This year, 55 million Americans, 30% of the U.S. population will make the commitment to lose weight by going on a diet, but with so many new diets popping up, determining which one is a fad and which one may actually lead to sustainable weight loss is overwhelming.
Designers of major diet plans sell customers on an idea that there’s some magical, unique, undiscovered menu that will simply melt fat right off of the body. If this were true, then Americans wouldn’t spend over $30 billion per year on weight loss products and services and 66% of the population would not still be overweight or obese.
According to Dieting Does Not Work, Researchers Report, published in April 2007’s Science News, “ ‘Several studies indicate that dieting is actually a consistent predictor of future weight gain," said Janet Tomiyama, a UCLA graduate student of psychology and co-author of a study that analyzed 31 long-term diet studies.
Statistics show that the 95% of dieters will fail to keep the weight off for five years. Worse, the majority of dieters will gain back more weight than they originally lost.
The Skinny on Diets
Diets work on the principle of starvation. Calories consumed must be less than calories expended. Period. Every diet on the market from Atkins and NutriSystem to the cabbage soup diet restricts calories to the point that weight loss is inevitable. However, it’s this caloric restriction that leads most consumers to give up on the diet.
In Business Week Online’s, How NutriSystem Got Fat and Happy, statistics show that, “The average customer stays on the program just 10 weeks and loses about 2 pounds per week. About one-third come back within a year, many having regained the weight.” Michael Hagan, the Entrepreneur responsible for reshaping NutriSystem says, "It’s a sad thing…But it makes a very attractive business model."
Choosing the Right Diet
Before rushing out to buy the newest diet plan to hit newsstands ask yourself does the diet:
1) Encourage rapid weight loss NOT lifestyle changes?
2) Contain less than 25-45 grams of fiber per day?
3) Eliminate any one particular food or food group, for example carbohydrates, apples, squash, etc.? (Following a well-balanced vegetarian/vegan diet is the only exception to this rule.)
4) Replace whole foods with shakes, bars, pills, etc.?
5) Require purchasing and taking additional supplements, for example “fat burner” type pills?
6) Restrict calories to below 1,200 for women and 1,500 for men per day?
7) Advertise exercise-free weight loss?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions, the diet plan is nothing more than a fad that will leave your wallet empty and your fat stores full.
The Solution
There’s a difference between moderation and starvation. Studies show that moderation leads to long-term success while starvation leads to bingeing, weight gain and an increased risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, weakened immune systems, depression, vitamin and mineral imbalances and more.
The only magic pill for successful weight loss is moderation combined with regular physical activity.
Be sure to check out Amy's other articles:
Lose 104 Pounds a Year: Kill Your TV
Amy Giaquinto - Hi, I'm Amy Giaquinto an ACE Certified Personal Fitness Trainer, health and fitness writer and screenwriter. I've written for national ...
