My wife Joyce is starting a new diet challenge at her work this week and they have come up with a novel approach. Instead of losing a pre-determined amount of weight over a time period (such as 10 pounds), they have set it up as a percentage of their total body weight.
They have set their time period at 12 weeks and the goal weight loss percentage at 5 percent. They weigh in on the first day and they take that weight number and multiply it by .05. This gives them their weight loss goal. As an example, if someone weighs 200 pounds, five percent of that number would be 10 pounds. Their goal would be to lose 10 pounds over 12 weeks.
The way they have structured their contest is to have an entry fee and at the end of the contest everyone who meets their goal receives half of their money back. The top three losers (in percentage) get an additional payoff. This gives everyone an incentive to stay on the program and at least meet their pre-set goal.
This sounds like an interesting program to me. It has the element of competition, it seems like a fair contest since it is percentage based, and it has a reasonable timetable for completion. I told my wife that this would be a program that my readers might be interested in. We sat down and went over the details. We came up with a toolbox of goodies that would allow most anyone to setup a similar challenge.
Here is our 5 Percent Diet Club Toolbox.
12 Week Diet Club Tracker
Tracks calories, fat grams, and steps/day. This is a standard size 8.5×11 sheet that you can print out and stick on your desk or refrigerator. You write down your goals and then track your actual weekly results. This sheet will help keep you on track each week. We have also included a modified tracker that has minutes of weight training on alternate days for those of you that are adding resistance training to your routine.
Dieteer
This is a collection of cards that you print out on Avery Business Card stock. They fit easily in pocket or purse and can be clipped together for a complete wallet sized diet toolbox.
- Daily Tracker Card
Works well with most diet plans
Works with the Daily Diet Goal Card
Tracks calories and fat grams throughout the day - Weekly Exercise Card
Works well with most exercise plans
Tracks aerobic and resistance training throughout the week - Daily Diet Goal Card
Set your daily goal for calories, fat grams, and exercise
Post in a visual place on your desk or in your car
Use in conjunction with other Diet Motivators - Calorie & Fat Gram Card
Comes with popular fast food listings
Modify as necessary to include foods on your diet - Glycemic Listing Card
Comes with popular glycemic listings of popular food items
Modify as necessary to include foods on your diet - Twelve Week Weight & Waist Card
Works well for tracking your progress over 3 months
Designed for Body for Life and other plans - Weight Watcher Points Card
Track your daily Weight Watcher points
Provides a subtotal column so you can plan your next meal
Diet Club Motivators
These simple cards can be placed on your desk, your car dash, or on your refrigerator door to motivate and remind you to complete your successful actions every day. These cards are printed out on standard Avery Business Card stock and can easily be added to your dieteer. Take them with you anywhere.
Diet Club Books & Additional Tools
Since dieting requires planning and preparation, it’s best if you follow a profesionally designed plan. I would suggest that you find one that takes a balanced approach and includes diet and exercise examples. My favorite books that include weight training are Five Factor Fitness by Harley Pasternak, Body for Life by Bill Phillips, and Core Performance by Mark Verstegen. All of these plans are reasonably easy to do and can be followed at home with a minimal amount of equipment or food preparation.
My wife likes the low glycemic meals in the new Sonoma Diet. They are great recipes created in the spirit of the Napa Valley. Her exercise of choice is walking and the Omron pedometer goes with her wherever she goes. She aims for 6000-8000 steps/day. This clip on unit gives her visible feedback of her progress.
For the weigh-in portion of any diet, it’s important to have an accurate scale. I recommend the Tanita Scale as it has very accurate weight measurement and will also give you a relative body fat percentage. Since this unit is very precise, you can see your weight fluctuate through the day. It’s best to measure once a week, first thing in the morning.
One Simple Download
We have put all of the tools together in a simple to download zip file. Unzip the contents and open them in Microsoft word. Modify as necessary.
The tool box includes
- Dieteer: 9 Different Tracking Cards
- 12 Week Roster: Walking Only
- 12 Week Roster: Walking & Resistance Training
- Diet Motivator Cards: 10 Different Motivators
- 12 Week Tracking Cards: Full Page for Group Use
Here are simple instructions for printing and assembling your Diet toolbox.
- Download the Diet Toolbox
- Unzip the file (contains four templates)
- Open the template(s) in Microsoft Word
- Fill in the blanks as needed or print as is
- Print the 12 week roster on plain paper
- Print the cards out on Avery Business Card stock (10 card)
- Break the cards apart. Mix & match as necessary
- Clip them together with a mini-clip
- You now have a complete Diet Toolbox
- Track your diet with the daily cards
- Transfer your progress to the 12 week tracker
Good luck with your diet program. Remember to always check with your doctor before starting any type of diet or exercise program. This tool box is ideal for a workplace challenge. It includes 10 individual tracking cards on a sheet and 8.5×11 rosters for monitoring individual performance.
Other Card Based Items you may be interested in:
Five Minute Organizer
Five Minute Flowchart
Five Minute Outliner
Five Minute Motivators
Instant Garage Sale