According to a study by the National Institute for Health Research involving 278,982 men and women over a ten year period, just 1 in 12 men and 1 in 10 women were able to achieve even a small 5% reduction in their weight. Further 53% regained this weight within two years. Weight cycling or yoyo dieting was also a big problem for the obese as more than a third of the participants lost and gained weight many times over the decade long study.
The study examined the weight loss options available to most people in both the US and the UK. Most dieters sought advice from their primary care doctors or a registered dietitian. These sources offered only the standard low calorie/low fat diet plans with no further guidelines or support. Further, none of these plans offered even the smallest hint of a maintenance plan to maintain the weight loss. Could it be that the fault did not lie totally with the lack of will power of the participants? Could it be that the old outdated thinking of “calories in and calories out” contributed to the dismal success rate of these people?
The dismal statistics from this huge study and others like it prove that the standard weight loss programs in place are virtually totally ineffective. Since the definition of insanity is often cited as “doing the same failed thing over and over in the hopes that the results will change” would indicate that the medical weight loss industry is simply mad.
Watch for my new book, on our Weight Management program for Life, coming out in early 2025. It will reveal how you too can achieve ideal body weight without dieting forever and watch my video on Weight Loss and Weight Gain it will help you understand how complex this subject really is and check back often for the latest diabetes articles.