Tag Archives: HCG

The 25 Most Popular Diets of 2024: The 17 Day Diet Dominates Weight Watchers and Jillian Michaels Once Again

** UPDATE: Our 2024 Most Popular Diets List is available

It’s time to reveal our 2024 Most Popular Diets List, and this one even threw some surprises our way. It’s the seventh annual publishing of our list that started in 2024, and one of the few curated exclusively by the readers. That’s right, we use your traffic behavior* throughout the year to determine which diets, programs, books, pills, and the like are the most talked about, searched, and used for the year.

Here are the 25 Most Popular Diets of 2024 as determined by our readers:

1. 17 Day Diet

2. Plexus Slim

3. Medifast

4. Nutrisystem

5. Weight Watchers

6. 21 Day Tummy

7. Jillian Michaels

8. Skinny Fiber

9. Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle

10. Diet to Go (more…)

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Natalie K

Fraud Charges for Sensa, HCG, LeanSpa, L’Occitane

Four of the biggest names in the “lose weight, fast” game have been charged with fraud by the Federal Trade Commission. On Tuesday, January 8, the FTC determined that Sensa Products, L’Occitane, HCG Diet Direct, and LeanSpa had deceptively marketed weight-loss products and made “unfounded promises” that people could lose weight by simply using their products.

The four companies will collectively pay $34 million to customers as a refund. No company has yet admitted or denied the charges.

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Posted on January 8, 2024 by Elizabeth

Jillian Michaels Overtakes Weight Watchers on the 2024 Most Popular Diets of the Year List

The most popular diet of the year is none other than the incomparable Jillian Michaels. It’s not entirely surprising when you consider she’s been one of the most consistent players on our list since 2024, with her online brand, detox product, and earliest workout DVD ranking each year. In fact, the latter two were both on last year’s top ten list. We expect to see Curves, ranking for the first time since 2024, as the Biggest Loser trainer just announced a new partnership with Curves.

What is most surprising is how Jillian Michaels knocked the giant that is Weight Watchers out of the number one position. That’s only been done once before, by 17 Day Diet in 2024. Even that year Weight Watchers held on to number two, but this year they slipped in to the fifth most popular spot.

And 17 Day Diet grabbed ranking number four, hardly losing any ground since its overwhelmingly popular release in late 2024. Its position on our annual Most Popular lists, ahead of Weight Watchers once again, will no doubt help with the release of 17 Day Diet: Breakthrough Edition on the 31st.

The only constant between last year’s list and this – Medifast. They’ve got number 3 on lock, with the meal delivery diet staying strong in the top ten since 2024.

Another staple of our list fell pretty hard this year, with hCG falling down to number 14. No, the supplement boom isn’t over, as its disappearance only made room for brands like Skinny Fiber (a shocking number 2) and Plexus Slim (at number 6) to move on up the list. Dr. Oz-endorsed Raspberry Ketones (17) and Green Coffee Bean Extract (20) were other weight-loss-by-pill categories that did especially well this year.

Check out the 25 Most Popular Diets of 2024* as determined by you, our readers.

1. Jillian Michaels

2. Skinny Fiber

3. Medifast

4. 17 Day Diet

5. Weight Watchers (more…)

Posted on December 30, 2023 by Natalie K

Weight Watchers and Medifast Top Consumer Reports Best Diets

Consumer Reports just released their top diets of 2024. They reached out to 9,000 of their subscribers to get honest, real-life feedback about some of the most popular diets on the market. This comes a couple of weeks after we compiled our fifth annual Most Popular Diets of the Year list, featuring 25 brands and products that our readers favored most in 2024. There are some strong similarities and also some big differences between the two lists.

When it comes to commercial diets, Weight Watchers ranks number one on both lists. It seems, according to the Consumer Reports feedback, that users like that there’s no specific food that has to be purchased, it’s just a matter of counting those PointsPlus values. Another diet high on both of our lists is Medifast. Those who replied to the Consumer Reports survey (of 9,000 readers) noted that they lost the most weight with Medifast than with any of the other diets. A few of the big names were ranked lower in the report; for instance, Nutrisystem, which ranked six on our list, and Jenny Craig, which did not rank for us, were not seen as fan favorites in this survey. It seems many are not big fans of the foods in these programs. (more…)

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Lacy

2024’s Most Popular Diets Lead by Weight Watchers, 17 Day Diet, and Jillian Michaels

For the fifth year we’re excited to announce our Most Popular Diets of 2024 list! And it’s a good one!

While Weight Watchers gave up the number one position in 2024 for the first time in our history, they reclaimed the top spot this year earning them the title of Most Popular Diet of 2024. As they are weeks away from celebrating their 50th anniversary, they announced Weight Watchers 360 to help people establish healthy, lasting habits right at the new year.

In a sort of diet tag, 17 Day Diet moved to number two, a more than respectable position for a series of weight loss books that has been hard at work since its debut in late 2024. This year 17 Day Diet expanded its value to its loyal followers with the publication of a cookbook and an anti-aging plan. One of only two brands that makes multiple appearances on the list, 17 Day Diet’s Meal Plan, facilitated by Bistro MD, landed at number 24 (down from number 3 in 2024).

For the first time in our list’s five-year history, acai doesn’t show up. It seems the heyday for this diet pill has run its course, but hasn’t taken the entire supplement industry down with it. Dr. Oz’s hyped promotion of raspberry ketones landed it at number 19 on the list, no doubt stealing a lot of thunder from acai.

Jillian Michaels is the only other brand that makes multiple appearances on our list, as she does every year. Her nearly five-year-old workout DVD 30 Day Shred took position 8, an improvement over last year’s number 10 ranking. Right after that is her Detox and Cleanse product, and anchoring the list at number 20, down from number 4 in 2024, is her Jillian Michaels Online subscription program. Her exit from both Biggest Loser and The Doctors in the past 18 months may have caused a slight decline, but her popularity is rarely wavering. In fact, America’s Toughest Trainer returns to NBC’s Biggest Loser for season 14 in January. We expect to see her on the list again next year.

CLICK HERE to view the Most Popular Diets of 2024 (more…)

Posted on December 13, 2023 by Natalie K

Betsy Schow Lost 75 Pounds, Became an Author and Ran a Marathon All in One Year

Betsy Schow’s weight struggles began early on in life. She recalls her childhood, growing up with two parents who both struggled with their weight and three siblings who were the stark opposite.

“I have three older sisters and they were always skinny little whips. It was obnoxious,” she joked. “When I was 12 my dad lost quite a bit of weight – 150 pounds – with Atkins and Fen-Phen. It was at that point that he not so politely pointed out that was I fat.”

Perhaps not so aware of her weight before that moment, Betsy’s struggles all of the sudden became a preoccupation. She did everything she could to try and lose the weight, testing out various diet and fitness programs but they all ended up leaving her heavier than she was before. It didn’t take long before this pattern left her fed up and willing to do just about anything to lose the weight.

At 5 feet 7 inches tall, Betsy weighed just shy of 220 pounds at her heaviest. A big push came when she tried to eat better over one summer in an attempt to finally get in a swimsuit and feel comfortable. But when she stopped nursing her youngest daughter that year she gained an unexpected 10 pounds in one month, which sent her to a sinking point.

“Between that 10 pounds and the scale I lost it. I broke down and realized I had to change,” she recalled. “Even then it started out pretty much the same but I needed to do something drastic because my doctor was warning me I was pre-diabetic.” (more…)

Posted on December 5, 2023 by Dana

FDA Reminds Consumers that HCG is Illegal

Image via The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Flickr Account

The Food and Drug Administration issued a consumer update today, warning Americans about the dangers of HCG diet products. The agency reminded consumers that all homeopathic and over-the-counter HCG is illegal, and that there is no evidence to support their weight loss claims.

The FDA has issued seven letters to companies that are distributing the HCG diet supplement warning them that their products are in violation of new drug regulations and Federal Trade Commission laws. “Failure to promptly correct these violations may result in legal action without further notice, including, without limitation, seizure and injunction,” the letters state. (more…)

Posted on December 6, 2023 by Margaret

Tune-In: An HCG Diet Experiment on Dr. Drew’s LifeChangers

Tune in Tuesday, October 4, 2024 as Dr. Drew addresses the HCG Diet.

Dr. Drew’s LifeChangers will follow a viewer as they complete the controversial HCG diet. The show will highlight the pros and cons of the newest diet craze and the episode will also feature a nutritionist explaining the dangers and benefits of other popular diets such as the Paleo diet, the gluten-free diet, and the Dukan diet.

Check out Tuesday’s show for lots of information regarding safe weight loss and weight maintenance.

Posted on October 3, 2024 by Lacy

JWOWW’s Dramatic Weight Loss Shocks in Jersey Shore’s Season 4 Premiere

Left: September 2024. Right: July 2024.

Jersey Shore’s season four debuted last night with 8.8 million viewers, making it the most-watched MTV premiere ever. The show is getting back to its roots, shooting in Italy.

Most of the Jersey girls have publicly lost weight as the show’s success skyrocketed, but none have had quite the dramatic transformation as Jenni “JWOWW” Farley. There have been no official reports if JWOWW has lost weight recently, however she appears dramatically thinner. She did report losing 20 with the help of Abdominal Cuts Natural Supplements, which she also endorsed. She says she used the pills in combination with working out five days of the week with her boyfriend, who does weight training. (more…)

Posted on August 5, 2024 by Health Buzz

What You Can Eat On the hCG Diet

The use of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) for weight loss is a controversial topic, with many medical professionals arguing that 500 calories per day is dangerously low. Those who support the use of hCG argue that the hormone, when combined with a low calorie diet, causes the body to break down only non-essential fats, and not muscle or structural fats that cushion organs.

HCG was first used to aid in weight loss by Dr. Albert T. W. Simeons, who also created the first hCG diet protocol. This protocol was outlined in a pamphlet called Pound and Inches: A New Approach to Obesity that was published in 1954. This publication is available widely online and can be downloaded for free. The document still serves as the basis for all hCG diets, although some medical professionals who administer hCG choose to make certain modifications.

In Pound and Inches, Dr. Simeons emphasizes that the make-up of the of the calories consumed while taking hCG is extremely important. The diet consists primarily of vegetables and proteins. There are absolutely no sugars, added fats or processed food permitted on this diet.

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Posted on April 19, 2024 by Margaret

How Fast Food Buzzwords Fool Consumers

Fast food restaurants try really hard to fool us into thinking their foods are good for us, as counter-intuitive as that may be. It starts with the images in their commercials where the foods are glistening with each slice of tomato, lettuce, and grilled chicken breast or burger nicely stacked on top of each other.

Then you have some of the buzzwords that they use. This part really gets under my skin because it’s such a brazen way of being deceptive – walking that tight rope of legality, while using words that imply the other words that they can’t actually use!

So, when a fast food commercial wants to tell you that their foods are healthy, but obviously can’t, they go for the next best thing: words like wholesome, fresh, all-natural, premium, or 100 percent whatever. (more…)

Posted on March 15, 2024 by Jason

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