We often wonder if the myriad of diet plans really work at
helping us lose weight. Now, British nutritionists and dietitians
say the weight management programs that succeed in keeping
off the pounds over the long haul are the ones that also offer
group support.
"Clinically useful weight loss and fat loss can be achieved
in adults who are motivated to follow commercial diets for
a substantial period," said Helen Truby, a dietitian
at England's Surrey University. "People need to find
a diet that best suits them."
Truby found that a higher number of people who
were enrolled in diet plans based on group support stuck with
the plans longer and kept the weight off for at least a year,
compared with people who simply dieted for a short period
of time.
"No dietary differences were apparent at six months,
but behavior from six to 12 months points towards an advantage
of programs based on group support," she said.
Diet 'trials'
In the latest British Medical Journal,
Truby's team of nutritionists and dietitians said they must
now find out how the weight-loss plans affect long-term health
outcomes and their cost effectiveness, as well as new ways
to get people to stick to the programs and maintain their
weights.
As part of the BBC network's "BBC Diet Trials,"
the team looked at the following popular diets:
- Slim-Fast, a meal replacement approach;
- Weight Waters, an energy-controlled diet with weekly group
meetings;
- Atkins, described as a "diet revolution" and self-monitored
low carbohydrate eating plan;
- Rosemary Conley's "Eat Yourself Slim Diet and Fitness
Plan," a British low-fat diet and weekly exercise class.
Researchers monitored the weight and changes in body fat
in more than 300 participants for six months and tracked the
dieting behavior again after a year.
After six months, people on all diets lost significant fat
and about 5 percent to 10 percent of their body weight. Atkins
registered the highest weight loss in the first four weeks,
but results tapered off until they equaled the other diets.
However, after 12 months, more participants in Atkins and
Slim-Fast - the ones without any support groups - dropped
out of the study. "Weight rebound" also was higher
with the non-support diets.
Reference
Source 140
June
7, 2006
