That's right, a new study from the respected New England Journal of Medicine just released their results comparing four different diets. Although the results aren't surprising to me, they will be for the millions of people who are searching for the next great diet cure. Before we announce the winner, here is some background on their study and some video from The Today Show if you prefer to watch it.

The study was unique because it tracked people for two years allowing them to catch those folks who lose weight initially but almost always put it back on after a few weeks of falling off the wagon. The study contained 811 overweight adults who were broken up into four groups and provided different diets with different levels of fat, protein and carbohydrates. They were smart to mimic some of the more popular diets many of us have likely tried (Atkins, Zone, South Beach, etc.) but without labeling them as such to avoid influencing the participant. Here's the best part, the head fake if you're a fan of the Last Lecture, the participants were also instructed to reduce their daily calories by 750, exercise 90 minutes per week, keep a food journal, and meet regularly with diet counselors to review progress. It's almost as if this is the disclaimer you see on every diet and weight loss pill on the market.

Guess which diet won? None of them really. What did win is the scientific fact, yes "science" for all you still searching for the magic pill solution, that calories in vs. calories out is the only way to lose weight. It further proves that you don't need to stress out about which percentage of fat, protein or carbs you should consume but rather be conscious of how much you are consuming. This is both good news and bad for many struggling with their weight. The good news is anyone can do it. The bad news is you can't blame the diet when it doesn't work.

Some other highlights I found particularly important to stress is the epiphany of the obvious. As I talk about in my book, the fundamentals of weight loss are pretty straight forward and easy to understand, but for whatever reason we want to make it so complex. It all boils down to burning more calories than you consume. Period, end of discussion.

Also worthy of noting is that after two years, the average person who participated in regular counseling lost 22 lbs. versus only 9 lbs. for those who did not. That's a whopping 2.5X difference. If you're trying to lose weight, work out with a friend, join Weight Watchers or join an online group like we just created on our Community page. Having a support system just works...and now another study proves it.

The final point worth noting is the power of a food journal. One of the participants admitted he had no idea how many calories he was consuming per day until he started tracking it. Once he started, he went from 2500 to 1800 calories per day just by raising the awareness and learning about what he was eating. He went on to say that he kept eating what he normally ate but just reduced his portion sizes. Yes, that means he didn't go from burgers to rice cakes and expect that to be a long term strategy.

Now the next time you find yourself asking the question of what percentage of fat, protein, carbs, or any other nutrient you think you should consume to lose weight, stop and remember, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is how many calories you consume vs. how many you burn. Victory for common sense proven through science.

Healthy Jumping...

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