Diet Plans or Calories–Which is Most Useful?

Obscured in the media headlines over the findings of the largest controlled trial of weight loss plans ever conducted is the fact that losing weight is hard work, and keeping it off is even harder–regardless of the plan or diet followed.

The good news from this study published in the New England Journal of Medicine is that you can toss out those fad-diet books that promise you can lose the “easy way.” More than 800 participants in this two year study were randomly assigned to four different diets that varied in the amount of fat, protein, and carbohydrate levels. They all lost an average of 9 pounds regardless of which diet they followed. It was the calories, and sticking to it, that made the difference!

PositiveTip: Ditch those fad diets. Pick a healthy plan you can stick to, make sure you cut your calories, and be physically active. It won’t be easy but the pounds will recede.