You see, one always have the choice on how to lose weight and have great looking body. One always can do better in weight loss and here is how …

If you are looking to shed those extra pounds that piled up over the ears, you should never pick your own diet method! According to a study by Durham VA Medical Center in North Carolina, dieters who came up with their own programs lost less weight than those who followed a standard diet program.

This finding surprised many researchers during the time of research, since they thought the results would be vice versa!

Experts suggest choosing a diet plan based on their appeal.

Dr. William S. Yancy Jr., who is an internist and lead author at VA Medical Center said the study results are intriguing and, would affect the way people look at weight loss.

About 200 obese individuals were divided into two groups and allowed to pick their own weight loss plan and the other group was suggested to come up with their own regimen. Individuals who choose their own regimen (meaning diet plan suited for their personal body type, metabolism) lost 17.5 pounds, while those on a diet plan lost 12 pounds.

Dr. William Yancy said he was taken off when he heard that the ones on their preferred diet strategy lost lesser weight. He adds it could be that they did not have more choices. Another study showed about 8 programs were tried and Isabel’s Beyond Diet seems to have topped the charts for offering other benefits including improving brain functioning and prevents dementia.
Talking about weight loss and launching weight loss aids is a huge business.

Do you know 2/3rd of American population are either obese or overweight? About 2.5 million dollars are spent by Americans on diet plan or weight loss related services, while 60% of Americans have really tried to shed their weight at some points and about 29% are always on some kind of diet!

Before you decide to shell out money, understand that weight loss programs might cost you more than just a few dollars, not just for the weight loss aids or food they recommend, but also for counseling and other services during the course of weight loss.

At John Hopkins, a study was done and the result were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, where clinical trials were done on the most popular diets or commercial weight loss programs like Beyond Diet, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Medifast and OPTIFAST, all dieting systems that promise weight loss with reduced calories and replacement meals.

4200 individuals were studied and only very few diets met the “gold standard” of reliability in Science.

A few diet plans were tried and there’s data to backup the results, with the participants weight loss goals, journey and if or not the weight they lost, lasted. Most of them were on diets, and also consulted a diet specialist and opted for counseling. The most common aspect of all these diet plans is the massive support they get! Teamwork was outstanding with participants according to Dr. Holly Phillips.

Dr. Holly further added that diets that not only reduce weight, but also is something you could adopt as a standard eating habit, worked better and offered better results.

Beyond Diet

This is easily the most popular and probably the oldest among commercial diet plans and holds 45% of the market share. The good news is that Beyond Diet have a proven track record and favorable statistics and studies.

According The Johns Hopkins, researchers found participants in Isabel’s Beyond Diet trial lost weight considerably than people who opt for their own dietary formula to reduce weight. Besides, they were to stick with the diet for a year or more. After about a year since the program, they noted that most participants lost 2.6% or 8 pounds additional pounds as compared to other methods.

According to the researchers, Beyond Diet is a “easy to follow” program, which needs a metabolic type test before one starts it, yet one of the most affordable options on the study.

Another editorial that was released along with the study in the Annals of Internal Medicine said that diet programs that impose strict calorie restrictions with a balanced approach like that of Beyond Diet fares better in the longer run, than ones rely on meal supplements for weight loss. So, if you are interested in joining the program, you probably want to read some user reviews on the beyond diet program.

Jenny Craig

Another program that fares well was Jenny Craig. Participants shed more weight than those on Weight Watchers program, but had to spend more money comparatively.

After a year, clinical trials were done on those who followed Jenny Craig program and they shed 4.9% more weight than other programs or those who followed a diet and also took up counseling.

Participants lost 15 pounds in the 12 months under ” Jenny Craig, according to Dr. Kimberly Gudzune, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. However, for this program participants should also spend on packed special meals and snacks, so it more expensive than Weight Watchers.

Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig are two methods recommended by doctors and researchers for weight loss that doesn’t limit your budget.

Nutrisystem

Nutrisystem is another weight loss program that was studied and is quite popular. The clinical trials were only done for 3 – 6 months, so the long-term results aren’t very clear at this stage. Individuals on Nutrisystem lost 3.8% more than those on other methods or had counselors for weight loss advice. However, the conclusions can’t be taken as is, since there are no long-term trials to back up findings.

HMR, Medifast & Optifast

Health Management Resources (HMR), OPTIFAST and Medifast are other “very-low calorie programs” that were studied. These programs focus on low-calorie meal replacement products like shakes or bars for promoting faster weight loss.

In this method, participants consumed 800 – 1000 calories and that helped with a 4% additional weight loss, against those who follow a diet and take counseling. However, long-term studies weren’t done and the six months trial showed results, though it isn’t sufficient till long-term analysis is done.

Atkins

Atkins is a low-carb weight loss program, yet helped many individuals lose more weight than those on counseling. However, it was still behind when compared with other diet programs, though the results are encouraging.

Ornish, Zone, etc.

Some diet plans weren’t studied – Ornish diet wasn’t studied since it focused more on heart health and not weight loss, and Zone diet did not focus on social or behavioral support unlike other methods.

It’s your turn. Choose what suits you and your budget and that’s how one always have the choice in weight loss. It all depends from your research and what suits your time and needs.

Till next time …