4beans4me
Fri, Dec-17-04, 11:13
Atkins, South Beach diets start to take a pounding
People are losing interest in losing weight, but just wait until February.
By Nanci Hellmich / USA TODAY
The percentage of people following low-carb diets has dropped dramatically since January, according to new data from two market research firms.
• Low-carb dieting peaked the last week of January, when 9.1 percent of people said they were on the program. By Nov. 17, only 3.6 percent were following the plan, according to the NPD Group, one of the country's leading market research firms. NPD interviews 1,000 people twice a month about dieting.
• A monthly poll of 1,100 people from Opinion Dynamics Corp. shows 11to 12 percent of people from December 2003 through August said they were on a low-carb program such as the Atkins or South Beach diet. In October, the percentage dropped to 8 percent.
The number of people trying to lose weight declines at this time of year, but low-carb dieters dropped more than the overall percentage, says Harry Balzer, a vice president for NPD Group.
He believes America's interest in this kind of dieting plan has peaked. About 13 percent of consumers say they are cautious about the foods they serve with carbohydrates, Balzer says. About 30 percent say the same about foods high in fat.
And 10 years ago, at the peak of interest in reducing fat, about 50 percent of people said they were concerned about high-fat foods.
Colette Heimowitz, director of nutrition information for the Atkins companies, says the diet already has stood the test of time. "For 30 years, they've been saying it's a fad, and it's going away," she says. "And it hasn't."
Other new data show that contrary to popular belief, January isn't peak time for dieting.
About 28 percent of people said they were on a diet during the last week of January compared with about 30 percent the last week of March. About 20 percent said they were on a diet right before Thanksgiving, according to NPD.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/fitness/0412/17/B01-35422.htm
People are losing interest in losing weight, but just wait until February.
By Nanci Hellmich / USA TODAY
The percentage of people following low-carb diets has dropped dramatically since January, according to new data from two market research firms.
• Low-carb dieting peaked the last week of January, when 9.1 percent of people said they were on the program. By Nov. 17, only 3.6 percent were following the plan, according to the NPD Group, one of the country's leading market research firms. NPD interviews 1,000 people twice a month about dieting.
• A monthly poll of 1,100 people from Opinion Dynamics Corp. shows 11to 12 percent of people from December 2003 through August said they were on a low-carb program such as the Atkins or South Beach diet. In October, the percentage dropped to 8 percent.
The number of people trying to lose weight declines at this time of year, but low-carb dieters dropped more than the overall percentage, says Harry Balzer, a vice president for NPD Group.
He believes America's interest in this kind of dieting plan has peaked. About 13 percent of consumers say they are cautious about the foods they serve with carbohydrates, Balzer says. About 30 percent say the same about foods high in fat.
And 10 years ago, at the peak of interest in reducing fat, about 50 percent of people said they were concerned about high-fat foods.
Colette Heimowitz, director of nutrition information for the Atkins companies, says the diet already has stood the test of time. "For 30 years, they've been saying it's a fad, and it's going away," she says. "And it hasn't."
Other new data show that contrary to popular belief, January isn't peak time for dieting.
About 28 percent of people said they were on a diet during the last week of January compared with about 30 percent the last week of March. About 20 percent said they were on a diet right before Thanksgiving, according to NPD.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/fitness/0412/17/B01-35422.htm