All diets fail for nearly everyone who tries them, the National Weight Control Registry notwithstanding. The fact that a tiny percentage of the populace succes

All diets fail for nearly everyone who tries them, the National Weight Control Registry notwithstanding. The fact that a tiny percentage of the populace successfully loses weight does not make "try to do what those people claim they were doing" good advice, any more than the fact that a tiny percentage of people win the lottery makes "buy lottery tickets!" good financial advice. The notion that "all diets fail" persists because thus far it sadly remains true - telling people to lose weight and keep it off by dieting is faith-based advice, wishful thinking. It's not science.