Turns out, there isn't one. This article talks about a recent study that shows that the type of diet that people were on came out with basically the same results in the end.
From the article:
The kind of diet doesn't matter, scientists say. All that really counts is cutting calories and sticking with it, according to a federal study that followed people for two years. However, participants had trouble staying with a single approach that long and the weight loss was modest for most.
So the key seems to be not the type of eating your doing (low carb, low fat, carrot diet, etc), it's that you stick with it. That's where I think we run into some issues as it seems to me that's the hardest part for people: sticking to it for more than a couple of weeks.
I had written back a while ago here on how the number of diets out there are really making it confusing for people.
I'll admit, in the past I've been a pretty ardent supporter of low-carb diets because they've worked for me. But, I've loosened up a bit lately and opened up to other possibilities that work just as well, and it seems that a study like this is helping me realize that even more.
Bottom line, try out a couple of diets and see which one works for you and stick with it. Or, maybe an even better route is to take a few diets and cycle through them. Do one diet for a month, then another diet for another month, then another one a month after that, and then swing through all three of them again. That way you keep the variety going and you don't get bored (because chances are, when you start getting bored with a diet, that's when the trip through the candy aisle occurs).
A final note that should be mentioned about the study that I think is really important was that the people on the diets got social support throughout the study. Meaning, you're going to have more success losing that weight when you work with others. Don't try to do this alone. Get together with some friends and do it together and look up a nutritionist to consult with on a recurring basis.
On that same note, I'm currently using myself as a guinea pig on a new diet I found. Although it's really not a diet. More to come on that in the following weeks so stay tuned.
Have a good weekend.
www.leanbodyfitness.com
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