Go straight to your fridge and cabinets and toss out anything that you think would be problematic. That is the first step. My husband and I did this diet together over the summer. It is one of three diets that I got him to try with me. Joy Bauer, the creator of this diet, is great because she gave me choices for meals and let me pick what I wanted from the list. I did not get sick of what I was eating and my husband and I were able to do it together. The rules were easy to follow and I did not feel deprived. I found out that I had more self control than I thought I did, once the bad stuff was out of the house. This diet taught my husband and I to prepare our meals ahead of time and what to do if something got in the way of what we had originally planned to eat. It is a free diet; there is plenty of information regarding this diet online, so I did not even have to purchase the book. My husband and I found a different diet to try, so that is why we stopped this one, but the Joy Fit Club Diet definitely taught me a lot about eating right, being positive in my dieting outlook, and how to keep weight off. I would recommend it to anyone.

Fairyrhi

USA

I tried the Joy Fit Club Diet for about two months. I read the book, followed all instructions and even followed the recipes. I had no luck with this particular diet. The book is great for inspiration and does get you motivated, but still lacks in giving you results. I feel that this diet plan was hard to follow as it requires alot of discipline and effort. The recipes in the book weren't very appealing or tasty. I also found them to be very costly to prepare. I found that after each meal, I was still very hungry and that developed into headaches. For me, this diet was a waste of time. I do have to say that I did however lose five pounds, but do not feel as the Joy Fit Club Diet had much to do with it. I think of this publishing as more of just another motivational self help book, rather than a true diet plan. This diet was far from a success for me and I would definitely not recommend it to anyone.

ghobbs1

USA

I am not a dieter, I am more of an *eat what you want, in small amounts* kind of girl. When I was younger I never gained weight, never. I was 5'7.5 and didn't weigh 100 pounds until college and I ate whatever and whenever I wanted. I finally landed on 115 and stayed there for over 20 years. THEN something terrible happened, I turned 40! The age never bothered me but the fact I was gaining weight, that I no longer had a flat stomach and that I had less stamina did bother me! All of this made me learn something about myself: I have no willpower! I really don't! If I tried to follow a diet plan and saw some Dove dark chocolate, I'd have a piece, or two! And coke, I seldom drink pop but if I was trying to follow a diet, I'd crave (and drink) ice cold coke! It was really odd and discouraging. Then, I came across the Joy Fit Club. It is a diet plan designed by nutritional expert Joy Bauer. The great thing is that it is a simple, common sense diet. It is easy to follow as she gives you 42 meals (14 options each for breakfast, lunch and dinner) as well as a list of snacks: along with their calorie count. If that isn't enough, she also includes a set of rules and a 30 minute circuit training fitness routine: all for FREE. It was easy to adapt to and switch over the whole family. There are five Joy Fit weight loss club rules:**1. Think positive**Successful weight loss is 50 percent attitude. Decide you're going to lose weight permanently and just do it! **2. Out with the old, in with the new**Go through your cabinets and fridge and toss or donate all unhealthy, problematic junk food. Also, be sure to get rid of your personal trigger foods. These are the foods that once you start eating, you can't stop. Instead, stock up on produce, lean meats, low-fat dairy and whole grains. **3. Prepare to prepare**Take 10 minutes the night before to plan out your food for the next day. That's because our days can often become hectic and overwhelming, causing us to impulsively grab high-fat, calorie-loaded food. On the other hand, if you're mentally prepared with a food strategy, you'll be less likely to jump ship. **4. Don't forget to eat**Within 90 minutes of waking, start the day with a smart breakfast. Then, continue to eat every four to five hours throughout the remainder of your day. You'll keep your blood sugar levels stabilized, which in turn helps control hunger and cravings. For most people, this means eating a well balanced breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. **5. Move it and lose it!**Commit to 30 minutes of daily exercise. Take a walk, join an exercise class, jump rope, follow a work out video, ride your bike... *Like I said, common sense. Where this might be hard would be if the dieter is part of a family and the only one following the plan. I think it is something that would benefit all family members, I mean what family wouldn't feel better after cleaning out all the junk food in their lives? I also like number 3 as I find the more I am prepared, the smoother my life runs!**Rule number** 5: Move it and lose it can be hard to get to sometimes. To make it easier, Geralyn Coopersmith has came up with a 30 minute circuit training routine. Try it out yourself at msnbc.msn.com/id/22627588*This is a great option for all of us busy Moms who don't always have time to hit the gym!*By making the Joy Fit Club menus available on line, they are available to everyone wanting to follow this diet: even if they need to go to the library to print out the list. All of her menus include a way to add an extra 100 calories if the options are less calories than you need. Here is a sample of a few of the meal choices:**Breakfast**PB & J English muffinToast whole grain English muffin; spread each half with one level teaspoon peanut butter and one teaspoon jam. Serve with half grapefruit or other fruit such as an orange, peach, or plum*To add approximately 100 calories: enjoy 2 level teaspoons peanut butter and 2 teaspoons jam on each muffin half.***Dinner***First week (no starch)*Sirloin steak with mozzarella & tomato salad5 ounces grilled sirloin steak (trimmed of all fat). Feel free to add 2 tablespoons steak sauce or ketchup. Enjoy with mozzarella and tomato salad (slice half of a red tomato and 1 ounce reduced-fat mozzarella cheese. Line alternate slices of tomato and cheese on plate, and drizzle with 2 tablespoon low-calorie balsamic vinaigrette). Serve with 12 steamed or grilled asparagus spears.*To add approximately 100 calories; enjoy an extra two ounces of sirloin steak (total of 7 ounces).**Week Two (starch added) *Grilled fish with Brussels sprouts and sweet potato6-ounce fish filet (wild salmon, flounder, sole, tilapia or trout) grilled with one teaspoon olive oil, plus lemon juice and preferred seasonings. Enjoy with one cup steamed Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, or summer zucchini, topped with one tablespoon reduced fat, soft tub margarine (trans fat free). Serve with 1/2 plain baked sweet potato*To add approximately 100 calories: enjoy the other half of potato. * *full list of the menus (along with some recipes) is available here: today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22414698/?pg=3**Note:** There are no beverage included in the calorie count. The plan wants you to drink two 8-ounce glasses of water before eating your lunch and dinner. You can also have a non-caloric beverage, tea or coffee.*I don't think the plan was too restrictive but then again, I am a small eater. It helps that she also list multiple snacks so one could add a few snacks and still be following the plan. As a grazer, that would help me stick to it!*All in all I'd say the Joy Fit club is an easy to follow, common sense lifestyle (covering both diet and fitness) that we should all be following. Hopefully, her easy to follow, easily accessible, plan will help motivate many to join the club, or at least follow some of her five rules.

Kristy

Camano Island, WA