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By Denise Mann WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Oct. 3, 2012 -- "Drop 30 pounds in two months!"

We've all seen ads for miracle diets that promise to help us shed weight in days, weeks, or months.

But what happens next?

Do people stay the course and maintain the loss, or regain the weight with a vengeance?

A team of Israeli researchers followed participants for four years after an initial two-year workplace-based study to try and answer these questions. Participants followed one of three weight loss plans: a low-fat, low-calorie diet; a Mediterranean-style, low-calorie diet; or a low-carb eating plan without calorie restrictions.

Overall, the Mediterranean diet led to the most dramatic changes, but people on the other diets also did pretty well. A Mediterranean diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, whole grains, legumes, healthy fats like olive oil, and moderate amounts of alcohol. It is also low in sweets, meats, and saturated fats like butter.

Eighty-six percent of the participants were men, and most were considered moderately obese when the study began. Researchers also educated their spouses about the diet so changes could be made at home, too.

At two years, 85% of the participants were still following their diet programs. Participants on the Mediterranean diet and low-carb diet lost more weight than those on the low-fat diet.

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Mediterranean Diet Tops List of 'Livable' Diets

Moderately obese people who ate the Mediterranean diet lost more weight than groups of people who followed either a low-fat or a low-carbohydrate diet, researchers reported.

The Mediterranean group weighed almost seven pounds less than they weighed six years earlier. In the low-carb group, the total was 3.7 pounds, and the low-fat group was 1.3 pounds. The Mediterranean diet is one based on the eating habits of people who live in that part of the world -- high in produce, and including olive oil and fish.

The researchers, in a letter published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, collected data from a two-year work-based program called the Dietary Intervention Randomized Controlled Trial. They randomly assigned 322 moderately obese people, most of them men, to the three diet categories. The participants were given education assistance about the diets.

After two years, the average weight loss was 6.4 pounds in the low-fat group, almost 10 pounds in the Mediterranean group and 10.3 in the low-carb group. At that point, 259 people remained in the study.

After six years, 67% had continued with their original diet, 11% had switched to another diet, and 22% were not dieting.

The researchers, led by Dr. Dan Schwartzfuchs of the Nuclear Research Center Negev in Israel, concluded that the workplace intervention had long-lasting, favorable postintervention effects, particularly among participants receiving the Mediterranean and low-carbohydrate diets, despite a partial regain of weight.

mary.macvean@latimes.com

twitter.com/mmacvean

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Mediterranean dieters kept weight off for six years

America Ferrera is tired of trying to become someone she's not.

In the Fall/Winter 2012 issue of Cosmopolitan for Latinas, the Emmy Award winner opens up about the pressure to look like her peers in Hollywood. "More often than not, I hate photos shoots and I hate being on the red carpet," says Ferrera, married to actor/director Ryan Piers Williams, 31, since June 2011. "I don't think I'm very well equipped for the scrutiny or the pressure to be perfect, and I don't think anyone really is."

PHOTOS: Celebs' hot body secrets revealed

With low self-esteem, Ferrera admits it's hard to accept compliments.

"People are saying 'We love you and love what you do,' and you're sitting there thinking, 'I'm not skinny enough or pretty enough,'" the 28-year-old End of Watch actress says. "It's taken a lot of work to get over that."

PHOTOS: America Ferrera and other hilarious female stars

Ferrera -- who hit it big when she played the titular role in ABC's Ugly Betty in 2006 -- is happier than ever with her curves. The star says she hopes to inspire young women to focus more on their accomplishments and less on their appearances.

PHOTOS: Curvy celebs who got it right

"How much time have I wasted on diets and what I look like? Take your time and your talent and figure out what you have to contribute to this world," Ferrera says, "and get over what the hell your butt looks like in those jeans!"

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America Ferrera: I've Wasted Too Much Time "on Diets and What I Look Like"

America Ferrera knows all too well the pressures of looking perfectly thin, and the actress is speaking out, saying shes wasted all her time worrying about what she looks like and sticking to diets.

In the fall issue of Cosmopolitan for Latinas, Ferrera explains how unhappiness with her physical appearance really took a toll on her life. More often than not, I hate photo shoots and I hate being on the red carpet. I dont think Im very well equipped for the scrutiny or the pressure to be perfect, and I dont think anyone really is.

Ferrera also admitted that she doesnt take compliments well. People are saying We love you and love what you do and youre sitting there thinking, Im not skinny enough or pretty enough, the 28-year-old confessed. Its taken a lot of work to get over that.

According to Us Weekly, Ferrera rose to fame for her role as Betty in ABCs hit 2006 comedy, Ugly Betty. And although she may have had a tough time reaching self acceptance, the actress says she now hopes to inspire young women who struggle with many of the same things she did.

How much time have I wasted on diets and what I look like? Take your time and your talent and figure out what you have to contribute to this world, Ferrara says. And get over what the hell your butt looks like in those jeans!

Photo Courtesy of INFDaily.com

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America Ferrera speaks out about dieting and weight loss

Zinc deficiency has been linked to a host of diseases in a new study.

Researchers at Oregon State University found that elderly people without adequate zinc in their body are more at risk of a variety of maladies like cancer, heart disease and autoimmune disorders.

Indeed, the study suggests that supplemental zinc is often necessary as one ages, as the ability to absorb it decreases, said Science Daily.

"The elderly are the fastest growing population in the US. and are highly vulnerable to zinc deficiency," said study author Emily Ho, reported the website.

"They don't consume enough of this nutrient and don't absorb it very well."

The study said that many Americans were deficient in the mineral.

About 40 percent of elderly Americans were zinc deficient and two billion people around the world have diets that do not provide adequate amounts, said E! Science News.

The researchers said that inflammation is one of the key side effects of not having enough zinc.

"We've previously shown in both animal and human studies that zinc deficiency can cause DNA damage, and this new work shows how it can help lead to systemic inflammation," said Ho, reported Science Daily.

"Some inflammation is normal, a part of immune defense, wound healing and other functions but in excess, it's been associated with almost every degenerative disease you can think of, including cancer and heart disease. It appears to be a significant factor in the diseases that most people die from."

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Zinc deficiency linked to multiple diseases, says a new study

Exercising and dieting can create an energy deficit that can help us lose weight. But if the focus will always be on calories, then most people might just be preoccupied with burning more and eating less, without knowing the negative effects this may have.

What happens if we focus only on diet and exercise and disregard other aspects of effective weight control such as proper rest, positive attitude, supportive relationships and good self-management skills? Weight loss might not last for long; it may not happen at all.

Based on my personal experience, readings, research and daily dealings with clients, Ive realized that changing ones eating and exercise habits is just one part of the whole picture. An effective weight control strategy involves other major ingredients.

It has a game plan

The game plan includes your level of motivation, readiness, eating and exercise program, created especially so you can realistically follow everything until you achieve your weight goal. Copying someones weight loss plan might not work for you because the amount and type of exercise and food might be too little or too much for you.

You need to consult medical and/or weight loss professionals to get your best game plan. These are experts who can also teach you how to deal with challenges such as cravings, lapses, medical conditions, injuries and mood disturbances. Your stress and time management skills are also part of the plan.

Your exercise game plan: If you are just starting to make lifestyle changes to lose weight, you cant just enroll in a fitness center or run outdoors every morning and burn 500 to 1,000 calories because youve read that to lose one pound of fat per week from exercise, you need to burn at least 500 calories per day.

You need a comprehensive lifestyle assessment and plan. Your physical activity plan would depend on how much time you devote to burning calories per day or per week. Remember that activities like moving around the house, performing household chores and climbing up and down the stairs have equivalent calorie burn as well.

The exercise intensity will be based on your fitness level, exercise history and nutrition. If youve been sedentary for the longest time, then a light to moderate physical activity like brisk walking and light weights might best suit your first weekly program. Your exercise program should progress gradually, depending on your fitness gains, to avoid injuries, health problems, overeating and early exercise termination.

Your eating game plan: Your eating plan to control weight will depend on your current physical activity game plan. Most people will just go on low-calorie diets without considering their daily energy expenditure, so they get weak and sick and are eventually unable to pursue their weight loss efforts.

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Weight control–it’s not just exercise and diet

DENVER, Oct. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 347 million people worldwide have diabetes and this figure is expected to increase by two thirds by 2030. A new international study published in the October issue of the medical journal Nutrition, compared low-carb with low-calorie diets in obese and diabetic patients and found that a low-carb approach, such as the Atkins Diet, can assist in reversing this global trend. The study found that health markers improved more substantially in the low-carb group and diabetic patients experienced positive markers for longer term blood sugar readings.

Of 363 overweight and obese patients, which were recruited for a 24-week diet intervention trial, 102 of the patients had type-2 diabetes. The patients in the low-carb group saw positive improvement in their health markers, which were measured at two week intervals over the period. Health markers measured included: body weight, body mass index (BMI), blood glucose level, total cholesterol and triglycerides among others.

In particular, the low-carb diet had significant positive effects on body weight, waist measurement, serum triacylglycerols and glycemic control in participants with type-2 diabetes. Most impressively, there was a high level of improvement in the marker for longer term blood sugar readings (HbA1c). This improvement in glycemic control was due in most part to diet, because the diabetics reduced by half or discontinued their medications at the beginning of the study. During the study, participants, who reported cravings or reached half their weight loss goal, were instructed to eat more vegetables such as salad greens or other low-carb vegetables, cheese, nuts or other low-carb snacks.

Atkins Supports Healthy Blood Sugar Levels Similar to the low-carb diet followed in the study, the Atkins Diet, the original and leading low-carb weight loss plan, recommends a wide array of vegetables, low glycemic fruits, whole grains, healthy fats and adequate proteins. Supported by over 80 independent, peer-reviewed studies, Atkins is a long-term, well balanced diet that teaches individuals to find their own personal carb balance, to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, by slowly adding more foods to their diets while continuing to lose weight or maintain weight loss long term.

About Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is a leader in the $2.4 billion weight control nutrition category, and offers a powerful lifetime approach to weight loss and management. The Atkins Diet focuses on a healthy diet with reduced levels of refined carbohydrates and added sugars and encourages the consumption of protein, fiber, fruits, vegetables and good fats. Backed by research and consumer success stories, this approach allows the body to burn more fat and work more efficiently while helping individuals feel less hungry, more satisfied and more energetic.

Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., manufactures and sells a variety of nutrition bars and shakes designed around the nutritional principles of the Atkins Diet. Atkins' four product lines: Advantage, Day Break, Endulge and Cuisine appeal to a broad audience of both men and women who want to achieve their weight management goals and enjoy a healthier lifestyle. Atkins products are available online at atkins.com and in more than 30,000 locations throughout the U.S. and internationally. For more information, visit atkins.com.

STUDY DETAILS: Effect of low-calorie versus low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in type 2 diabetes Nutrition Vol. 28, Issue 10, Pages 1016-1021 Autors: Talib A. Hussain, Thazhumpal C. Mathew, Ali A. Dashti, Sami Asfar, Naji Al-Zaid, Hussein M. Dashti et al. World Health Organization, "Fact sheet N312", September 2012 (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/)

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New International Study Demonstrates the Power of Low-Carb Diets In the Fight Against Diabetes

Cabbage soup, tapeworms and imaginary food - all healthy and effective ways to lose weight, if you believe the women's magazines.

There's probably a diet where you only eat this stuff. Photograph: Getty Images

Being as you are a bunch of keyboard-pestering internet potatoes, you will all undoubtedly know how notoriously difficult it is to lose weight. Oh, would that becoming your lithe, slimmer self were as simple as the mere task of burning off more calories through exercise than you take in through cheese snaffling! Unfortunately, and despite what mendacious vegetable-eating tosspot Jamie Oliver would have you believe, combining a healthy diet with regular physical activity barely makes any difference to your flabby, gelatinous arse, which is why you should accept that chowing down on your five-a-day and frantically zumba-ing your way to a slimmer, sexier you whose thighs don't rub agonisingly together as you walk is a fool's errand. Instead, why not try one of those totally non-mental faddy diets, brought to you courtesy of Every Women's Magazine Ever?

This classic diet is a must-try for every slimming masochist. Everyone knows that cabbage smells like arse, but not only does this diet make you shit molten cabbage-lava, it also makes your house (wherein you have been preparing the devilish concoction) extremely unpalatable to gentleman callers. If you've been craving celibacy as well as IBS, and are prepared to eat unparalleled quantities of boiled cabbage (perhaps you are Russian?), then this is the diet for you.

Hear that, ladies? No French woman has ever experienced the indignity of portliness, despite the fact that this is a nation that eats cake and cheese for breakfast and whose lunchboxes contain pig's head fried in butter. Apparently, this is because these women are able to enjoy the country's gourmande delicacies, such as baked camembert, in moderation, while spending every weekend subsisting on leek water (a mild diaretic) until they poo themselves thin. How the French have managed to combine faecal incontinence with a reputation for chicness remains one of life's great mysteries.

Starvation is the name of the game, with dieters replacing food with a lemon juice and maple syrup mixture that can ultimately rot your teeth and constipate you. This diet will not only make you unpopular when you visit restaurants with friends and order hot water for your "mater cleanse lemonade", but is also based on what Dr Ben Goldacre probably calls "unadulterated detox bollocks". You're unlikely to lose anything except water-weight before your body kicks into starvation mode and starts clinging onto every last molecule of fat like a toddler to a shinbone on the first day of school.

Offer someone on the Dukan Diet a sausage sandwich and they will probably reply "No. I'm on phase two of the Dukan Diet and can only eat pork on every second Wednesday providing it's a full moon." The reason for this is that the vagaries of the Dukan Diet and its various phases are harder to grasp than the most complex branches of theoretical physics. Even the Schrodinger's cat thought experiment (which, let's face it, most people only pretend to understand because - SPOLIER ALERT- barely anyone's brain can comprehend a cat in a box that is simultaneously both dead and alive) is liable to become as unchallenging as an episode of Button Moon when compared with a Dukan dieter trying to work out whether they're allowed yoghurt on Tuesday. From what we have been able to glean from the esoteric mumblings of the Daily Mail website, the Dukan Diet is based mainly around cottage cheese and allowed Suzanne Southall from Birmingham to lose seven stone, which, considering the fact that cottage cheese is composed entirely of the cellulite waste removed through liposuction, deserves a famous paradox all to itself.

If you're one of those women with a big event coming up and are praying for a spot of slimming Norovirus to help you on your way (hot tip: try the oysters at the Lord Stanley), you could do a lot worse than a tapeworm. How exactly you're supposed to go about 'catching' a tapeworm doesn't really bear thinking about (although according to our research on the internet it invariably involves giving a Mexican $1,500 - a bit dear considering pig shit costs nothing), but once you've got the bugger in it can apparently lead to a weightloss of 1-2 lbs per week. Side effects may or may not include the tapeworm bursting out of your stomach while you lie on a spaceship breakfast table after an artificially induced deep sleep. Speaking of.

This crackpot diet has been being peddled for over fifty years, on the basis that your body is forced to use up extra reserves of fat while you sleep. Perfect for the ultimate lazy dieter, it involves the bare minimum of effort and crops up regularly in newspapers and women's magazines. When taken to an extreme conclusion, however, this diet involves 24/7 sleeping following medically- assisted sedation, in order to get your abs fairytale firm. Yeah. Expect to awake from your three day Temazepam snooze to discover that you are not only 12lb lighter, but that a homosexual in a cape is leaning over you, clutching an engagement ring as he wet-breathes on your face.

The regime of choice for Bible-bashers, this diet is based on something God apparently said in Genesis about how 85 per cent of your food should be raw and plant-based, or something (it's essentially veganism with added sanctimony). It's not the most balanced of diets, revolving as it does mostly around mung beans, and flagrantly ignores the fact that cooking kills off some of the bacteria that lives in food. God also later renegs on the veggie-deal by saying: "every living thing that moveth shall be meat for you", which basically means that you can go ahead and eat that tapeworm mentioned earlier.

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The world's top ten best (worst) fad diets

"My friend just told me that he has to lose 10 pounds by next week ... isn't that unhealthy?" asked my 17-year-old son. Perplexed and troubled, he went on to say that unless his friend "starved" himself, he wouldn't "make his weight" for his wrestling team.

Unfortunately, this is not atypical. Anywhere from one-quarter to two-thirds of high school wrestlers use fasting, excessive exercise, unbalanced diets, and voluntary dehydration as techniques to help them achieve a fighting weight, according to some estimates. Ironically, these behaviors only sap athletes of the strength and energy needed to compete in this sport--and they're particularly dangerous for still-growing teens, who demand calories to fuel both mind and body. Furthermore, an improper diet can have a profoundly negative impact on learning and focusing at a time when students can barely afford to divert their attention from college applications and SAT's to rigorous after-school workouts and weekend tournaments.

In his 2001 report published in Contemporary Pediatrics, "Aiming for Healthy Weight for Wrestlers and Other Athletes," the late Vito Perriello, Jr., a pediatrician and pioneer in the field of sports medicine, wrote that participants of "weight-sensitive sports" are likelier to engage in unhealthy eating practices than are other athletes. Wrestlers in particular "feel that to succeed they must punish themselves in order to make themselves tougher," wrote Perriello, adding that they think they'll also "gain an advantage by competing at a lower weight." However, studies have determined that wrestling performance is optimal at one's ideal weight versus a lower weight, since the latter could cause weakness and reduced endurance.

While one tactic, voluntary dehydration, may make the numbers on the scale go down, it also cheats the body of the fluid it needs to protect the heart, kidneys, and brain, as well as to properly perform other vital bodily functions. Josh, a teen who competes for a high school team told me, "Although I know it's good to keep hydrated, to make weight I sometimes completely cut liquids out of my diet." But "before a match or after weigh-ins," Josh said, '"I usually stuff my face with sports drinks, water, and food to gain my weight back so I can feel good before I wrestle." This starvation-to-binge pattern is rampant among wrestlers.

Ben, a 12th-grade wrestler, seemed sensible when he said that when asked for diet advice from fellow teammates, he tells them, "Eat three meals a day to keep metabolism and energy up [because] you can't work out without the energy that food gives your body." Yet, in his next sentence, he admitted, "But if I'm still a little overweight one or two days before the weigh-in, I do fast and skip breakfast the morning of the weigh-in ... but I eat after." And he's not alone. Several other students, including Max, an 11th-grade wrestler, told me, "Although I know I probably shouldn't, I do usually binge after a weigh-in ... I try not to go overboard if my match is very soon after my weigh-in, but tournaments sometimes have weigh-ins the day before, though, so under those conditions I do eat as much as possible."

And it's not just the kids who are obsessed with weight. I recently overheard a conversation between two dads of teen wrestlers, who were discussing their sons' weight status. One said, "What's your son weighing now?" The other smiled and replied, "My son is down to 120 and will probably be 116 by the weekend ... but he's looking good." The method by which that weight would be lost didn't seem to be of concern. Many parents light the fire under extreme eating behaviors as well.

Although most wrestlers look to their coaches or teammates for tips on how to cut weight effectively, that doesn't guarantee that the advice they receive encourages safe weight loss. If a coach suspects that disordered eating practices are endangering a player, he should be suggesting a referral to a pediatrician or recommending a consultation with a registered dietitian. A player who is not in shape physically or mentally is not an asset to the team.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt and Spiderman's Uncle Ben similarly stated, "Great power involves great responsibility." It is so critically important that coaches provide the guidance young wrestlers need to fuel their growing bodies and minds. Poor habits at vulnerable times in life can set the stage for a lifetime of poor choices. When asked if he thought his eating habits reverted back to "normal" when not wrestling in the off-season, without hesitation, Josh responded, "No, wrestling has definitely affected my life in a way where I regularly don't eat normally. I constantly think about my weight and how much I weigh, so I can't just eat anything I want."

Young wrestlers need to learn that the number on the scale is not necessarily a reflection of their strength or state of health. During teen years, many important considerations must be weighed.

Hungry for more? Write to eatandrun@usnews.com with your questions, concerns, and feedback.

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Wrestling With Their Weight ... Literally

Arizona's biggest summertime hurdle wasn't always in the weight room or on the basketball court.

For many Wildcats, it was on the dining room table.

While senior Solomon Hill and freshman Brandon Ashley cut fast food out of their diets, freshman center Kaleb Tarczewski and sophomore forward Angelo Chol started eating fuller breakfasts in an effort to gain weight they will need inside.

Other than those adjustments, the UA staff has had little to worry about.

"We're as pleased as we could have been," said James Whitford, UA's associate head coach. "I couldn't say more good things about the freshmen class, their work ethics and the way they approach every day."

Here's how Whitford broke down each of the Wildcats' 10 active scholarship players (guard T.J. McConnell and forward Matt Korcheck are redshirting):

Seniors

Mark Lyons, G, 6-1, 188

Biggest challenge: A graduate transfer from Xavier in the summer, Lyons had to instantly move into a leadership role despite having just joined the Wildcats. He's also transitioning from playing mostly off the ball at Xavier to running the point at UA.

Whitford says: "He's quiet and humble in every drill that he does. He sets the tone. He's in excellent shape. He's a great athlete."

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Arizona basketball: Wildcats shaping up nicely

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