TV dieters road test weight-loss plans
A reality TV show following dieters as they test four of the best known weight loss plans is to be broadcast in March.
The BBC's Diet Trials will follow 300 volunteers through six months spent on the Weight Watchers, Slim Fast, Rosemary Conley and Dr Atkins diets.
Scientists at Britain's University of Surrey are co-ordinating the experiment with BBC cameras following the slimmers as they attempt to shed the pounds.
At the end of the six months the volunteers' weight and body fat will be measured, the results collated and the most effective diet revealed.
The BBC says it's the largest comparative study of its kind to be undertaken in Britain.
Twelve million Britons are currently thought to be on a diet, raking in profits of £12bn (€18.7bn) a year for the weight loss industry.
Dr Helen Truby, one of the study's co-ordinators, hopes the findings will prove the effectiveness of diets for ordinary people.
She said: "The trial is supposed to be replicating what happens in the community, so we didn't intervene when the volunteers didn't stick to the plan all the time."
The 300 volunteers are all aged between 21 and 60. A total of 70% are women.
All were classed as overweight or obese at the beginning of the project by their Body Mass Index, which is calculated using a person's height and weight.
