Weight-loss plans shrivel under weight of do-it-yourself diets

The San Francisco Chronicle reports:

Forget points. Forget prepackaged meals. Get out of the Zone. Move out of South Beach and leave Sonoma. Welcome to the new diet -- no diet.

It seems that more and more Americans are disillusioned by commercial and fad diets and are crafting their own nutrition programs. And they don't care whether celebrities like Jenny Craig's Kirstie Alley are endorsing them.

Eighty percent of the people who responded to a recent survey by Mintel International, a marketing research firm that specializes in food, said they are making up their own diet plans by trying to eat less fat and cut calories. Only 6 percent said they are on commercial diets such as Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers and NutriSystem. Nearly 70 percent said they aren't interested in the diets of celebrities.

This is Mintel's first extensive diet study. But many health experts back up the research firm's findings. There is even a controversial group that advocates that people worry less about shedding pounds and more on their physical condition.

A good article on weight.