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The main reason that people have so much trouble losing body fat is the wholesale misinformation on dieting that pervades the weight loss industry. Most of the methods used are so opposed to what is known in nutrition science, that a cynic might conclude they are designed to keep people repeatedly coming back to highly profitable and terribly unsuccessful diet programs for the rest of their lives.
It is estimated that in 1992, Americans spent $36 billion on weight loss, and there are a lot of companies who want to keep it that way. That’s quite a harsh statement, so I better review some heavy evidence to support it.
Studies by Dr Paul La Chance and Michelle Fisher at Rutgers University analysed a slew of the diet books. They found that popular diets including the Atkins, the Beverly Hills, the Carbohydrate Cravers, the California, the F-Plan, the Scarsdale, were all seriously deficient in vitamins, minerals and fibre. Combined with the food and caloric restrictions that these diets impose, such deficiencies are an invitation to illness.
According to Market data Enterprises, the smart market tracking company in New York, more than eight million Americans sign up or weight loss programs every year. Almost all of them fail miserably.
In April 1992, the national Institutes of health convened a panel of thirteen of the country’s leading medical specialists on weight loss headed by Dr Suzanne Fletcher, editor of the Annals of internal Medicine. Dr Walter Glinsman and colleagues from the Food and drug Administration analysed 75lbs of documents provided by weight loss centres. (Ironic that the panel cited the documents by weight.)
The report concluded that there is no good evidence that any popular weight loss program has much chance for long term success. The public is being presented with anecdotal reports of individual successes and not being told that most who try the various programs either drop out before completing them or regain most or all of the weight lost.
One of the studies presented at the conference from Dr Thomas Wadden of Syracuse University is typical of the results of diet programs. In 1983, three groups of overweight women were put on the best form of weight loss programs used by commercial diet centres. One group was put on an 800 calorie diet. The second and third groups were put on 800-1200 calorie diets and also given the much touted behaviour therapy, the counseling support, and other razz-ma-tazz used by diet centres.
All groups rapidly lost weight. The second group, on 800 calories plus behaviour therapy was the best. Over 90% of them lost more than 9 kilograms. Within a year, however, almost half of the women in all three groups had gained it all back. Within 5 years 81% had gained it all back, and more!! Incidentally, the behaviour therapy groups were less successful at keeping it off than the simple calorie restriction group.
If that’s not enough to convince you that dieting doesn’t work, then look at the record of the prestigious and expensive medically supervised programs such as Optifast and Medifast, often run through hospitals and medical clinics.
The Colgan Institute tracked 13 people who rapidly lost weight on these programs. Eight of them regained most of it within 12-18months. Today, 4 years later, only three have remained slim and two of those have been on continuing programs from us.
A larger study confirms our findings. In 1988, San Diego State University reported on 200 people who lost an average of 84% of their excess weight on medically supervised diets. Incidentally, the diets cost at least $1500 and include an extended course of behaviour therapy sessions on how to keep weight off. Didn’t work!! Within 3 years they regained 60-80% of the pudge. Recently the Federal Trade Commission commanded these companies stop using the cloak of medical legitimacy to make overblown claims.
To delve into the science behind how our bodies change, refer to the following articles:
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