It really depends on what kind of person you are: if you have a hard time getting ready and out of the house for errands, then meetings may not work for you. If you're a picky eater, then selected food programs with frozen meals and special snacks won't work in the long run. If you're an introvert, then you may have a hard time meeting friends for exercise time after a while and you'll start making excuses. The best thing to do is baby steps: Go online and find out what portions of food make a regular meal (most people eat double or triple portions b/c they're used to restaurant-sized portions). Buy a couple of cheap pedometers (you'll lose one pretty quickly) and set it in your underwear drawer or by your hairbrush so you remember to put it on every day - try to go on short walks or use the stairs to get your daily count up to 10,000 steps per day to get your regular exercise. Go thru your house and pantry and get RID of all serious junk food. Make a rule for yourself to only eat at the kitchen table with a place setting (no matter what food it is) and a rule that if you want a rich dessert, you have to create it and give most of it away (or store in the garage) or make a special trip to the store the Moment you want it - most of us are too lazy to do this. Start doing small habits and you'll have a good idea of how well you can follow a program's rules, then choose an educational one (like Weight Watcher's points teaching you how healthy your favorite foods are compared to lighter choices: like finding out you can have 2 Reese's PB cups or a 1/2 T of that sausage gravy you love). It will surprise you how bad some foods are and how some favorites are very doable!

Yeah, it probably takes some trial and error. Some programs will work for some and not for others. It's worth trying them out.

They are worth it if they work for you. They can be expensive but being over-weight can be expensive too.

They are also a good way for people to learn how to eat healthily. The right thing isn't always obvious. For example, most people don't know how small a portion of food really is or how few calories we actually need. So do Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, or whatever, and get a good result. After a while you'll how the knowledge to fly solo if you want to save some money.

In the short term, you're paying to learn, not paying to lose weight, and that's ok.

Losing weight is always worth it, health wise. I think the people who benefit most from programs are those who need accountability and guidance. The question to ask yourself is whether you think you can eat moderately and exercise on your own. I do know people who have done just as well keeping their own food journal to stay within the right calorie range as those who have it done for them with a "point" system. If you're wanting to be more frugal and DIY, you can do it! Just take it one day at a time.

You ask if weight loss plans are "worth it"? Firs,t I think, you have to ask yourself how much assistance you need in following through with a weight-loss plan? Can you do this on your won? What kind of support would be best for you, individual or group? Can you make/buy all your food and keep to a program, or do you want it easily accessible, already prepared and portioned. Once you answer those questions I think you can then find the weight loss plan/diet that will work best for you to achieve your goals. This WebMD article should help you find the right plan, once you've decided what you need to succeed: Link

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