Weight Watchers, Slim-Fast beats Atkins diet, according to Consumer Reports magazine

• Meetings and shakes trump counting carbs when it comes to long-term weight loss, according to a recent analysis of diets by Consumer Reports magazine.
• The publication, best known for rating cars and electronics, put Weight Watchers, with its support group meetings, and Slim-Fast, whose shakes let you opt out of cooking, at the top of the heap.
• Though low-carb diets have dominated headlines, the highest marks went to Weight Watchers, which uses weekly meetings to reinforce its simple philosophy -- eat less and exercise more.
• Weight Watchers did not, however, earn the strongest scores on weight loss, a distinction that went to second-ranked Slim-Fast, which replaces parts of two meals a day with shakes and bars.
• The Atkins diet, which has led the low-carb charge, got good scores for short-term weight loss, but landed at the bottom of the ratings because of poor marks on retention and nutrition.
• The report, included in the magazine's June issue, said the Atkins diet calls for too much fat and saturated fat, too few fruits and too little fiber.
• The magazine's conclusions are based on a review of published clinical research on each diet and a nutrient and calorie analysis of a week's worth of menus.
• All of the diets reviewed are low enough in calories to produce results, but success relies on sticking to the plan, said Nancy Metcalf, a senior editor at Consumer Reports.
• Though its followers tended to drop out over time, the diet earned points for having considerably less fat than the Atkins approach.
• The fourth-ranked ultra-low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian Ornish diet, from Dr. Dean Ornish, had the worst retention rate, though it had good long-term weight loss.
• Four other programs, Internet-based eDiets, Jenny Craig, South Beach and Volumetrics, were included in the review but not ranked because not enough independent clinical studies had been done on them, the magazine said.