Diet Bake-Off

By David Bjerklie

There aren't many head-to-head studies of brand-name diet regimens, and now we know why. When scientists assigned 160 overweight or obese adults to one of four diets--Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers or Zone--the results were hardly dramatic. After a year of dieting, the average weight loss for women was about 5 lbs. and for men about 6.5 lbs.--and it didn't matter much which diet they were on. Perhaps the most significant finding was how many test subjects dropped out: half of the Atkins and Ornish groups, a third of Weight Watchers and Zone. The best bet, say the researchers, is to pick a diet with food choices you can live with. --By David Bjerklie