Dieting Factors
Americans spend billions of dollars on weight-loss products and programs every year. Despite this, most people do not lose the amount they would like or, if they do, regain the weight after a short period of time. The problem lies with following specific fads that emphasize one type of eating pattern. The low-carbohydrate diet, which has been popular off-and-on-again since the mid-1800s, exemplifies such a diet program. Studies do show that the low-carbohydrate diet can offer some benefits, but over the long-term does not offer any more advantages than any other diet. Other factors, such as adherence to the diet and lifestyle are more important to the equation.
Americans spent approximately $60 billion in 2009 on weight loss products and programs, including so-called "special" diet foods, appetite suppressants, diet books, exercise memberships, workout videos, and stomach-clamping surgery (World Health Organization, 2010). Yet obesity, especially among children and youth, continues to climb. Statistics find that normally one-third of the female population is on a calorically restrictive diet at any one time. About 30% of girls have already been on a calorically restrictive diet by the time they reach the teenage years with more than 70% of girls having been on one by the time they attend college after high school graduation. Further, over the past two decades, there have been scores of new diet books. Regardless, in most diets people either do not lose much weight, or as much as they wanted, or gain the pounds back in a short period of time. Many of these diets result in temporary weight loss, which comes as no surprise since the person is eating less, but the long-term success rate is typically less than 5%: More than 95% of individuals undergoing caloric restriction return to, or above, their pre-diet weight within five years, most within two-year, whether it is a low carbohydrate or any other form of diet (lecture material from class). They have spent considerable time and money on weight loss programs and products that may work in the short-term, if that. Presently, the main approach to weight loss is through a host of different forms of calorically reduction diets, including low-carbohydrate intake; the majority of these fads have little empirical basis or substantiation. Research does find repeatedly to consistently lose weight for the long-term it is necessary to decrease caloric input and increase activity at the same time. A diet, such as the low-carbohydrate, will not work on its own for the long-term.
This report will review academic studies that have been conducted within recent years to support the thesis that diet alone, in this case the low-carbohydrate diet, cannot help a person lose weight for the long-term. It will provide a concluding overview of the literature review and any additional studies that would be recommended.
The low-carbohydrate diet has a history that stems back to the mid-1860s. In 1862, a London undertaker, William Banting, was so obese at 5'5" and 202 pounds, that his fat was pressing on his inner ear and he could not hear. His doctor put him on a starch- and sugar-free diet; he was only allowed meat, fish, and vegetables. In 1890, Wilbur Atwater, an agricultural chemist, discovered the calorimeter and measured the amount of heat food produced. This unit of measurement was named a calorie. The body, burned calories; if a person ate more than what was burned, he or she would gain weight; the opposite would occur when more was burned than eaten. In the 1940s, a researcher, Dr. Alfred Pennington, theorized that people became fat not because they were eating too much, but because of what their bodies did with certain foods -- it turned what they ate into fat. He said people were not losing weight with a low-calorie diet, because this did not eliminate the fat; overweight people do not fully break down the carbohydrates and most are therefore converted to fat. When people were placed on a high-fat, high-protein, low-carbohydrate unrestricted-calorie diet, they felt well, enjoyed their meals and were no longer hungry between meals. Twenty obese individuals being treated lost an average of 22 pounds each in about three-and-a-half months (Sawyer & Gale, 2008). The diet became a fad, worked for some people and then disappeared when the newest weight-loss method appeared. This low-carbohydrate concept arose again with Dr. Robert Atkins New Diet Revolution in 1992. This diet continues to be popular under a number of different names despite contradictory results.
A wide number of studies have been conducted in recent years to specifically look at the results...
Weight Watchers was founded in 1963 by Jean Nidtech, in Queens, NY, and has built up a track record of over 40 years of helping people lose weight. The company has been built on the philosophy that "dieting is just one part of long-term weight management," and therefore has built an entire weight loss system around its food products. The company has been able to grow to popularity on the
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