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HEALTHY LIVING


diet (foods that don’t lead to a rapid spike in blood sugar), the Paleo diet (lean meats, fish, seafood, fruit, and non-starchy vegetables), the Mediterranean diet (mostly plant- based foods, olive oil, seafood; limited meats and dairy), Slim-Fast (mostly shakes, snacks, and bars from the brand), and the South Beach Diet (lean protein, fruits, veggies, healthy fats, whole grains). The top-rated diet plan was a


phone app called MyFitnessPal (see accompanying box). Coming in second in the survey was the Paleo diet, followed by the Mediterranean diet. These three diets beat all the commercial plans, including Weight Watchers, Medifast, and Jenny Craig. The last-ranked diet: Nutrisystem. It wasn’t just the amount of


weight lost that was linked with dieters’ satisfaction with a particular approach: Plans that recommended easy-to-make, low-cost lifestyle changes that help people maintain their weight loss over time got the highest marks. Against that backdrop, here are


diet truths and falsehoods uncovered by new research.


Diet Dilemma


Which diets work? New research uncovers the truth (and myths) about weight-loss strategies. ::


BY STACEY COLINO I


f you’re trying to slim down (and who isn’t?) there’s good news and bad news coming from the latest research.


The good: Research has shed


light on the most effective weight-loss plans — and many of them are easy to implement. The bad: Some of the claims made


by popular diets have been found to be unproven or outright myths.


84 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE | MAY 2013 In a recent survey involving more


than 9,000 readers, Consumer Reports found that no single approach to losing weight is the best. On the contrary, a bunch of different approaches can all work well. Among those included in the


survey were commercial plans like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Medifast, and Nutrisystem, as well as do-it-yourself approaches such as low-carb diets, the Glycemic Index


TRUE: It’s important to keep track of what you eat and how much you exercise. Track your eating and physical


activity patterns (aka, “self- monitoring”), whether it’s with a traditional food diary and exercise log, a program on your computer, or an app that allows you to do it on your smart phone. The reason it works: “When


you’re more conscious of what you’re doing in terms of your diet and physical activity, you’re more likely to be consistent and move toward the goals you’ve set for yourself,” explains Lawrence Cheskin, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore. Plus, “when you step on the scale and see positive results from making a


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