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Do You Suffer the Symptoms of a Roller-Coaster Reducer?

National Survey Identifies Dieters' Behavior Profiles and Likelihood of Success

ATLANTA (July 28, 2004) – Most people who have ever lost weight after dieting know how hard it is to keep the weight from returning. According to the latest government statistics, two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and weight regain after dieting is a major reason they are. Millions of dieters experience a “roller coaster” of weight loss with the initial weight loss coming off fairly quickly and then slowing and eventually reaching a plateau. Once frustration sets in, the lost pounds are eventually regained and the cycle continues. The current epidemic of obesity in the U.S. has many causes; some of the more personal ones have been explored in a recent national survey by the Calorie Control Council.

The Calorie Control Council has been conducting surveys of Americans’ dieting habits and attitudes toward weight loss since 1984. According to their just-completed survey, one-third of adults (71 million people) are currently dieting, a trend that has increased significantly over the past four years (in 2000, 24 percent said they were dieting). Weight consciousness has become widespread but an individual’s unique approach toward weight loss can often explain whether he or she will reach and be able to maintain a healthier weight. Based on the new findings, the Council has identified four distinct dieter behavior profiles, each with particular habits that may affect a dieter’s success or failure.

If you’re a “Rollercoaster-Reducer,” like most dieters (52%, or 37 million dieters), you’ve experienced a variety of ups and downs when it comes to weight loss – fluctuating in your daily physical activity and using a variety of methods to help control calories and slowly take off inches. You likely have taken off pounds at least initially but the problem is keeping them off. If you’re a “Sweatsuitor” (6%, or 4 million dieters) you are more consistent in your activity level but may focus solely on exercise as a means of losing weight. As a result, you’re probably in a constant struggle with a scale that doesn’t seem to budge. On the flip side, the “Calorie Cutters” (22%, or 16 million dieters) do not exercise very often and are more focused on cutting out foods high in sugar or fat from their diets. However, if you’re a “Lean Machine” (20%, or 14 million dieters), you’ve found just the right balance between exercise and calorie control, with greater chances of long-term success.

Rollercoaster-Reducers – have a dieting history full of ups and downs and have not been able to maintain their weight – mainly because the changes they make while dieting are short-term. They exercise but not very frequently or consistently, and are more likely to jump onto the latest trends in dieting, such as low-carb diets and diet meal replacements. These dieters are more likely to cut down on foods high in carbohydrates and increase foods high in protein. Crash dieting or skipping meals altogether, Rollercoaster-Reducers often lose weight initially but are soon back to their old waistlines.

Sweatsuitors – are a fun-loving bunch intent upon perspiration pursuits. Sweatsuitors rely heavily upon exercise as a means of dieting. They are more interested in maintaining their weight than losing it. Although they are hitting the mark when it comes to activity, there are places in their diet that could use some trimming. For instance, they do not try to reduce calories by consuming low-calorie foods and beverages and are less likely to cut back on fattening foods while dieting. As a result, Sweatsuitors, with the emphasis on “getting physical,” can find it difficult to reach a desired weight. If their fantasy figures take shape, however, persistent Sweatsuitors generally succeed in maintaining their bottom lines.

Calorie-Cutters – are those dieters who eliminate certain high-calorie foods from their diet and reduce calories by using low-calorie or low-fat foods and beverages. They are cutting back on foods high in sugar and fat. Overall, Calorie-Cutters are less likely to combine calorie reduction with exercise. They are more interested in losing weight than maintaining a desired weight. Classic Calorie-Cutters rarely or never exercise, however, and therefore have greater difficulty keeping lost weight off.

Lean Machines – are weight-watching wonders who have discovered the missing link between dieting failure and success – a sensible cutback of calories combined with increased physical activity on all or most days of the week (as recommended by leading health organizations). Following the approach most health professionals recommend, Lean Machines are the most likely of all dieter types to achieve long-term dieting success if they adhere to their practical methods. The most popular dieting methods among Lean Machines are cutting out certain fattening foods, using lighter versions of their favorite foods and, most important, exercising on a frequent and regular basis. They are known to count calories and generally are characterized by strong self-discipline. And, as this group has learned, the key to dieting is making lifestyle changes.

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The 2004 survey findings are based on a nationally projectable sample of 1,200 Americans age 18 and older. The sample reliability is +/- 2.8 percent. The survey was completed in June 2004 by Booth Research Services, Inc., for the Calorie Control Council, a non-profit international trade association.

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The Calorie Control Council, established in 1966, is an international non-profit association representing the low-calorie and reduced-fat food and beverage industry. Today it represents 60 manufacturers and suppliers of low-calorie, low-fat and light foods and beverages, including the manufacturers and suppliers of more than a dozen different dietary sweeteners, fat replacers and other low-calorie ingredients.

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