How many diets have you tried over the years? If that number is roughly equal to the number of times the weight has crept back, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association should be of interest. Researchers compared the effects of a low fat diet to a low glycemic index (GI) diet and low carb program. In addition to being the easiest plan to stick with, the low-GI diet produced the best results.

Both the low carb and low-GI diet reduced the post-meal surge in blood sugars better than the low fat diet, but the low-GI diet accomplished this without the stress and inflammation typically associated with low carb dieting. The low-GI diet was also more effective for burning calories after the metabolism has slowed from initial weight loss.

True Strength Moment: In the long run, studies have shown that only 1 in 10 people are able to keep the pounds off after experiencing initial success with weight loss. The low-GI diet used for this study served up 40% of daily calories from carbohydrates with a low glycemic index. Just 20% came from protein with the remaining 40% of calories derived from healthy fats.