Diets: Just Say No

And just in case anyone's New Year resolution involves dieting, here's a study that should convince you otherwise.  This article discusses the results of a landmark study comparing four diets: Atkins, Zone, Weight Watchers, and Ornish.  The participants were tracked for one year to determine the effectiveness of each diet. 

The first alarming statistic is the dropout rates.  Over a third of those on the Zone and Weight Watchers diets dropped out, while roughly half of those on the Atkins and Ornish diets dropped out.

Participants did lose a bit of weight, roughly 5 pounds.  But the report doesn't say how much of this lost weight was fat or muscle mass.  Hence, the total fat loss may be even less than 5 pounds.

Diets produce weight loss in a yo-yo fashion.  Participants lose weight and then after a few months or so, the body's metabolism slows and the weight starts to return.  This process can continue for quite a long time.  I bet if they had extended this study out to 2 years, the weight loss would be even less or perhaps even zero.

Diets just are not an effective way to alter body composition - exercise is the only true way to lose fat.  Why struggle through a year of deprivation and discomfort on a diet only to lose 5 pounds (or less)?  Instead, an overweight person could lose 5 pounds in roughly 5 weeks by exercising 60 minutes a day, most of which can be walking.