Assigned Diets Lead To Better Performance In Weight Loss

According to a recent study, assigned diets lead to better performances in weight loss than chosen diets do.

When it comes down to starting a diet, the possibilities are endless. And those diets that sound particularly doable, because they entail eating your favorite food every day of the week and losing weight at the end of it, are most likely not a good choice.

The best possible way of choosing a diet is actually consulting a nutritionist, who will provide you with your best match for your own body. This implies that the doctor will perform a series of tests on you, so that he may understand how your body works.

And then, after carefully studying your results, the nutritionist will assign you a diet that will work well for you. And it appears that the reason why this diet has better chances of working is not only related to the fact that it is tailor-made for you, but also to the fact that it is imposed.

A recent study was conducted at the Durham VA Medical Center that wanted to look into just how much a person’s choice is able to affect the outcome of a weight loss diet.

The researched project had 207 participants, most of whom were men, that were assigned to two groups. The participants from the first group could choose between a low-carbohydrate that entailed no calorie restriction and low-fat diet that did entail the restriction of calories.

The participants form the second group did not get to chose their diet. They were randomly assigned a weight loss diet and they constituted the “control group”.

They had to follow the diet for 48 weeks and they received counseling in the form of brochures and telephone calls, so as to help them along the process. They were called in periodically, so that they many be assessed and weighed.

At the end of the entire period, it seems that the choice group managed to reach a mean weight loss of 12.5 pounds, while the group that was assigned a diet managed a 14.5 pounds weight loss.

“These results converge to suggest that providing a choice of diets to patients does not enhance and may actually hinder weight loss”, concluded the scientists at the Durham VA Medical Center.

This is a matter that will require more extensive research, but the Durham research team’s hypothesis is solid and it is most likely that the findings of future research will be consistent with theirs.

However, the best way to apply their hypothesis is to consult is nutritionist before you begin a weight loss diet. A doctor is the perfect person who can choose your diet for you, so that you can get the best results possible.
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