SubscribeThe Best Diets of 2007
Consumer Reports have chosen the "best" diets and diet books. The Volumetrics eating plan was chosen as the best diet, and Bob Greene's Best Life Diet chosen as the best book.
This has been covered heavily in newspapers, but a closer look at the ratings criteria shows that the results are somewhat dubious.
Diet Ratings (best to worst)
Volumetrics, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Slim-Fast, eDiets, The Zone Diet, Ornish Diet and, in last place, the Atkin's Diet.
To rate the diets, Consumer Reports reviewed diet studies published in major medical journals. Quite frankly, there are few comprehensive long-term studies for some of these diets. To quote a major review from Archives of Internal Medicine:
"With the exception of Weight Watchers, the evidence to support the effectiveness of major commercial weight loss programs is limited. Patients considering the use of commercial weight loss programs should realize that these programs have not been carefully studied and that they vary greatly in cost."
Diet Book Ratings (best to worst)
The Best Life Diet; Eat, Drink, & Weigh Less; You On a Diet; The Abs Diet; The South Beach Diet; The Sonoma Diet; Ultra-Metabolism.
One of the ratings criteria here was how well the diets conform to the 2005 U.S. dietary guidelines! This may explain why the Sonoma diet was ranked low (because it espouses more of a Mediterranean dietary approach).
It's very difficult to rank diets, and these ratings need to be taken with a grain of salt (no pun intended).
Slim Fast ahead of the Zone Diet or the Ornish Diet? What the heck?!?
I agree, the result ARE dubious at best.
Brian
ReplyRegardless of what diet is the best, there is only one trick to loose weight, and that is to stick with the plan, and to follow it, not only on the short term, but forever. Exercise is also key. So, my suggestion is before spending money on all those diets is to talk to yourself really if you are willing to stick to a plan, and go thru it. change your habits and exercise. The rest, is just marketing...
Reply2005 U.S. dietary guidelines -- ACK! That's what's making everybody fat!
Their article contradicts their placement of Atkins at the very bottom
So you'll lose the same amount of weight on atkins but be healthier... yeah, that sounds terrible!
I'm a very satisfied & successful Atkins dieter.
ReplyYou're dealing with religion, not science:
Replyhttp://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/?p=697
Comments on this board regularly proclaim the secret to fitness being to exercise more and eat less- new research shows that its just not so simple
fascinating read:
Replyhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/health/08fat.html?em&ex=1178856000&en=271d386f02040361&ei=5087%0A
In my experience, the best diet uses the better parts of all different 'diets.' I suspect most successful dieters do the same. I imagine we could have a (your name here) diet, for everyone of the posters on here!
Replydistar:
Thanks for that NY Times link; it was a fascinating (and depressing) article.
I'm not sure what the implications are--eat healthy foods in reasonable portions and exercise, but don't starve yourself 'cause it's not going to help in the long run anyway?
It's also hard to understand, if so much of this is genetic and unalterable, why the population as a whole is getting so much fatter. But the article certainly makes it sound like there are no simple and easy ways to reverse this trend, at least not in those who are already obese.
ReplyThe one factor not mentioned in this article is exercise, which has been proven to increase metabolism and even revert the set-point of weight they talk about. This is especially true of resistance exercise. Most happy, successful "losers" have incorporated regular, intense exercise into their lives. I'm surprised that this was so conspicuously left out. That said, I understand the drive to eat that the researcher at the end discusses; my non-overweight friends simply do not understand my inability to just "buckle down and be hungry." It's absolutely impossible for me. I did lose 35 pounds last year through a combo of regular exercise and healthy food but had to stuff myself constantly with fruits and veggies to avoid being hungry all the time. I also had to accept that I can never, never, do the very low calorie route, I have to have at least 1700 cals a day especially when exercising hard...(I have 30 lbs. to go and plan to lose them the same way.)
ReplyI think the principles of the Volumetrics diet are pretty good guidelines to follow to lose weight. Eating foods that are not very calorie dense is going to fill you up faster than eating foods that are mostly calories. Think about it...how many people out there consume thousands of calories' worth of chips, soda, cookies, cakes, donuts, etc. and are still hungry later? Eating an entire bag of potato chips will set you back 700 calories or so; eating 3 apples will only set you back about 200-300.
I think other diets use the Volumetrics diet principles in their plans as well; most of them are just mix and match of basic healthy foods. I like Dr. J's idea of making up your own diet based on the best parts of several different diets. After all, you have to like what you're going to be eating for the rest of your life, right?
ReplyI think each one is as good as the other as long as we set our minds to it and learn how to discipline ourselve.
ReplyNothing will ever happen even if we take the most effective diet, unless we do it with sincerity.
The U.S. dietary guideline are absolutely ridiculous. They are the product of food industry lobbying, and not health-conscious, biological fact.
That makes this Consumer's Reports article itself, absolutely ridiculous.
*points at article* HA-HA!
ReplyI read the article also. I don't buy it. It is an interesting thought that 'width' is inherited as obviously, height is. But let's just say that it's true. Then the obvious answer is to seriously address the problem of being overweight as a child, with prevention as the paramount issue. The reason I don't buy it is it doesn't explain why so much obesity now. This is not normal, as evidenced by the tremendous physical problems brought on by being heavy.
Two other thoughts: First, statistics do not say that the individual can or cannot succeed.
ReplySecond: 'Argue your limitations, and they are yours.'
I'd rather attempt the 'impossible.' If I am successful I'm sure it will be called unusual, but hey, that's progress :-)
What about Eat To Live ?????
ReplyI gotta agree here. Just because the odds are against you, that is not a guarantee of failure.
ReplyOkay, one major issue with the article. In the experiment mentioned, the "subjects" were put on a 600-calorie STARVATION diet. We're not talking about starting a moderate exercise program and cutting calories by 10 or even 20 percent. Based on the fact that these people were apparently at least 100 pounds overweight to begin with, we're looking at a decrease in calories probably around 80 PERCENT. That's ridiculous and beyond unhealthy. Of course they regained the weight; anyone would! By contrast, the normal weight people would put on an equally ridiculous weight GAIN diet, also around an 80 percent change (increase). One of the body's functions is known as metastasis, or "maintaining balance", which means that in a normal person, it is going to fight any major disruption (including massive weight gain or loss). I'm no scientist, but I'm willing to bet that if they had placed the obese subjects on the same short-term weight gain diet, they too would have returned to their original weights in a short period of time. Unfortunately, I doubt that one's been done.
I do have to agree with you that it's not always as simple as decreasing calories and increasing activity--genes do play a major role--however, I don't think that it's as rare or as difficult as mentioned for a person with a genetic predisposition to obesity to lose weight and keep it off. I've done it and I've seen it done among people I know. Everyone in my immediate family is obese or bordering on it. EVERYONE. I have 3 sisters, all over 200 pounds, one of them over 300 (all 5'4"-5'6"). My parents aren't quite as heavy for their heights (Dad's 5'10" and about 260, Mom's 5'7" and about 180). I was 14 when I first became overweight, and at age 26, I hit 195 pounds (at 5'5"). I decided that I never wanted to see the 200 pound mark. I knew that diets did not work; I had tried them all. So I ate less. I didn't change the types of food I ate at first, just had smaller portions and only ate when I was hungry. And of course I started exercising. I lost about 1/2 a pound a week average, and lost a total of 60 pounds. I maintained at about 150 for 3 years and have been at about 135 for the past year, and that is with on-again-off-again working out and a so-so diet (though still 10x better than in my obese days). Not a good thing, and I am working on nutrition and have been working out regularly for the last couple of months now, but as far as weight goes, I am maintaining it very easily. Even during those times when I haven't worked out in a while, and I feel like I've been eating too much, and I'm "sure" I'm gaining weight, it stays the same. Maybe I'm just one of those rare people who managed to win the battle against the curse of the genes, but I'm living proof that it's not impossible.
ReplyI think those diets have different effects on different people. Aside from our attitude in doing it, I think it's also concerned with compatibility whether our body agrees or not.
ReplyI believe their criteria didn't just deal with simple nutrition. They also looked at things like how easy the diets were to follow and so on. So a mediocre diet that is easy to follow might rank higher than a great diet that's hard to understand.
GJ
Replyhttp://www.60in3.com
I just picked up a book on Volumetrics: The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories by Barbara Rolls. It's good and common-sense information. What I like about it is, it teaches you to think of food in terms of calorie density (as well as other ways). With this knowledge, you apply portion control only on foods with high density. If the food has low calorie density, then enjoy yourself, but as the density goes us, so should your idea of portion control. If you absorb this knowledge, then you will stop dieting and instead just be careful in what you're eating, which is an easier thing to sustain.
This book has lots of recipes that look quite good. I was drawn to the book because of the dessert recipes. I don't know much about dessert recipes, and I've been looking for some ideas I can adapt for my mother-in-law. The ones in this book look perfect.
ReplyI know someone who used volumetrics combined with the 90/10 diet plan to lose and maintain weight. The 90/10 book is also simple, the idea is 90% of your calories everyday comes from healthy foods, and 10% you can use for a treat of your choice.
ReplyOrnish dieters lost the same weight as Atkin dieters after 12 months, but weight loss can be comprised of fat AND muscle. Compared to the Atkins dieters, how much more muscle did the low-fat dieters lose? It's safe to say they lost a ton more muscle tissue. Atkins hands-down, comes out on top, like always.
ReplyI came here looking for more info on the weightloss 4 idiots program... can anyone help me there... a little skeptical when it comes to purchasing things over the internet... can you access this program from any computer once you purchase... why do they ask for the 4 digit number on the back of your credit card I was always told never to give it away.. ect any help would be great
ReplyI picked up 2nd hand copy of the Volumetrics book. She's got some really good, easy to follow advice in there. I'm not an Atkins kinda girl; I'm unable to cut out entire food groups, especially when feeding a family.
ReplyI agree with the result.
ReplyMy problem is the abdominal part and I cannot find something that will work for me. Is there anything I can do?
ReplyMy problem is work all the tim 10hr per day what can i do ????
ReplyHi nasser,
I think bringing healthy snacks is a good start if you're not doing this already. Nuts, seeds, sliced veggies, an apple, salads, sandwiches on whole grain bread etc.
Exercise when you can but try to make daily efforts. Are you in a position to take a 30-45 min lunch? Use this time to get in a brisk walk.
Let me know how it goes. Happy new year!
ReplyThe truth about diets is this...
DIETS DO NOT WORK!
What you have to do is commit to making long-term lifestyle changes. Start by making positive changes in your lifestyle: eat green leafy vegetables everyday (I highly recommend organic), drink more purified water (drinking out of plastic bottles are contributing to thyroid issues), start a food journal for a week to identify patterns, food or emotional triggers.
We have so many sayings in the English language that we take for granted: Health is wealth, You are what you eat...
It amazes me that I will see meet people who drive a BMW but tell me "Organic food is too expensive." Health is all about priorities.
The reason we are such a Fad-diet driven nation is because we want everything NOW. Drive through weight loss. I want the diet that will make me lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks. Guess what, if you place the focus on getting healthy the weight loss is the bonus. The dictionary is the only place success comes before work. hard work is the price we must pay for ALL success. That included health, weight loss, and optimal living.
I love my work as a Food Coach - my clients have the most profound success getting in touch with the foods that work best for their individual metabolism, lifestyle, and personal goals. Most people need personal the support and motivation that you won't find in a diet book.
In optimal health & healing
Jennifer
www.antiagingqueen.com
Reply