Most Effective Diets for 2012, from Weight Watchers to Vegan

 

Nearly every year for the last two decades, the news has been the same: Americans are fatter now than they were last year. The country’s adult obesity rate, currently at 34 percent, has doubled since 1995. And as our waistlines have expanded, so have the number of trendy diets and nutritional fads that promise fast results.
Thanks to the Duchess of Cambridge, or rather her svelte mother, Carole Middleton, 2011 was the year of the Dukan diet, a regimen similar to Atkins that favors a high-protein, low-carb pattern. Last year, it was a juice diet. In 2010, Michael Pollan authored the top-selling diet book, Food Rules. But whether practical or extreme, which diet actually will work?
To find out, The Daily Beast revisited its annual diets ranking. This year, we added two more diet regimens that have garnered greater mainstream attention in the last few years. A Paleolithic diet, which focuses on eating the same energy sources as our ancestors did, and a vegan diet, which forbids any animal-based food, have both been the subject of numerous stories. But, neither diet has undergone the type of clinical study that provides enough identical data points to compare it with other diets in our ranking. Nevertheless, given the positive results of several published articles on each, we felt it was only logical to include them to encourage readers to do their own research.
As with last year, our ranking was derived by combing journals of nutrition and medicine to find clinical studies on specific diets. To be ranked, the dietary studies had to include six-month and 12-month data on weight loss and participant retention, as well as 12-month change in body mass index, or BMI. Each data point was weighted one-fifth of the final score for each diet. If there were multiple studies for diets, results were averaged.

 

#1, Volumetrics

FRANCK CAMHI

The Trick: Lots of water in everything you eat

Pioneered by nutritionist Dr. Barbara J. Rolls, who co-authored The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan with journalist Robert A. Barnett in 2000, the Volumetrics diet focuses on eating foods that have high water content to promote the feeling of satiety and combat feelings of hunger and deprivation. Foods such as soup and non-starchy vegetables are favored over calorie-dense foods like chips and cookies. "It's not a gimmick where you're giving up a whole food group," says Rolls. It teaches people to "eat for optimal health and eat what they should be eating."

Breakdown:
6-month attrition rate (n/a),
6-month mean weight loss (19.6 lbs.)
12-month attrition rate (27%)
12-month mean weight loss (17.4 lbs.)
12-month BMI decrease (2.9),
Nutrition score (n/a),

Clinical study ( American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June 2007)

#2, Low-fat diet

The Trick: Plenty of fat-free and low-fat foods

In a 2008 clinical study, researchers studied a diet based on the guidelines of the American Heart Association, in which a limit of 30 percent of calories comes from fat, 10 percent comes from saturated fat and 300 mg of cholesterol. The regimen is designed to reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke. When participants stuck to the diet with a limit of 1,500 calories per day for women or 1,800 cals/day for men, the diet produced the second highest short-term weight loss and the lowest short-term attrition rate among the clinical studies included in the rankings.

Breakdown:
6-month mean attrition rate (2%)
6-month mean weight loss (12.9 lbs.)
12-month mean attrition rate (6%)
12-month mean weight loss (11.3 lbs.)
12-month BMI decrease (1.0)
Nutrition score (n/a)

Clinical studies: The New England Journal of Medicine, July 2008, Annals of Internal Medicine, August 2010

#3, Weight Watchers

Getty Images (3)

The Trick: Every calorie counts, plus weekly meetings and/or online support

In 2008, consumers spent more than $4 billion on Weight Watchers services and products, according to the company, and each week 1.4 million members attend weekly meetings around the globe. The 46-year old, publicly traded company offers everything from branded pastries and frozen dinners to mobile phone applications and cookbooks, and is currently in the middle of a successful campaign with slimmed down spokesperson Jennifer Hudson. The program recently revamped its point system based on calorie, fat and fiber count in an attempt to simplify the complicated factors in nutrition and weight. "We're really good at translating science into a method that real people can use in their everyday lives. That really was the impetus behind the points system," says Karen Miller-Kovach, the company's chief scientific officer.

Breakdown:
6-month attrition rate (17%)
6-month mean weight loss (12.3 lbs.)
12-month attrition rate (17%)
12-month mean weight loss (11 lbs.)
12-month BMI loss (1.9)
Nutrition score (n/a)

Clinical study ( The Journal of American Medical Association, April 2003)

#4, Mediterranean Diet

The Trick: A lot of fruits, vegetables, nuts and olive oil with very little red meat

A calorie-restrictive, Mediterranean diet with a target of 35 percent of calories from fat, primarily from olive oil and nuts, produced one of the lowest attrition rates in a 2008 study among the clinical studies that were compared for this list. The diet was based on guidelines presented in Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy, written by the chairman of Harvard's Department of Nutrition, Walter Willett, and published in 2001, one of many books built around the Mediterranean diet pyramid that espouses a fruits, vegetables, olive oil, beans and nuts (which contain mono-unsaturated fats) as a nutritional base. The diet gained mass popularity thanks to the diet book The Sonoma Diet, which landed on bestseller lists in 2006. Author Dr. Connie Guttersen says, "Fats like olive oil, nut butters, nuts are protective of Alzheimer's and reduce risk factors associated with gaining weight around the waist… and from a culinary standpoint, using flavorful fats means you eat more vegetables."

Breakdown:
6-month attrition rate (2%)
6-month mean weight loss (10.1 lbs.)
12-month attrition rate (4%)
12-month mean weight loss (10.4 lbs.)
12-month BMI decrease (1.5)
Nutrition score (n/a)

Clinical study ( The New England Journal of Medicine, July 2008)

#5, Atkins Diet

Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

The Trick: Strict limits on all carbohydrates

Dr. Robert Atkins published Dr. Atkins' Diet Revolution in 1972, establishing what became one of the most popular diet franchises of the last decade. While the diet's popularity has waxed and waned throughout the last four decades, a generic low-carb diet has been proven to help keep the flab off once weight has been lost. The program limits dietary intake of net carbohydrates (total carbohydrates minus dietary fiber), which Atkins theorized increases one's metabolism and burns stored body fat. "When fat is used as fuel, as it is on a low-carbohydrate diet, it gets mobilized. It does not accumulate, so weight and cholesterol drop," Atkins said in 2000. (Washington Times, July 2 2000). Dr. Atkins started Atkins Nutritionals in 1989, producing low-carb food products for dieters and published Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution three years later. The book and its predecessor sold a combined 18 million copies in the U.S. By 2004, a year after Atkins death, more than 9 percent of the U.S. population was on a low-carb diet and pasta sales declined 10 percent. But by the end of 2005, the fad faded and Atkins Nutritionals declared bankruptcy (it reopened in 2006).

Breakdown:
6-month mean attrition rate (7%)
6-month mean weight loss (12.1 lbs.)

12-month mean attrition rate (11%)
12-month mean weight loss (10.7 lbs.)
12-month BMI loss (1.7)
Nutrition score (42.3 out of 70 (post-induction phase)

Clinical studies: The Journal of American Medical Association, March 2007, Annals of Internal Medicine, August 2010

#6, Slim-Fast

AP and Getty Images

The Trick: Shakes and snack bars instead of meals

While meal-replacement shakes have been available in the U.S. since Metrecal appeared on shelves in the 1960s, Slim-Fast has become a cultural and diet staple since S. Daniel Abraham introduced it in 1977. With just "a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch and a sensible dinner," the program promises rapid weight loss without the complications of… food. The diet company has diversified offerings to include snack bars and powder, but has been declining in popularity in the last decade. Nationwide product recalls haven't helped the diet company: In 2009, three versions of its snack bars were recalled for potential peanut contamination and all of its canned drink products were recalled for possible bacteria contamination.

Breakdown:
6-month attrition rate (n/a)
6-month mean weight loss (11.5 lbs.)
12-month attrition rate (27%)
12-month mean weight loss (11 lbs.)

12-month BMI loss (1.9)

Nutrition score (n/a),

Clinical study ( Nutrition Journal, June 2007)

#7, Jenny Craig

Robert Benson / Getty Images

The Trick: Packaged food and weekly check-ins

Members of the Jenny Craig program start with the company's branded food and menu plan, and then gradually wean themselves off the products as weight-loss goals progress. Jenny and Sid Craig, who formed the company in 1983 in Melbourne, created the program. There are about 500 centers in the U.S. and the average customer reportedly spends about $100 per week on Jenny Craig food while enrolled in the program. Among the diets included in the list, Jenny Craig had the highest rate of short- and long-term attrition, but ranked second in terms of total weight loss over one year.

Breakdown:
6-month attrition rate (78%)
6-month mean weight loss (12.6 lbs.)
12-month attrition rate (93%)
12-month mean weight loss (15.6 lbs.)
12-month BMI loss (n/a)
Nutrition score (n/a)

Clinical study ( International Journal of Obesity, February 2007)

#8, Ornish Diet

Kim Komenich, Time Life Pictures / Getty Images

The Trick: Loads of fiber, little fat and no meat, fish or alcohol

Dr. Dean Ornish is known in the medical field for his work in reversing coronary artery disease with diet, exercise, and meditation—the same approach he recommends for weight loss. In his 1993 tome, Eat More, Weigh Less, he outlined his model for a low-fat, vegetarian diet. Centered around fruits, vegetables and legumes, only 10 percent of calories come from fats and meats, oils, nuts, and alcohol are forbidden.

Breakdown:
6-month attrition rate (15%)
6-month mean weight loss (5.3 lbs.)
12-month attrition rate (22%)
12-month mean weight loss (5.7 lbs.)
12-month BMI loss (0.8)
Nutrition score (64.6 out of 70)

Clinical study: ( The Journal of American Medical Association, March 2007)

#9, LEARN Diet

The Trick: Low-fat diet with exercise and learning to change relationship with food

An acronym for lifestyle, exercise, attitudes, relationships and nutrition, the LEARN diet was created by Dr. Kelly Brownell. The diet is a low-fat regimen, with 55-60 percent of calories from carbohydrates and less than 10 percent from saturated fat. One of the more outspoken dietitians, Brownell gained attention in 1994 for suggesting via an Op-Ed in The New York Times that "since the government controls cigarette and alcohol advertising aimed at children, a similar rationale should apply to unhealthy foods," a proposition later dubbed the "Twinkie tax."

Breakdown:
6-month attrition rate (20%)
6-month mean weight loss (7.1 lbs.)
12-month attrition rate (23%)
12-month mean weight loss (4.9 lbs.)
12-month BMI loss (0.9)
Nutrition score (n/a)

Clinical study ( The Journal of American Medical Association, March 2007)

#10, Zone Diet

Paul Drinkwater, NBCU Photo Bank / AP Photo

The Trick: Perfecting the balance between carbs, fat and protein and strict portion control

The Zone Diet focuses on a ratio of carbohydrates (40 percent), fat (30 percent) and proteins (30 percent), which creator Dr. Barry Sears claims regulates blood-sugar levels. Sears' book landed on the bestseller lists in 1995 and versions have sold more than 4 million copies. Among the diets on our list, the Zone Diet produced the least amount of weight loss in the long and short term.

Breakdown:
6-month attrition rate (16%)
6-month mean weight loss (4.4 lbs.)
12-month attrition rate (23%)
12-month mean weight loss (3.5 lbs.)
12-month BMI loss (0.5)
Nutrition score (49.8 out of 70)

Clinical study (The Journal of American Medical Association, March 2007)