For years people have been searching for the "perfect diet" like they were hunting the Holy Grail. But which diets actually work?
Consumer Report (CR) recently asked more than 9,000 readers to weigh in on the question. They ranked 13 weight loss plans and tools, assigning each diet a score out of 100 based on factors like initial weight loss, food variety, and maintenance, among others.
Consumer Reports found that do-it-yourself plans were more popular than commercial alternatives, possibly because of the lower cost and the better flexibility. But ratings aside, Consumer Reports points out that weight loss is possible on any of the plans, and satisfaction is based on more than just shedding pounds alone.
Weight Watchers is a commercial plan in which dieters monitor their food intake with "points."
CR Reader Score: 56
Typical Weight Loss (Men): 12 to 35 lbs
Typical Weight Loss (Women): 10 to 28 lbs
Pros: Weight Watchers provides the flexibility to create your own diet plan and lets you eat whatever you want.
Cons: The Weight Watchers points system can be annoying to keep track of each day, and their premade food products are a bit pricey.
SparkPeople is a diet tracking website with an additional online support community.
CR Reader Score: 60
Typical Weight Loss (Men): 10 to 25 lbs
Typical Weight Loss (Women): 5 to 21 lbs
Pros: SparkPeople is free and readily-accessible, and enables you to easily track your weight loss journey. The site also has a user community that you can rely on for encouragement and shared tips.
Cons: The premise is mainly a low-carb, high-protein diet, which isn't best for everyone, and there can be a wait to get advice or answers from physicians on the site when you need help.
Nutrisystem is a commercial plan with many easy-to-make meal choices.
CR Reader Score: 66
Typical Weight Loss (Men): 10 to 30 lbs
Typical Weight Loss (Women): 7 to 24 lbs
Pros: Carbs are not off limits on the Nutrisystem plan, and the meals are simple and easy to make.
Cons: Nutrisystem's food choices have been called "palatable," and eating them feels like sitting down to a TV dinner instead of a meal.
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