Last updated : Tuesday, January 5, 2010

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5 Diets That Really Work

If losing weight is at the top of your list, you're not alone: An estimated 80 million Americans go on diets every year, spending more than $30 billion annually on programs and products. That's a lot of money, a lot of advice, and a lot of emotional investment.

So, which diets really work—and work safely? To find the weight-loss programs with that golden balance of nutrition, calorie control, motivation, and activity, Health harnessed a panel of experts to put more than 60 well-known diets to the test and narrow them down. (Compare the pros and cons of more than 40 popular diets here!)

Here's our list of winners:

1. The Structure House Weight Loss Plan

Publisher: Fireside

Don't recognize this plan? That's because for more than 30 years its author, Gerard J. Musante, PhD, has been working quietly and very successfully running the actual Structure House, a Durham, N.C.–based residential treatment center for obese adults. That's a lot of time spent with patients and a lot of attention paid to the broad factors that affect weight loss—particularly the relationship people have with food.

But can an excellent residential program transfer to an effective at-home plan? The answer, according to our experts, is a resounding "yes," which is how this below-the-radar plan grabbed highest honors from its better-known rivals.

With top-shelf scores on every aspect of healthy weight-loss, Structure House won an "outstanding!" from obesity expert Tim Church, MD, on its exercise component (often a weak spot in diet programs). And several panelists raved about the plan’s motivational components. "It focuses on the 'why' behind overeating," says registered dietitian Maureen Callahan, "and helps dieters learn to put their lives in balance." Health's senior food and nutrition editor, Frances Largeman-Roth, agrees: “This book takes a holistic approach to weight loss, asking you to fill your life with things other than food—outdoor activities and time with friends and family, for instance. Plus, the recipes, such as Balsamic Dijon Chicken and Classic Pesto, won high marks for tastiness, another factor in long-term weight-loss success.

2. The Step Diet

Workman Publishing

We all know that walking 10,000 steps a day can really make a huge difference healthwise. But now we also know that the diet inspired by this fundamental, healthy approach to movement and activity is a big winner. And it even comes with a pedometer, a device that studies have shown can be a huge motivator for staying active and losing weight.

Our panelists agree that establishing a lifestyle regimen that combines intentional walking with spur-of-the-moment step-building (parking farther away, taking the stairs) is a healthy, all-ages, all-levels-of-fitness diet prescription. "This is more about calories burned than calories cut," Health's Frances Largeman-Roth says.

The nutritional approach of the Step Diet, devised by weight-control experts from the University of Colorado, is profoundly simple: Cut food intake to 75 percent of what you currently eat. "This plan is for people who like things simple," nutrition expert Christine Palumbo says. "Simply cut back on what you normally eat." With suggestions (not hard-core regimens) for making healthy meals and a food diary for building mindfulness, this plan can work well for dieters who like to have daily control and choices.

Our panelists also noted that the cut in calories combined with the steady increase in activity can lead to a safe, healthy rate of weight loss and a naturally active lifestyle. "This is a doable, concrete approach to adding daily physical activity and losing pounds," dietitian and fitness expert Samantha Heller says.

3. Weight Watchers

It’s a classic for a reason. It works.

And over the years, this gold-standard weight-loss program that harnesses the power of group support to help motivate dieters has kept up with science, not to mention changing lifestyles. For this aspect, Weight Watchers earned the highest motivational marks (including several perfect scores) from our panel of experts, who also lauded the plan's overall healthy weight-loss pace and exercise component.

Most noteworthy: Weight Watchers, while maintaining its meetings-based system, has added an online version for those dieters who, in the words of panelist Largeman-Roth, "aren't into group hugs."

What's more, dieters following the program have flexibility. In late December the company launched its newest program, Momentum, which is designed to allow consumers to control their hunger and tailor Weight Watchers to fit their lifestyle. Momentum combines elements from previous food plans like Weight Watchers' famous points-based Flex Plan and the Core Plan. The Flex plan is packed with major education on making wise and healthy food choices and gets kudos for providing both motivation and a simple framework for success. The Core Plan focuses dieters on eating nutritious, satisfying foods—without counting calories.

The Weight Watchers program offers strategies that will work for every dieter. And the support specifically for men was a real bonus, as was the ability to get tasty, already-prepared (and points counted) meals at your local grocery store.

4. The EatingWell Diet

The Countryman Press

This new entry into the field in 2007 has built beautifully on the latest understanding of the broad approach necessary for effective weight loss. Author Jean Harvey-Berino, PhD, RD, developed the fundamentals of the EatingWell Diet at the University of Vermont, where she chairs the department of nutrition and food science. The focus on behavioral changes—including finding and facing eating triggers, eating and shopping mindfully, and cultivating regular, joyful exercise habits—combined with a 28-day mix-and-match menus gained the highest overall rankings on calorie-intake and weight-loss-rate criteria from our panelists.

"Hallelujah," says registered dietitian Maureen Callahan. "Here's a diet plan that tells the truth about weight loss. Dieters lose about 21 pounds in six months, or about a pound a week. This kind of steady weight loss is the real thing, the kind that stays off." Another nifty extra: a Diet Food Diary that includes a calorie-count chart.

5. The Volumetrics Eating Plan

Harper Collins

Nutritionist Barbara Rolls, PhD, has tapped into a fundamental human quality: We like to feel full. This may sound obvious, but it’s based, in fact, on extensive work Rolls has done as director of the Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior at Pennsylvania State University. Rolls says you’ll eat better and lose weight if you focus on the energy density of foods. And her Volumetrics plan explains how low-density foods like fruits and vegetables, as well as soups and stews, fill you up without overloading you with calories.

This diet scored highest for its safe weight-loss-rate and nutritional components because it's "based on sound nutrition principles and overall healthy food choices," judge Samantha Heller says. And our panelists found the plan's 150-plus recipes appealing. Another plus, judge Christine Palumbo says, is Volumetric’s creative approach of showing photos of low- and high-density foods side by side—a simple way to help dieters visualize good choices.

Though exercise plays a secondary role in the Volumetrics plan, it is required. And a guide for logging 30 to 60 minutes of daily activity provides motivation. But Health’s Frances Largeman-Roth wondered if some dieters would need more exercise challenges and support.

Click here for the full list of America's top diets. For more nutrition advice click on iMag's food page.

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