Hourglass Diet: Does It Really Work?

If you are conscious of your weight and are trying to lose a few excess pounds, then you’ve probably done your research about the many diet plans out there. Lord knows you only need to Google “diet plan” and a whole bunch of them will come up.

One of the most popular options at the moment is called the Hourglass Weight Loss and Fitness Program, or simply, the Hourglass Diet. It’s actually owned and endorsed by physicians. But the question is does it really work?

The Hourglass Diet program is located in Savannah, Georgia. It comes with numerous options, too. The focus is supposedly on educating clients about being healthy. It’s supposed to teach sound nutrition, aid in the weight loss journey and offer fast 30-minute circuit workouts and packaged fresh, never-frozen and preservative-free meals.

It also comes with a web-based tool where members have access to information on health and nutrition. The program, designed by popular Dr. Neil Gordon, provides a series of educational topics. These include exercise and meal plans as well as diaries and progress reports.

Now, the program has been around for a few years. But it wasn’t until Ruby Gettinger started following the program that it gained mainstream attention. Gettinger is a Savannah resident and has her own reality TV program on the Style Network appropriately titled “Ruby”.

Gettinger at the time weighed 500 pounds and wanted to shed off 300 of them.

So what’s good about the Hourglass Diet?

• There is a variety in the meals available.
• You get access to professional opinions.
• The coverage of the program is wide – nutrition, exercise and other components of weight loss
• It promotes health as a lifestyle.
• There is social support.
• Enrolling in the program allows you access to an on-site gym.
• The foods are fresh and preservative-free.

The Hourglass Diet meal plan strictly follows the guidelines set by the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. A registered dietitian developed the recipes to ensure they’re healthy, convenient, tasty and affordable.

Meal plans are available for whatever caloric range is ideal for you. There are plans at 1200, 1400, 1700 or 2100 calories covering the entire day – breakfast, lunch and dinner. A couple of the plans even include healthy snacks. You can even pick between a 7-day, 5-day or an individual meal plan.

When it comes to fitness, the program uses a hydraulic fitness circuit. The training only lasts half an hour three times a week. There’s also a MyTrak option – a computerized training system that coaches you automatically and pushes you to do 2% harder than your last workout. This is so you continuously improve and increase your overall fitness.

For all the good points, however, there are also cons to the Hourglass Diet program, including:

• Limited gym locations. They’re all just within the state of Georgia.
• Pre-packed meals cannot be seen as long-term solutions.

The best thing about the Hourglass Diet program is you can get support and guidance with the package. Unlike other diets where you have to go at it alone, this program supports you every step of the way. It’s a bit more holistic too in the sense that it focuses not just on what you eat, but also gets you exercising and moving.

So does it work? If Ruby Gettinger is any indication, then it sure does.