The skinny on popular diets

In response to the unrelenting desire to shed pounds (and fast), 2,215 new health and fitness books were published in 2006 alone, according to R.R. Bowker’s Books in Print, which tracks information on the publishing industry.

With so many weight-reduction diets claiming to be the long-awaited “breakthrough” not to mention the masses of contradictory advice from “experts”, who’s to say whether carbs are good or bad, or whether you should be tracking calories or fat grams.

The June 2007 issue of Consumers Report took on the challenge by rating eight diet plans based on the results of randomized clinical trials and the diet’s adherence to nutritional guidelines. The studies reported on both short-term (3-6 months) and long term (12 months) results with at least 40 participants per diet.

The report goes on to critique popular diet books based on ease of use, quality of meal plans, validity of nutritional science and exercise.

Best diets for weight loss: the top four
1. Volumetrics diet. The top-rated diet uses a strategy of consuming "low-density" foods to take the edge off of hunger. Dieters are encouraged to start their meals with a low calorie soup or salad. The idea is to fill up on lower calorie foods and at the same time, stave off hunger by eating larger volumes of food. (The report notes that other diets also employ this strategy, although not as explicitly.) The diet was developed by Barbara Rolls, PhD, and a professor of nutritional sciences at The Pennsylvania State University.

2. Weight Watchers. This well known approach uses weekly meetings and weigh-ins for motivation and behavioral support for diet and exercise changes. It scored average on weight loss but first in long-term adherence. Recipes were found to be appetizing and fairly easy to prepare.