New research has been conducted of almost 1,000 overweight individuals, who followed one of four well known diets consisting of varied amounts of fat, protein and carbohydrates, to assess their weight loss .
For the purposes of the study, participants were instructed to reduce their calorie intake by 700-800 calories on a daily basis. Other than reduced calories, individuals needed to undertake 90 minutes of exercise a week.
The diets included whole grains, fruit, veg and healthy fats, with individuals on average losing twenty pounds over six months.
80 per cent of dieters stuck to their diets for the entire period, with 15 per cent of dieters successfully losing at least 10 % of their starting weight.
Those who went to counselling sessions lost approximately 20 pounds in contrast to an average of just nine pounds for those who did not attend counselling sessions.