Vtrim for Weight Loss

How about going back to school this fall? Not any school though, an online class that helps you trim your waistline. I was just alerted to a new program about weight loss that I thought I’d share with you. First of all, when someone tells me about a new weight loss solution, I usually cringe. Don’t we all already know that diet and exercise is the way to be thinner? And yet, there are several of us that need some extra help in that area. That’s what Vtrim can provide.

Most positively, it isn’t a diet program. Rather, it’s educational and interactive experience that gives people the tools to achieve a sustainable lifestyle change by getting them to change their behaviors. Vtrim offers classes online led by a health facilitator. The classes continue for 24 weeks, where participants learn new behaviors about food and also become more aware of what they are eating. The average weight loss is 24 pounds, which is certainly a healthy amount to lose in that time frame.

Vtrim sent me some facts about their program:

Vtrim at a Glance

• Vtrim is not a diet – it’s a lifestyle. It’s a 24-week research-based online behavioral weight loss program developed at the University of Vermont over 17 years by Dr. Jean Harvey-Berino.
• The Vtrim philosophy is simple – “eat less, move more” – but the program itself is so much more. What Vtrim participants get is a sustainable, educational and clinical program for successful long-term weight loss – and it’s all just a click and a keystroke away.

The Numbers

• Average weight loss is 24 lbs.
• Average percentage weight loss is 10.8 percent.
• A Virtual Coach in Your Corner -Vtrim’s “virtual coaches” – a team of expert health facilitators who lead each group – differentiate Vtrim from all other programs, which are either peer-led or offer no professional feedback.
• Group facilitators have advanced degrees in nutrition and health and complete a rigorous forty-five hour training session.
• Small groups are at the heart of success for Vtrim participants – group members get expert support and peer-to-peer support over the course of the 24-week program, meeting weekly for a lesson and group discussion via live chat.

How Vtrim Online Works

• Each Vtrim participant is given a unique username and password for access to the online classroom. Only the 20 people in Vtrim group have access to that online group.
• Participants have access to weekly lessons, a bulletin board, personal blogs, and live chat.
• Most importantly, they have access to their online food journal, where they keep track of what they eat, look up food information data, store foods they eat often in a virtual pantry and track their exercise data. Facilitators provide feedback on the journal, reinforcing behavior change and providing encouragement.
• Vtrim also incorporates exercise goals, which are not typically the focal point of other weight loss programs.

Check out their website for more information.

Image: Vtrim