Best Commercial Diet Plans: The Data
Each commercial diet on this data page was graded by a panel of experts on a scale of 1 to 5 in seven measures: short- and long-term weight loss, how easy it is to stick to, nutrition, safety, and soundness as a diet for diabetes and for the heart. To compute a diet's overall score, U.S. News factored in each diet's score in all seven measures. (See Best Diets methodology.) To rearrange the rankings based on a certain measure, click that header below.
| Rank | Diet | Overall | Short-Term Weight Loss | Long-Term Weight Loss | Easy to Follow | Nutrition | Safety | For Diabetes | For Heart Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 |
Weight Watchers
|
3.9 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 4.6 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| #2 |
Jenny Craig
|
3.7 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.0 | 3.2 |
| #3 | Biggest Loser Diet | 3.6 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
| #4 | Slim-Fast | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 3.6 | 3.2 | 2.8 |
| #5 | Flat Belly Diet | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
| #5 | Nutrisystem | 3.2 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.0 | 2.7 | 2.4 |
| #7 | Abs Diet | 3.0 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| #7 | South Beach Diet | 3.0 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 2.9 |
| #9 | Zone Diet | 2.9 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 2.3 | 2.8 |
| #10 | Medifast | 2.7 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| #11 | Atkins | 2.3 | 4.0 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.1 |
| #12 | Dukan Diet | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.7 |