I have a strong aversion to MLM and crash diets. I think you made the right choice.

Pretty much any diet that leds to a weight loss will trigger the body to produce more of the hunger hormones and that is one reason why people tend to be unable to keep off weight once it is lost. I don't think it really matters which diet you follow.
Joann

I'm convinced the only way to lose weight is thru a healthy diet with real whole natural food (think The Food Pyramid) and exercise.

Good Housekeeping does not recommend all liquid diets and neither do medical people. Sounds like a pyrimid sale pitch

There are medically approved liquid diets used to start a weightloss routine for clinically obese people. These diets are used while under physician's care but must transition to a lifestyle change. If you don't change your eating habits, any weight lost on a liquid diet will come right back on. I know as my mom was placed on OptiFast many years ago. She lost 75 pounds but didn't continue seeing the nutritionist and *poof* it all came back.

Moderation, monitoring and exercise.

Ugh, ViSalus people are worse than Amway people! Stay far, far away! Everyone I know who has done the ViSalus thing talks about nothing else and I swear they drive all their friends away harassing them about those stupid shakes.

There's nothing magical about losing weight from drinking shakes. You are just having less calories which will soon be back once you start eating like you used to.

Here's the study that reports on the hormone disruption weight loss causes the body. Our bodies evolved in an environment where there was never enough to eat so all our body systems are geared towards preventing starvation. It's a very interesting study

Here is a link that might be useful: Post diet weight gain study

I am quilty... tried slim fast and did lose weight on it a few years ago.. it does work. I am quite sure it is not the healtiest way to go. Weight Watchers to me is pretty hard to beat... I really like it now that it's online, you don't have to attend meeting's if you don't want to. There are all sorts of recipes available and They have a smart phone app....I love the smart phone app. It is super handy to keep track of your points on and when you are out you can pull it up and check the points for foods at different restaurants. I also like the way you can figure points for a food that doesn't have points listed. I think Weight Watchers online is something like 17.00 a month, that's a pretty good bargain, in my opinion. I have also tried other liquid protein diets and after a while they made my stomach hurt and I had a nausating (sp) feeling after drinking them.

I also think Weight Watchers is the best way to go. But even though it is a great program and it works I was never able to maintain my weight after I lost it there. It was just too difficult to stick to it and I would have to for the rest of my life I guess. It's not lack of knowledge about what to eat it is just like a constant battle with my own body.
Joann