The top diet programs

Before you cut out carbs, or eat only meat the rest of the year, take a look at the top three diets from a trusted source.

Wednesday, January 9th 2008, 5:23 pm

By: News 9


By Amy McRee, NEWS 9

If you like your diet program user-friendly there are a lot of plans to choose from. But, with so many diet plans out there it's impossible to test them all out yourself. Before you cut out carbs, or eat only meat the rest of the year, take a look at the top three diets from a trusted source.

Consumer reports' June issue cuts through the fat on the top eight diet plans out there.
It tested dieters for one year, rating them on weight loss dropout rate for the short term, weight loss and dropout rate at the one year mark and on overall nutrition.

"People will eat the same amount of food every day," Area Director of Jenny Craig, Kristin Shelton said.

Shelton says because of that principle it's easy to see why Volumetrics came out on top; it maximizes the amount of food available per calorie, using reduced fat products, vegetables and low fat cooking techniques.

A concept actually created by Jenny Craig board member, Barbara Rolls Consumer reports ranked Volumetrics best in overall weight loss. The only con is the recipes were time consuming.

Coming in second is Weight Watchers. It uses a point system for foods, meetings and weigh- ins. Dieters can earn or spend points with food and exercise or consume specified foods with the "core" plan. Pros include support from a group helped dieters stick with the plan. A con is it rated "Average" on weight loss but first in long-term adherence.

Jenny Craig came in third. To help achieve that, dieters have portioned controlled Jenny Craig meals from entrees to snacks. Everything is individualized, including one-on-one counseling. The pros include minimal food preparations that meet dietary guidelines. The cons include the published study showed high dropout rates, but those who stuck with the plan lost considerable amounts of weight.

"If you're not working on changing your habits long-term, then those habits aren't in place to fall back on when you're finished," Shelton said.

So really, you need to pick a plan that works best for your body and one you know you can stick with, for life. Otherwise, it's really not worth it unless it's for short term loss.

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