New Research From America On The Move Foundation Indicates American Weight Loss Efforts Stalling

As if it makes a difference.

"America On the Move Foundation (AOMF), a national non-profit organization, released new research that indicates efforts by Americans to lose weight might be stalling. The results, released in conjunction with AOMF's Steptember 2007 celebration, show that in the past four years, the number of Americans trying to lose weight has declined by 14 percentage points, from 73 percent in 2003 to 59 percent today."

In a very real way this can be good news.

Since diets fail with near certainty, the fact that people are jettisoning them may be a sign of intelligence and not stupidity.

Though this is unlikely to be the reason, it can serve as a means to highlight the frustration of people who want to lose weight but cannot since expert diet advice leads them straight to failure.

"The research also indicates that building social networks might be crucial to regaining momentum: though 74 percent of Americans agree it is important to have a support network of family and friends when trying to lose or maintain healthy weight, only 40 percent say their immediate family members encourage them to eat healthy and nutritious foods. Fewer than two in 10 Americans (16 percent) report their close friends encourage these same choices."

The above was another myth borne of the extremity of dieting.

Because diets are so difficult, as in impossible, we cannot do them without a support group. Someone has to be the Calorie cop.

But this is not necessary and acts as a barrier to diet success.

Diets are simple. It is expert diet advice that makes weight loss difficult.

What we do not need are people who act as obstacles, e.g., "friends" who dissuade us from success and diet experts who make diets insurmountable.

This is different from a support group.

We also do not need hare-brained conclusions from the experts:

"'As obesity continues to rise at an alarming pace, these results show that Americans do not have the support they need to make healthy changes,' said James O. Hill, Ph.D., AOMF co-founder and professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Colorado and Health Sciences Center. 'In September and throughout the year, AOMF is committed to providing social networks that encourage and support Americans who are making small changes to lose or maintain weight.'"

This is a Hill of crap. A mountain actually.

Forget the experts, they are the cause of diet failure.

And these are the results.

Take 'em down.