Choose a plan you can follow.
May 3, 2006 (Press Release) --
"Proven weight loss" is a claim often made by weight loss programs. Yet two recent studies of different weight loss programs show that the program is less important than how well you stick with whichever one you choose. These studies also underline why you should select an approach that will enhance your overall health.
The reports of the two studies appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Annals of Internal Medicine. They illustrate how widely different current diets can be. Some emphasize low-fat eating, while others limit carbohydrates. Some commercial programs, like Jenny Craig, rely on pre-packaged meals to control eating, while popular diets, like Atkins, Zone or Weight Watchers, use eating plans—some more detailed and structured than others.
The study that looked at popular diets showed that the average weight loss was 4.6 to 7 pounds after one year. This average amount factors in the large 40 to 50 percent of people who quit within the year. If you only look at those who followed a diet for the full year, weight loss averaged 8.5 to 14.5 pounds. These actual losses appear small compared to the advertising claims of the diets. Furthermore, calorie consumption declined only 140 to 250 calories a day from initial levels. Looking at average losses can also hide the wide variation people had within each diet. Some dieters lost over 20 pounds, while others actually gained weight on the same diet during the course of the year.
The study that examined commercial weight loss programs discovered that most lack well-controlled studies supporting their claims. The one program with any solid research showed that typically people lost about five percent of their weight over three to six months. Special programs with extremely low calorie levels promoted faster weight loss, but their dropout rates were high, and those who continued frequently regained most of what they lost.
Source: http://www.msn.com/
The reports of the two studies appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the Annals of Internal Medicine. They illustrate how widely different current diets can be. Some emphasize low-fat eating, while others limit carbohydrates. Some commercial programs, like Jenny Craig, rely on pre-packaged meals to control eating, while popular diets, like Atkins, Zone or Weight Watchers, use eating plans—some more detailed and structured than others.
The study that looked at popular diets showed that the average weight loss was 4.6 to 7 pounds after one year. This average amount factors in the large 40 to 50 percent of people who quit within the year. If you only look at those who followed a diet for the full year, weight loss averaged 8.5 to 14.5 pounds. These actual losses appear small compared to the advertising claims of the diets. Furthermore, calorie consumption declined only 140 to 250 calories a day from initial levels. Looking at average losses can also hide the wide variation people had within each diet. Some dieters lost over 20 pounds, while others actually gained weight on the same diet during the course of the year.
The study that examined commercial weight loss programs discovered that most lack well-controlled studies supporting their claims. The one program with any solid research showed that typically people lost about five percent of their weight over three to six months. Special programs with extremely low calorie levels promoted faster weight loss, but their dropout rates were high, and those who continued frequently regained most of what they lost.
Source: http://www.msn.com/
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