No matter where you go and what you read, there are endless promises that someone or something can help you lose weight. There are places to go to lose weight (Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem), books and magazine articles to help you manage your diet, and people who say their way is best (Susan Powter, Richard Simmons). Furthermore, all the advertisements tell you that their product is the only one that works. How do you separate the fact from fiction? How do you decide what works for you, especially when you realize that most diets really don’t work for the long term?

This video looks at reasons why people overeat and factors that influence weight gain. It explores why people diet and reviews what is good and bad about some of the popular diets. It describes some of the dangers and problems with diets, such as yo-yo dieting, changes in metabolism, and disorders associated with dieting. Then it tells what really works with appropriate behavior changes to help most people lose weight, control weight gain, and maintain a comfortable, healthy weight. The video encourages use of accepted dietary guidelines, living an active lifestyle, following the Food Guide Pyramid, and practicing portion control. A Cambridge Educational Production.

One 30-minute video.