Recently, Consumer Reports^®, famous for its ratings of appliances and cars, ranked popular diet plans.¹ Stirring up much controversy, the magazine rated Jenny Craig^® as the top plan, over Slim Fast^®, Weight Watchers^®, the Zone fast weight-loss plan, Dr. Dean Ornish's Eat More, Weigh Less diet, the Atkins^™ diet, and Nutrisystem^®. So what's the controversy? Consumer Reports indicated that Jenny Craig had "the edge over the other big names" because of its two-year study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (in 2010)² showing 92% of the 442 overweight and obese participants sticking with the program for two years, losing an average of 16 pounds/person (about 8% of their body weight). What wasn't reported was that in the research study participants received the Jenny Craig membership AND food for free during the two-year study! Thus, many argue that this was not a "real world" test of the Jenny Craig program. Indeed, authors of the JAMA study clearly point out that they were not testing the success of Jenny Craig in the real world, but trying to determine whether a free prepared-meal program could help people lose weight and keep it off.

What's interesting is that Consumer Reports didn't report on a study conducted by Cooper Institute (CI) researchers to determine retention rates and weight loss among "real world" Jenny Craig participants! Published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2007³, CI researchers looked at data from over 60,000 men and women ages 18-79 years who enrolled in the Jenny Craig program over a one-year period. Results were quite different than the JAMA study in that while 73% of people stuck with the program for 4 weeks, only 42% were still with it at 13 weeks, 22% at 26 weeks, and 6.6% at 52 weeks. So at 1 year, the CI study showed only 6.6% of paying Jenny Craig customers were still with the program, as opposed to the JAMA study that showed at 2 years 92% of nonpaying customers were still with the program. The CI study did show, however that people who remained in the Jenny Craig program for 40-52 weeks lost about 12% of their body weight compared to only about a 1% body weight loss in those who dropped out during the first 4 weeks.

The conclusion stated by the article's researchers provides an excellent summary, applicable to ALL weight loss programs:

"Weight loss was greater among clients who were retained in the program longer. The findings from this study suggest that a commercial weight loss program can be effective weight loss tool for individuals who remain active in the program."

Thus, the best weight loss plan is one that you will stick with! Of course, a plan that has some research backing it (as opposed to personal testimonials) and includes a variety of healthy foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, diary, and unsaturated fats from sources like olive oil, nuts, avocados, and fish) is important. But to lose weight, it's really about burning more calories than you take in - and making that low-calorie meal plan and high activity exercise plan a part of your daily routine.

In The Cooper Institute's Weight Management Leadership course we encourage people to ask these questions of any weight loss plan. A program that works for one person may or may not work for the next!

1. What does the program consist of?
-Individual or group sessions?
-Specific meal plans, foods, or supplements?
-Physical activity?
-Will it teach me behavioral skills so I can make lasting changes?
-Will it meet my lifestyle and cultural needs?

2. Does the product or program cause any risk to my health?
-Risks from the program’s eating or exercise plans?
-Risks from drugs or supplements prescribed?
-Are medical professionals involved with my specific care and do they oversee the program?

3. How much will the program cost me?
-Cost for group or individual sessions?
-Costs for foods, supplements, drugs prescribed?
-Costs for any medical tests?
-Total costs during the program and for follow up?

4. What results do participants typically have?
-Completion rates?
-Slow and steady weight loss?
-Weight loss maintained (and for how long)?
-Weight regained?
-Can references of past participants be provided?

A comprehensive guide to evaluating weight management programs can be purchased (or read online, free of charge) from The Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences.

¹Pick your ideal diet: will it be our winner, Jenny Craig, or one of its rivals?. (2011, June). Consumer Reports.

²Rock, C.L., Flatt, S.W., & Sherwood, N.E. (2010). Effect of a free prepared meal and incentivized weight loss program on weight loss and weight loss maintenance in obese and overweight women. Journal of the American Medical Association, 304(16), 1803-1810.

³Finley, C.E., Barlow, C.E., & Greenway, F.L. (2007). Retention rates and weight loss in a commercial weight loss program. International Journal of Obesity, 31, 292-298.