Although some diet programs may be more effective than others, when it comes to losing weight, the traditional route of exercising and eating well may be the way to go.
A new study suggests that in the long run, none of the diet programs that currently exist are able to show a substantial weight loss over a sustained period, according to Forbes.
Even with the best programs, the ones that have proven to be more reliable than others, the weight loss was reportedly “modest and likely below patients’ expectations.”
For the recent study, which was published in Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers reportedly looked at US trials involving 31 different programs, but were able to find only 45 studies that qualified involving 11 weight loss programs, including Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Health Management Resources, Medifast, OPTIFAST, Atkins, The Biggest Loser Club, eDiets, Lost It! and Slimfast.
Throughout the trials, researchers reportedly found that many people in the programs eventually dropped out or didn’t stick with the diet plans. However, researchers did find that Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers were the two most effective programs out of the 11.
People who used the Jenny Craig program lost 4.9 percent more weight after one year compared to other dieters, according to Dallas News. Those who used Weight Watchers reportedly dropped 2.6 percent more weight after one year.
There’s a reason that Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers are the two most effective programs.
“The study highlights something that researchers in the behavioral weight management field have known for decades: Structure and intensity of contact are highly correlated with program success,” wrote Christina Wee in an accompanying editorial.
She added, “It is unsurprising that highly structured programs with in-person social support, such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, seem more effective in the long term than less structured interventions.”