Diet Review: The Anne Collins Weight Loss Program

I must admit, before I started doing diet reviews, I had never even heard of Anne Collins. On first visit to the Anne Collins website, I was struck by how unpolished - almost unprofessional - it looked.

Scrolling down, my browser was assailed by list after list of blue underlined links (yellow alert) on the left side, and testimonials (orange alert) on the right. Seeing that the cost of the program was billed as only $19.97 for a year's access, I was ready to go into full four-alarm-fire red-alert mode... but I looked a little farther.

I made a mental note. Okay, so total cost = $19.97. But what is the consumer getting for that money? I recall hearing about several "work at home" schemes that promised you jobs, only to take your money and provide you with nothing more than a database of other sites that find you jobs. The links down the left of the main page certainly are suspicious.

However, being at least somewhat familiar with the way search engines work, and the tagging of web pages, I'd be prepared to forgive Anne Collins that as a necessary evil in order to bring in traffic... if what she offers is real support to the would-be, or even seasoned, dieter. I did some more detective work, and here's what I discovered.

Final Judgement

A main feature of the Anne Collins index page is a list of seven reasons to join the program. I wanted to see if the site delivers what it promises, so going down the list, I checked things off on my mental list.

1. There Are No Gimmicks

Check. No diet pills, no equipment. I'm satisfied.

2. Recommended by Doctors

Okay, but "Dr" Atkins and "Dr" Phil have both published diet books, and I'm not a fan of either. Look at the world of infomercials. Everyone has their price, it would seem, as sad as it is to say. There is always some doctor out there willing to endorse a product for a paycheck. So, no check, but no big red "X" either. A doctor's recommendation leaves me nonplussed.

3. Very Easy Diet Plans

If dieting were easy, we'd all be thin by now. So I'm a little jaded. But in all seriousness, in relation to other diets I've reviewed, the information on Anne Collins is straight-forward, and there are plenty of recipes, snack choices, and meal suggestions available for each of the 9 plans offered (which include vegetarian, glycemic index, low cholesterol, etc). Begrudging check.

4. World Class Support

Your membership gets you 24/7 access to the website's forum, where members post to encourage each other, swap words of wisdom, or find a buddy for accountability. Most plans offer such support these days, and there are forums one doesn't have to pay to join, but I'm evaluating kept promises, so check.

5. TONS of Motivation

I laughed at the use of caps. Motivation... that is the trick, isn't it? This program offers its two cents in the way of tips "to boost weight loss and prevent weight gain when LIFE intervenes!" Again, most online diet programs do. And again, these tips could probably be found in a google search, if you were really looking. But check.

6. Great Exercise Advice

Number six gives me pause. Having evaluated the materials, I must point out that what Anne offers is primarily a diet plan, and is not as strong in the exercise department. There are certainly helpful tidbits here and there, but if you're looking for the equivalent of an online personal trainer, then no check.

7. Unbeatable Price

I've got to hand it to her, by the end of the list of seven points, I have to agree with Anne on this one. $20 is pretty darn cheap.

So maybe some of the information is available elsewhere, if you had the time and motivation to dig it up. I think we have already shown beyond a shadow of a doubt that we're willing to pay for convenience. So maybe there are no magic exercise spells to melt the pounds off you in seconds flat. But how often have you spent $20 on popcorn and a movie you ended up hating anyway?

My conclusion is... good value for the money. What do you have to lose?

Note:

I do not condone low-carb diets. If I were to recommend one of Anne Collins' plans, it would be the Glycemic Index, or GI Plan.