No fooling! We all knew this!
(Also: check out the 3rd paragraph from the ending)
Study Confirms that Dieting Does Not Work on the Long Term
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, examining 31 weight-loss studies found long-term dieting doesn't keep the pounds off. While people can lose weight initially, many relapse and regain the weight they shed. The findings confirm what many scientists have been saying all along: Losing weight is easy. Keeping it off is another story.
"If dieting worked, there would be a bunch of skinny people walking around,'' said obesity researcher Dr. David Katz, head of Yale University's Prevention Research Center, who did not participate in the latest study.
Many factors can conspire against successful weight reduction, health experts say. Diets can be boring and there's always a temptation to return to old habits. Serial dieters may also become discouraged and give up when their weight plateaus. People who lose too much too soon don't learn to make the overall lifestyle changes - eating healthier foods and exercising regularly - that are necessary to keep their weight stable.
"It's just plain difficult to modify your diet and turn away from the pleasures of eating,'' said Michael Goran, an obesity researcher at the University of Southern California." We're driven to eat.''
The UCLA researchers analyzed 31 diet studies that followed people two to five years after they went on diets. Between one-third and two-thirds gained back the weight they lost. A small number were able to successfully maintain their weight loss.
The UCLA study did not compare individual fad diets or organized weight-loss programs.
"We're not saying don't make some kind of effort,'' said Traci Mann, the UCLA psychologist who led the study. "It means that people should be quite clear that a diet is a temporary fix.''
The study appeared in the April issue of American Psychologist, a publication of the American Psychological Association.
Perry, who owns a public relations firm in suburban Philadelphia, was an "emotional eater'' who found comfort in food whenever she felt angry or depressed.
For the past 20 years, Perry tried all sorts of diets with mixed success. More recently, she decided to change her lifestyle and focus on lowering her cholesterol rather than obsessing about her weight.
The result: Perry, who is 5 feet 8 inches tall, has kept her weight steady for the past two years - 250 pounds from a high of 325 pounds. Although still obese, she is no longer considered morbidly obese.
"I would like to be healthier. I would like to be a little more toned,'' she said. "But I'm not running out the door to join another program so I can lose weight and go back on that cycle.''
It's unclear whether repeatedly losing and gaining weight leads to health problems. But some studies have found a link between seesawing weight and problems such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and gallbladder disease.
Specialists generally agree that surgery is the only proven method to keep weight off. But federal guidelines say a person must try traditional ways to lose weight and is at least 100 pounds overweight before opting for surgery.
Dr. Samuel Klein, an obesity expert at Washington University in St. Louis, said a diet's success shouldn't just be measured in pounds. If a person becomes healthier even if the weight loss is temporary, that should be deemed a success.
"There might be benefits in losing weight for a period of time even if you regain it than not having lost the weight at all,'' Klein said.
hugs,
Britt 
Hi Karen,
You are right, and the article is right, "Diets do not work." What works is a complete change in your lifestyle and the way you live. I like to say that those who have WLS get a tool, which is the ability to eat less, to dump on sugars/fats/carbs, and to generally always have that reminder of what they did to achieve weight loss.
For those of us who did not choose WLS we have to find another tool. Whether it is the reminder of not being able to walk because of bad knees, or a heart attack that almost kills us, or a myriad of other things that happen that make us reach our true bottom.
It's all about finding the tool. Statistically WLS helps more people keep their weight off, but it is not fail-proof either. There are plenty of people who have had WLS that have gained their weight back and never conquered their food demons.
I applaud all of us who have found our tool, through whatever method. In my case "traditional dieting" did work for me. But that in and of itself wasn't enough. I needed to find my tool, which is what we all have to do.
Take care,
Donna
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