Wed, Jun-30-04, 14:04
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Senior Member
Posts: 265
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Plan: atkins
Stats: 185/180/165
BF:25
Progress: 25%
Location: Nova Scotia
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This isn't analytical data - it's gossip. Remind me not to invest with Wachovia. The NPD group has been trying to dig itself out of a hole ever since last December when it first predicted the decline of low-carb. The following abstract from Opinion Dynamics is probably closer to the truth.
Quote:
Updated Low-Carb Results
Posted 6-9-04
The Success of Low-Carb Diets
Two of the major debates regarding low-carbohydrate diets involve the success of the diets and the future of the diets. First, do low-carb diets work? That is, do people who follow low-carb diets actually lose weight, and if so, do they usually keep it off? Second, has the popularity of the diet already peaked? Is the incidence of people on low-carb diets decreasing?
These questions are at the heart of ongoing debates within the food industry and the media. On one hand, many experts agree that people who closely follow low-carb diets exactly as recommended in such well known diet plans as the Atkins or South Beach diets, should lose weight. On the other hand, many experts also agree that people rarely follow diets exactly as recommended. It is suspected that low-carb diets, as actually practiced, do not lead most people to lose weight. Many experts think that dieters do not go far enough in reducing their carb intake, or calorie intake, to actually lose weight. Furthermore, it is also suggested that low-carb dieters who have lost weight typically gain it back a short time later.
It is felt by some that this lack of success has already led to decreased interest in low-carb diets. Several experts in consumer behavior believe that the popularity of low-carb diets has already peaked, and that the market for low-carb products has begun to shrink.
Opinion Dynamics Corporation has studied these and other questions over the past several months by conducting monthly surveys on low-carb behavior. Each survey consisted of questions added to a random national telephone omnibus survey of 900 residents aged 18 and over. The surveys have been conducted independently - no outside organization paid for any of the low-carb research. The first study was conducted in December 2003, and the most recent study was conducted in May 2004. Questions on low-carb behavior were asked of those people who have tried a low-carb diet over the past two years, accounting for 24% of the US adult population, according to our most recent survey.
Our research shows that the popularity of low-carb diets has remained stable over the past several months, and has not decreased, as several commentators have asserted. Our research also shows that low-carb diets have proven effective for losing weight, not just in theory, but in practice as well.
General Findings
The percentage of the public currently on a low-carb diet has remained remarkably stable over the past six months, at 12% of US adults. This figure has neither increased nor decreased significantly since December, 2004.
The latest study shows that most people who try low-carb diets say that they were successful in losing weight. Over three-quarters (78%) of those who have tried a low-carb diet in the past two years say they lost weight as a result of the diet.
Two-thirds (66%) of those who reported losing weight say they continue to lose weight, or have kept the weight off. Only 22% of those who lost weight say that they regained some of the weight, and only 9% say that they regained all the weight.
The median amount of weight lost on low-carb diets is approximately 16 pounds; 46% say they lost less than 16 pounds, while 50% say they lost more than that amount.
Low-carb diets are now seen as more effective than low-fat diets for short-term weight loss by a plurality of the public; 39% say that low-carb diets are more effective for losing weight, and 34% say that low-fat diets are more effective for losing weight. Low-fat diets are still seen by a majority of the public as a healthier long-term lifestyle.
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for the rest of this article see:
http://www.opiniondynamics.com/lowcarb.html#top
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