to date and over 13 inches overall. We consider this diet a vehicle to get to a comfortable weight to begin running again. A diet like this is obviously not meant to be a lifestyle (as a matter of fact, we plan to eat LAWL maintenance normally once we reach our goal) but in defense of the Weight Loss For Idiot Diet, the creators DO give you rules for living once you reach your goal weight and the rules are sound advice. Will check in another time for an update.
Thanks.

Hey Everyone, today was my first day of trying the WL4I and so far i think its an easy program to follow.. I signed up for this place called Medical Weightloss Clinic in Michigan, they have you go on this cleansing stage for 3 days, i lost 8lbs in the 3 days, i started to follow their program and got off track gaining everything back in less then a week.. I figured i would try this out, and from the reviews i've seen it seems to work.. I'll keep you all updated.. For anyone who's tried WL4I please email and let me know how its going for you.. Thanks rskhalaf@aol.com

hey, ali, good comments. my husband and i were looking for a new diet for after easter. we are basically within the right weight for our height range but didn't like our little bulge areas. we did do cardio for ten to twenty min each morning and a upper or lower body weight session each afternoon. i still wasn't where i wanted to be and since i am over 50 now i didn't think i may ever get to the weight i so much wanted, the weight of my youth 20-27. my husband was searching around and found negative calorie diet (negativecaloriediet.com) it cost 20 dollars and we downloaded it. unforntunately we did not print it all out since it was on the computer. it no longer is there and they did not after two different requests send us another copy even though we gave them our user numbers. anyway the point is, after three months, my husband lost 25 lbs and i lost 13 lbs. and we felt great, looked great, and DID NOT exercise a single day during that three months. the diet is for 7 days only but we liked it so much we modified the soup recipe they give and we proceeded lossing slowly. we went off it for christmas. i planned all the bad foods we had not had any of during the three months, then friends came to visit, etc and we put back on 10 and 5 lbs respectly, of course. we don't feel as good as we did on the diet so we were looking for something new, which i think the body enjoys. good luck to all. and hoping to hear some results before we jump on this band wagon.

I jusst purchased the Wl4I handbook, but could not get into it as I followed directions to "bookmark" it and got all fouled up, then I tried to get back onto the site and found I had to re-buy the book. Is there no way to log-in using my newly acquired user name and password? Need help ...please! Fran

Frances, unfortunately you have to try and email the WeightLoss4Idiots people. They seem to assign different users different URLs to login. I had to goto dietaccess.com and enter in my user id.

Hi... I've looked at the WLFI website...and I am quite intrigued...like many other writers...I've tried several things... I am very active...and have yet to break the 200lb mark... I don't have any addictions...I've even turned vegetarian..to an extent... I am frustrated and want to try something without starving myself...or feeling as if I'm running in circles...literally.... anyone who has been on the WLFI program for at least four weeks, please let me know how you are doing... (blackdavinci@yahoo.com)

Does anyone know if the weight you take off, stays off?
Also (question for WL4I dieter), is it possible to take of 25-30 LBS before July?

I bought WL4I last week and I lasted only 4 days! I can tell ya'll that I've been able to do Atkins for 6 mos. before eventually calling it quits so I am no diet lightweight but this is NOT easy to stay on. You eat the same foods over and over again for 11 straight days. I was so hungry in between my meals that I would have to drink coffee just to keep from freaking out and binging. I got so sick of cottage cheese that I wanted to throw up. One of my typical menus for the day was Meal #1:chicken w/grapes, Meal #2:cottage cheese, Meal #3 Tuna salad w/fat-free mayo, Meal #4 Egg Salad W/fat-free mayo. Doesn't sound like much fun hu? Fat-free mayo is like some sort of synthetic jelly-like substance, it's disgusting.

I say don't waste your money. It is basically a low-carb, low-fat diet. You eat bread VERY sparingly, and low starchy fruits and veggies.

What makes me so mad about buying this crap is that they wouldn't tell you anything about the diet until you bought the "handbook". I should've known it was a freakin' rip-off! My husband tried to warn me and as always I never listen. When are we going to learn and quit getting sucked in by each new fad diet???? I guess in my case NEVER!

How interesting it is to read all these comments. Now aged 70+ I have been a fat girl all my life, but have managed to remain healthy and active. Now O.A. has slowed me down, and a "bad back" has restricted my mobility, so that I spend most of my days off my feet.
In the past, I have kept my weight reasonable (under 200lbs) by yo-yo dieting and activities, ie tennis, walking. Now I find that I am going to pile it on. (My back seems to be a chronic problem). I have been maintaining 1200cals per day, with a balanced diet, 3 meals, small quantities. Counting points with Weight Watchers doesn't work, as I put on weight if I eat the recommended amount of food, and if I cut down, they tell me I am not "eating enough"!!
We have "Sure Slim" here in Oz, and many people seem to be having success with them.
Any helpful comments PLEASE. Marilyn. N.S.W.

Marilyn: The main issue with your situation would be a very slow metabolism. The challenge is trying to keep active when your body is unable to.

I've heard of Sureslim - apparently they charge quite a lot of money to come up with your meal plans. Good luck!

Hi everyone!
Just want to let you all know I have been on WL4I since Jan 3,2005 and I have lost a total of 34 pounds so far(216 to now 182..and my goal is to reach around 140 pounds). I have even lost over 20 inches off my entire body which is amazing. This is the most weight I have ever lost in my entire life. What is motivating me now is that I am maid of honor in my sister's wedding in Sept. and Im hoping to look somewhat decent in the dress...and of course I want to look and feel alot healthier then I did when I was over 200 pounds. I love this diet. My self-esteem has risen sky high and I have so much more energy than I used to. Im 32 now and I've been a yo-yo dieter since I was 19. Im just hoping I can keep the weight off this time.
I came across WL4I by accident online when I was looking up a calorie counter and it sounded very interesting so I decided to give it a try. I think it's the best $27 I have ever spent. Like any diet, it takes motivation and lots of will power and having people doing it with me helps out alot. This diet is so easy to follow...its all the foods you love and I feel like Im not starving myself. I am now used to drinking all the water it requires and to tell the truth Im not really exercising like I should..just some walking and pilates every now and then....and Im not looking anything like a shar'pei like someone said earlier. I'm not losing 9 pounds every 11 days like it says but that's okay. I think that much is a little too drastic. Ive been losing 4-5 pounds every 11 days which I think is pretty darn good. What I like most about this diet is the fact you get a 3 day cheat period where you can eat anything you want in moderation...this motivates me even more to stick with this diet through the 11 days and not to cheat until the cheat days. It's so worth it. What other diet is there that you can do that? I have promoted this diet to so many people and everyone I know who has tried it so far loves it. If anyone wants to email me please do at Caligyrl72@aol.com. I would love to hear about your progress too!

Dear Jim

After reading all the comments you have posted, it still leaves me perplexed. Albailey's letter was most disturbing. Why is this any different from South
Beach or modified Atkins?? Does it really work?? Is this something for life?? If your first 11 days of meals are #1:chicken w/grapes, Meal #2:cottage cheese, Meal #3 Tuna salad w/fat-free mayo, Meal #4 Egg Salad W/fat-free mayo, then what do you change your meals to for the next 11 days??

Thank you so kindly, shalom

curtis

Curtis,
Those are not the foods you eat everyday...that may be what ONE day of her diet consists of. You get to choose other foods you like to eat too like hamburgers, omeletes, pasta with spaghetti sauce, pastrami sandwiches, mixed nuts, mixed fruit, mixed veggies...etc etc etc and the diet generator makes an 11 day diet consisting of the foods you have chosen. I don't know what Albailey is complaining about. Out of all the diets I've tried, this one is my favorite and it is so easy to follow...and I am living proof that it works...34 pounds in 3 months. I am never hungry throughout the day...she may have been spacing her meals out with too many hours in between each meal. I eat 4x day at the times of 8am, 12pm, 3pm, and then 7pm and I feel just fine. To each his own I guess.

Jim

Great answer, thank you for your input. In your response to chefbrain you mentioned;
'But you're right - pay $10 more to get BFFM. It's a no-brainer.'

What is BFFM and are you receommending this over WL4I??

Thank you so kindly

curtis

Wow, there's so many posts on here - I think it's great! I promised I'd come back and give Jim (and whomever else is interested) an update on my progress on this Weight Loss 4 Idiots diet, so here I am (I always try to keep my promises)!

I actually began the diet on Monday, March 21st and as of Sunday, March 27, I had lost 8 pounds. I have read all of the other comments above but I must tell you that I am over the moon. As stated before, all diets and their success and/or failure is individualistic to the person and what their body, and they as a person, can handle. That said, this diet is a Godsend for me, truly. If you can bear with me, I'll explain why and give as much input as I can to, hopefully, aid people in making their decision if this diet is right for them so they won't 'waste' the $27.

Firstly, I hate to cook. The cutting, dicing, preparing, the hanging over the stove.. I'm sorry but it just isn't me. This diet does not mandate that you cook an awful lot - in fact, most things you can do in a microwave if you wish. My meals, as I chose them, are based on the following: Chicken, eggs, fish filets, ground turkey, cottage cheese, vegetables, fruit (sometimes with fat free Cool Whip!) hot dogs, a roast beef sandwich and flavored oatmeal. Yes, I will confirm that I eat chicken and ground turkey about 9 days out of the 11. I also eat frut and vegetables in one form or other every single day. I can also confirm that the diet is a relatively high protein, low carb and low fat diet. However, what you eat is very healthy.

It is also important to note that the rule of thumb of the whole entire diet is that you MAY EAT AS MUCH AS YOU WANT UNTIL YOU ARE SATISFIED BUT NOT STUFFED! If you think about this rationally, most of us probably DO eat well beyond what is necessary at meals because either, you don't want to waste the food, or it tastes too good to put the fork down. This diet, at least for me, has taught me when enough is enough and I can't see that as a bad thing. I'm guessing that if you are hungry between meals, you are either 1. waiting too long between them or 2. you are not eating enough at one sitting. I can also understand why it may seem boring to some and they may not be able to stick to it, but truly, at 34 and having been overweight since I was 9, this is the easiest diet I have ever been on in my life! Sure 9 days of chicken might get boring, but a little Jamaican Wild Fire sauce or some Mrs Dash goes a long way to spicing it up a bit. You have to be createive with it. The diet allows you to have ketchup, BBQ sauce, fat free mayo, low cal or low carb salad dressing and any other condiment that is less than 10 cals. I've even managed to get away with low cal/fat free creamer in my coffee! Personally, I'm at a point in my life where I'm sick of letting my weight control me. Yes, as I said, the food can get boring if you LET it, but as the person above stated, you get 3 cheat days where you can eat whatever you want so, to me, it can't get any easier than that. There is NO weighing, NO measuring, NO staring at labels and spending 2 hours in the supermarket and NO counting of stupid points! (How much closer to obsessive/compulsive behavior can you get?) It's all done for you. I honestly cannot imagine how to make a diet any easier unless it came with a chef to cook it for you.

Secondly, I'd like to mention that I have not exercised a single day. I would like to join pilates to regain the flexibility I once had, but that will come in it's good time. So, if you are busy, have little or next to no time, I say this should be easy to do if you can stick to it.

Lastly, I can only speak from pesonal experience, but the only time I was EVER able to lose weight in my life was on a low carb, low fat diet (I talk about this in my first post). That Medical Weight Loss clinic in Michigan someone mentioned they went to and had a 3 day cleansing program - that was the exact clinic I lost over 60 lbs at following a similar plan (but having to measure everything to the ounce!). I think that a LOT of people have the same problem as I do - their bodies cannot handle a lot of carbohydrates because it turns to sugar and then fat, too fast, due to slow metabolism. This diet is specifically designed to trick your metabolism into burning calories more efficiently and for me, it seem to work. I say don't knock it til you try it.

The only other thing I wanted to quickly mention is that someone asked if the weight would stay off. Now I can't imagine eating the same exact foods for the rest of my life, but I do believe that this diet shows that eating less food, more often, is a better choice for a healthy metabolism. I think it promotes good eating habits. So, if you keep an eye on your weight once a week or so and catch yourself before it goes out of control, I don't see how you couldn't keep it off.

Anyway, I'll pop back in after another week or so for another update. I hope the news is good but I'm following this diet like a religion so it should be.

Regardless of what you chose to do, I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors. Thanks for reading.

Ali

Thanks Ali. Excellent info. Is anyone measuring body fat (e.g. with a fat caliper) or just using the scales.

Curtis: BFFM is a program called Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle - I blogged about it here. It costs $10 more than WL4I but is loaded with info. It's not for everyone as it's all about exact calorie control etc - but you do learn a huge amount about fat loss and nutrition.

I started the weightloss4idiot diet on march 6th the 1st 11 days I lost 6lbs., the next 11 days I lost 6lbs. I'm on day 4 of this 11 day cycle and I've lost 2lbs. You get fruits and vegetables along with chicken, roast, tuna...you get to choose what you like with the diet generator. I haven't had any trouble getting in to the site.

From what I can tell, the science of the diet is real. It is true that eating more often throughout the day (smaller portions) is a healthy lifestyle. Its also true that lowfat is a better choice 9cal/gram as opposed to 4cal/gram of carb or protein. Keep in mind that anytime you diet without exercise you are losing lean tissue as well as fat tissue. Lean tissue plays a HUGE role in keeping the metabolism up, so there are reasons to make sure exercise is part of any program. Exercise also keeps the body toned, which visually is more appealing. Overall, body fat % should be where anyone should concentrate, not just weight. I am 5'4 and weigh 160, but my bodyfat is 12%. I am heavy, but not fat. I am a fan of bodyforlife.com which also encourages eating more than 3 times a day and does not require calorie counting. Body for life elevates exercise as an equal player to a healthy fit body. Sorry for rambling, but my point is that everyone should consider more than just how much you weigh, its also the quality of the overall body that should matter. BTW, this is my very first blog entry in life! I feel so special :-)

Wow! There are just so many post! Is this usual? I just read the info on WL4I and thought it made some sence. I searched for a review and found this site. Great help. Kinda wondering if the positive post are genuine or if they are from employees of the WL4I company. Anyway I will probably give it a try anywnay. Just $27.00 that "may" just work for my life sstyle.
Will post agin once I have something to report.
Good news hopefully.

Ive just started today so I will let you know the results as they happen. I personally think all the comments are genuine I know mine will be, I know the struggle of losing weight so if it works I will be very happy

Rhondyrose, I can honestly tell you that I am NOT employed by the Weight Loss 4 Idiots company or any facet thereof. I am a 34 year old American woman who lived in England for 7 years, gained back a lot of weight I lost on a similar type of diet plan (see my posts above regarding the clinic) who was, myself, doing research into this diet before I dished out the $27. That's how I found this site. I don't have any other way to convince you, but I can't imagine that the company would be desperate enough to send people from their company to suck in users. There are enough overweight people who are desperate enough to try anything that will make the money roll in for them, I'm sure.

I do hope you choose to give it a go. It's working for me and it may work for you too.

All the best.

~Ali

I just started the WL4I three days ago and I am on my fourth day today. I love this diet and think it is easy and worth the money. I started weight watchers first and lost fifty pounds and then as I added things back into my diet I gained weight. I think weight watchers is wonderful, but I was ready for something new. Also can anyone tell me about alcohol consumption with WL4I. I know is says 1 glass of wine with a meal, but can you drink beer? Will if affect the diet if you drink beer two nights a week? Can anyone give me some input? I would really appreciate it. Thanks, Paige

Beer contains a sugar called Maltose. That is the worst kind of simple carbohydrate you can consume. Maltose is usually stored in the mid-section; hence the "beer belly". My answer would be this: for every beer you drink do 10 mins on an elliptical machine within 24 hours of consumption. Then again, you do get those 3 free days...

My husband and I aare on our first cycle of WWFI (day 9). He has lost 11 pounds and I, 8 pounds. We are looking forward to the 3 days off. Hopefully, the pounds won't appear again. I have never lost this quickly before. I am a gym rat and he does no exercise other than yard work. The food is repetitive . Only 14 different offerings for 44 meals but hunger is not a problem. The key is to be inventive and vary preparation as much as possible.

I want to start off by saying that I've just been on the south beach diet for four days and stopped it,because it was reaking havoc on my system. I wasn't so much craving food but I constantly felt like i had no energy and became increasingly irratable.I dont know how anyone can go two whole weeks without eating any carbs at all and still function, not just physically but mentally. I reviewed the wL4I diet and it seems somewhat reasonable although some of the meal combinations are a bit strange i.e "tuna salad with spagetti". I really would like to lose about five pounds, so my question is to any of you that have done this diet, how long was it before you lost that amount? Also did you feel normal while on it (physically and mentally)?

I started WL4I on April 5th after taking my daughter for her 21st Birthday dinner the nite before and really pigging out on my favorites. I started the diet at 262 lbs. I'm 57 yrs. young, 6'2" with a large frame and to look at me you definitely would not call me fat nor believe my weight.BUT, I've been feeling very sluggish and BLAH so I figured I'd try it. This morning, April 12th, after 1 week on "My Diet", I've lost 8 lbs. and weighed in at 254lbs. and it seems like I never stop eating. I love this diet.It's so easy, I enjoy the food (with some imaginative preparation), and I Figure I'll keep on it 'till I reach my high school fighting weight of 230 lbs. I'm also REALLY looking forward to my Martini's on my 3 "Cheating Days".

Myron