Typical Cost:
under $250
Type Program:
Internet, diet website
Type of Foods Used:
grocery store food, meal replacements
At-Home or Direct Mail Plan Available?
Yes
Summary
This is an online weight loss program created by the publishers of the women’s fitness magazine entitled
SHAPE. iShape is brought to you by Weider Interactive Networks, Inc. an affiliate of Weider Publications, Inc., the publisher of SHAPE
Magazine and other health and fitness publications.
iShape is a personalized online weight loss tool that helps dieters to reach their goals through an individualized combination of guidance, instruction and motivation. The publishers claim that it’s like hiring your own personal trainer and nutritionist, only a lot more affordable.
iShape is available to men and women, although most readers of Shape magazine are likely to be women.
When you join iShape, you’ll get the following:
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Customized cardio and strength programs
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Five-meal-a-day plan including your favorite foods
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Daily email program delivery.
Fees
The iShape plan costs $40 for 12 weeks, slightly less than the $5 per week charged by eDiets.com. A one-year plan costs $89.
How the Program Works
iShape starts with a series of questions to determine your current fitness level and from there, tell you what kind of results you can achieve by following the
iShape program. You need to calculate your body fat percentage by taking a few measurements (neck, abdomen, biceps, thighs, etc.). After you sign up,
iShape presents you with a series of questions in order to find out what you like to eat, how you like to work out and how much time you have.
iShape uses that information to formulate a completely personalized program designed to fit your abilities, your work schedule and your food and exercise preferences. If you later find that you’d like to change your original preferences, you can return and update them at any time.
The program is based on grocery store foods, creating high carbohydrate, low-fat meals. This is contrary to the current trend toward LOW-carb plans.
Like other diet websites, iShape does all the number crunching, showing you not only how many calories you’re consuming, but also the percentage of fat, carbohydrates and protein in your diet.
iShape uses tested training techniques and philosophies to create cardio workouts that stimulate fat loss and muscle growth. The plan’s cardiovascular routine is as flexible as you need it to be. If you get thrown you off your routine, you can easily reschedule and replace your workouts.
You record your cardio exercise in the site’s interactive logs. In addition to helping to keep you on track, your input will help iShape
monitor your progress and make updates to your program to better reflect your daily routine.
Whether you like to work out at the gym or lift weights at home,
iShape has a strength program that you can work into your schedule.
iShape creates a custom-designed strength training plan that’s geared to your ability, goals and daily schedule.
Each day, you’ll receive a personalized plan by email, keeping the dieter on track and motivated toward their goal. The daily meal plan, cardio and strength programs are delivered each morning.
The daily emails also offer one direct access to the iShape home page so that you can interact with the program—logging your meals or exercise, and checking your shopping list or just seeing what’s for dinner tomorrow night. A weekly email is sent to you about your progress.
iShape also claims to offer a "community" where you can seek advice and support from other
iShape users. The website also has bulletin boards where you can post a message.
Key Questions to Ask of An Online Diet Program
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Is it a healthy online diet designed by a qualified dietitian or nutritionist?
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Does it teach good eating habits?
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Does it offer steady weight loss?
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Does it offer advice on exercise?
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Does it offer online diet support and help with diet motivation?
Comment
Shape Magazine has been around for a long time, geared to the fitness-conscious woman. Exercise is their forte and what they are mainly known for. However, in our opinion, this site falls short in several areas: nutrition basics and interactive tools and motivational support. There is no mention on the site of "asking the dietitian" or "asking the psychologist" for tips and guidance, and getting a live or email reply. Also, it does not mention accommodating dieters with special needs (lactose intolerant, vegetarian, people with diabetes, etc.). Consequently, one might find a better diet website, richer in content and support, by spending a little more money. This program seems to be geared to young women who are already in shape and have incorporated regular exercise into their lifestyle. The website also does not provide for the purchase of any manuals, books, meal replacement bars or shakes, nor any exercise videos or cassettes that might help you in your exercise program. It basically is an automated menu and exercise planner tool. The plan promises a very moderate rate of weight loss of one pound per week (at least that’s the result we got when we registered as a potential user and supplied our body measurements).
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