NEW YORK, May 8, 2007
Rating The Best Diets
Consumer Reports Magazine Says "Volumetrics" Best To Shed The Pounds
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Play CBS Video Video Which Diets Really Work? In the battle of the bulge, how do you know which diet is right for you? Susan Koeppen takes a look at a study that rated the top diet plans, including Jenny Craig, SlimFast and Weight Watchers.
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(CBS/The Early Show)
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News Tools Contact Susan Early Show consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen is ready to help you. Just e-mail her!
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Section Susan Koeppen The Early Show's consumer correspondent shares her expertise.
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Quiz Are You Food Savvy? Have you consumed myths about diet and nutrition? Take these quizzes to find out.
Sadly, the answer to both questions is no. However, according to Consumer Reports magazine, there are diets that make more sense than others — and there are some tips you can follow that might make dieting a little easier.
A recent study by the magazine shows that Americans are pre-occupied with weight issues. The survey, conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, found that 41 percent of American adults (91 million) are currently trying to lose weight. Nearly half (46 percent) of all women are trying to shed weight, while about one third (36 percent) of men are dieting.
On The Early Show, consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen unveiled the results of a survey, which appears in the magazine's June issue, that names the top clinically-tested diet plans.
Coming in first was Volumetrics, in which dieters fill up on "low-density" foods like fruits and vegetables and consume a low-fat soup or salad before a meal to take the edge off their hunger.
Consumer Reports also gave high marks to the Weight Watchers diet plan, which uses weekly meetings and weigh-ins for motivation and behavioral support for diet and exercise changes. The Weight Watchers plan scored average on weight loss but first in long-term adherence. The magazine's experts found the Weight Watchers recipes appetizing and fairly easy to prepare.
The Jenny Craig diet plan is based on weekly one-on-one meetings and pre-packaged food. Consumer Reports did a study of client histories and found that while the plan had high dropout rates, dieters who stuck with the plan lost considerable weight.
The Slim-Fast diet uses meal-replacement shakes and bars that are easy to find in most grocery stores and drugstores. Clinical studies show above-average long-term weight loss but a high long-term dropout rate.
The magazine interviewed people who are listed on the National Weight Control Registry, which enrolls people who have documented that they lost 30 pounds and kept the weight off for at least a year. Some words of advice from winners at the losing game:
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- I hope this doesn't post twice--first time didn't work. I have to say there are no foolproof tricks to lose pounds. As co-founder of the LoneStart Weight Loss and Wellness Initiative, we know, "diets" don't work. Most people associate dieting with the negatives of weight loss, deprivation and denial. We tell our program participants that they have the opportunity to change lifestyle behaviors. It boils down to simply making the right choices, learning to eat smarter, eat the right foods, not eat the wrong foods, eat the right amount of foods (portion control), eat well nutritionally and incrementally increase levels of physical activity. For any weight loss program to work long term, it has to be incorporated as a lifestyle change. Simply losing pounds is not the answer if the change is not sustained long term. Behavior change is the premise behind our proven program, and without behavior change, you end up with frustrating and unhealthy yo-yo dieting patterns.
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- In answer to the first question posed by this story, the answer is "No, there are no foolproof tricks to make pounds go away. Until the 2/3 of our overweight population accept that this is not "diet" but "lifestyle" it's a cycle that further frustrates those who need help the most. And this is why "diets" don't work.
I am co-founder of the LoneStart weight loss and wellness initiative, and our strategy, while not mentioned in the CBS story, promotes the concept that traditional diets and exercise programs don't work because most people associate dieting with the negatives of loss, deprivation and denial. Our program is proven and successful because it offers an alternative strategy.
We encourage participants to explore opportunites to add positive choices and behaviors. It is a call for a change in lifestyle and boils down to learning to simply make the right choices, learning to eat smarter, eat the right foods, not eat the wrong foods, and eat the right amount of foods (portion control.
There are approximately 29,000 diet supplements on the market and we spend between $18 and $30 billion each year to try them out. The valid information is often as confusing as the misinformation, meaning the people who need the programs the most, in their frustration, end up doing nothing.
So while the programs reviewed here are valid programs, a "diet" is not the answer to long term weight loss and wellness. We need to be looking to long-term lifestyle change. - Reply to this comment
- I was on Weight Watchers some 30 yrs. ago. I lost 56 lbs. You have to put your mind to it. W.W. is not actually a diet, but teaches you the correct way to eat. Funny the minute someone mentions "diet" right away their in the defense. If everyone followed the food pyramid they wouldn't have to waste their money on all those far out diets that people just make money on. Wake up and smell the roses!
- Reply to this comment
- I use "Volumetrics"myself,lots of fruits and vegies.I also got "bored",the South Beach idea.I never keep forbidden food in my house,I stick to a strict diet,like a form of Weight Watchers.
The other thing that really worked for me,was,I got very depressed.(haha.)Due to circumstances,I got so depressed,I ate a lot less food.
THAT is really the best diet;EAT A LOT LESS FOOD.EAT A LOT LESS CALORIES.
The fruits and vegetables,soups,salads,help quite a bit.find food that you like, stick with it.I happen to like fruit,yogurt,milk products,eggs,vegetable.
Also,I avoid going out to restaurants a lot.I do go to coffee houses,have a snack,coffee;The reason is,a lot of restaurants "over-food" you now.The portions are too big.
When you are trying to eat less calories,the last thing you need is a massive plate full of food,every time you go to a restaurant,
I have relatives who's lives often center on going out to restaurants often.
I also believe that "motivation"is very important.I love clothes,I read fashion magazines,THAT is a big motivation for me,even if some think it's shallow.
Also,my health;people in my family get heart attacks,strokes,high blood pressure,bad cholesterol. - Reply to this comment
- I use "Volumetrics"myself,lots of fruits and vegies.I also got "bored",the South Beach idea.I never keep forbidden food in my house,I stick to a strict diet,like a form of Weight Watchers.
The other thing that really worked for me,was,I got very depressed.(haha.)Due to circumstances,I got so depressed,I ate a lot less food.
THAT is really the best diet;EAT A LOT LESS FOOD.EAT A LOT LESS CALORIES.
The fruits and vegetables,soups,salads,help quite a bit.find food that you like, stick with it.I happen to like fruit,yogurt,milk products,eggs,vegetable.
Also,I avoid going out to restaurants a lot.I do go to coffee houses,have a snack,coffee;The reason is,a lot of restaurants "over-food" you now.The portions are too big.
When you are trying to eat less calories,the last thing you need is a massive plate full of food,every time you go to a restaurant,
I have relatives who's lives often center on going out to restaurants often.
I also believe that "motivation"is very important.I love clothes,I read fashion magazines,THAT is a big motivation for me,even if some think it's shallow.
Also,my health;people in my family get heart attacks,strokes,high blood pressure,bad cholesterol. - Reply to this comment
- No diet plan will work if you have the wrong attitude about...yourself. What you think about yourself is key to make any endeavor work in your favor.
- Reply to this comment
- If you want to be weak and brittle... ya boooo carbs...
If you want to lose weight the healthy way... whole grains, fruit, veggies, protein and a good fitness program
carbs are good for you if you eat the right ones... DONT AVOID CARBS, it will bite you in the *** in the long run - Reply to this comment
- Atkins Lives Forever!
Insulin is the killer, stop it and live longer % thinner! Ketosis doesn't kill, carbs do! - Reply to this comment
- ABS DIET... I SWEAR ON IT
READ THE BOOK, DO THE EXERCISES, LOSE THE WEIGHT, GAIN MUSCLE - Reply to this comment
