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Consumer Reports' Study Rates Best Ways To Lose Weight

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - At the top of many New Year's resolutions is the dreaded "D" word - diet.

Consumer Reports' just-released survey of 9,000 subscribers rates more than a dozen of the most popular diets to see which ones are most successful.

Subscriber Terry Voltaggio stays fit with the help of an app on her smart phone, MyFitnessPal.

She said it's an easy way to track calories.

"All I have to do is find the food I've eaten, select the number of servings, and it goes right into my calorie count for the day," Voltaggio said.

MyFitnessPal was among the top-rated in Consumer Reports' survey of its subscribers who were asked about their real-life experiences with 13 popular ways to lose weight.

"People who used MyFitnessPal said it made them very aware of how many calories they were eating and how much they were exercising," said Consumer Reports' Nancy Metcalf. "They also liked how it helped them maintain their weight loss."

MyFitnessPal has useful features like a barcode scanner that automatically enters the amount of calories per serving. You can also track how many calories you burn exercising. And on its website you can get encouragement from others using the program.

"I'll lose 10 pounds easy. It's a great tool for me," said Voltaggio.

Another do-it-yourself diet that did well in Consumer Reports' survey is called the Paleo Diet.

It instructs dieters to eat what cavemen ate: lean meats, seafood, fruits, and vegetables and to avoid processed foods and dairy products.

Besides the do-it-yourself diets, Consumer Reports also rated commercial diets, which you generally have to pay to join and in some cases, buy their prepackaged food.

Nutrisystem was the lowest-rated commercial diet. More than a third of those surveyed who tried it didn't like the plan's food.

Weight Watchers scored the highest. People in the survey liked the fact that you don't have to buy food and can eat whatever you want within their points limits.

Those surveyed also liked the fact that you can attend Weight Watchers meetings for extra support, or if you prefer, track your diet progress online in the privacy of your own home.

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