New Study Claims Best Approach to Weight Loss: Skip The Fads

A new study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine suggests strong evidence exists to support skipping fad diets and gimmicks and opting instead for 'old-fashioned' approaches to sustainable weight loss.

Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston conducted the study titled "Successful Weight Loss Among Obese U.S. Adults." The researchers looked at data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of its National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Of the study's more than 4,000 adult participants that had been obese for at least one year, the research team found that at least 63 percent had tried various weight loss approaches. Forty-one percent of participants lost at least 5 percent of their body weight while another 20 percent lost 10 percent of their body weight.

The successful weight losers did it overwhelmingly by decreasing food consumption. Sixty-five percent of participants who lost weight reported a decrease in serving sizes, meals or calories as a contributing factor. Forty-four percent decreased their intake of fats and 41 percent reported consuming lower-calorie foods in general. The least amount of weight loss came from participants who reported the use of "fad" diets such as diet foods (14 percent), diet pills (10 percent) and liquid diet formulas (7 percent).

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one-third of Americans are currently suffering from obesity and obesity-related illnesses including diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure, and 17 percent of children aged 2-19 years are also obese.

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