Traditionally in summer, love is in the air, but here at Staffwell it seems like dieting is in the air. After bundling up in thick clothing and eating like crazy all winter, we are “watching our weight” to look good in summer clothing. Because we think about dieting a lot, we are always willing to share our stories about what succeeds and why.

Conversations about diets are epidemic in the workplace at present. Ask anyone in your office who is dieting and how it is going and you will always get an answer because news about a good diet gets around the office quickly.

Low carbohydrate diets are not popular
Few of us are fans of low carbohydrate diets, and no one in this office went on a low carb diet this spring to shake off the winter weight. We don't count our carbs regularly, have books on the subject, or see carb-counting as a long-term solution to our weight concerns.

This contrasts sharply with prevailing attitudes in the West. Americans in particular seem obsessed with get-thin-quick diets like the Atkins Diet, which strictly limit the amount of carbohydrates - breads, rice, potatoes, and sugars - that a person can eat. Some Americans even call Atkins, "the whiskey and steak diet" because they can eat unhealthy, fatty foods and still lose weight.

Low-carb diets are so popular and widespread in some countries that restaurants have whole menus catering to the craze, and a hostess who does not offer low carb foods at her table will find friends skipping her future parties. People expect to able to eat low carb wherever they go.

Even though it gives dramatic results, the long-term success of strict low-carb diets is poor. People may lose weight quickly, but most put it back on because they haven't changed their eating habits.

Lasting weight loss only comes when a person takes a long view of the process, does not expect miracles in the first few weeks, and loses weight gradually by changing how he or she eats. Exercise is a big plus. Here at Staffwell, we may have our diet crazes, but the concepts that underlie them are reasonable; our diets are designed to change our eating habits forever.

Pins in the ears
How do three days without solid food, days of half portions, and acupuncture pins in your ears sound to you as a workable diet plan? IT Director Tony Manion swears by the diet, saying it helped his wife lose over 15 pounds in one month. Tony follows the diet himself occasionally, although he forgoes the needles.

This diet, complete with acupuncture needles hidden under a bandage in or near the ear, is administered by several holistic, eastern-focused medical clinics around town.

To begin, a doctor custom-tailors a menu to fit your body's needs. Then the needles are inserted in the skin near the ears in areas reputedly connected with appetite control. Twenty minutes before a person eats, he or she presses on the pins to stimulate appetite control and simply follows the prescribed diet.

The diet starts off with one week of half portions, followed by three days without solid food, and then another week of half-portions. Food is measured by volume, not calories or weight.

Beyond the gimmick of the acupuncture needles, the diet is basically low fat, low salt, and trains people to eat smaller portions. It restricts breads, pastas, and red meats, with no eating allowed after 8 PM. It includes one "hungry" day a week when dieters eat no solid foods, drinking only unsweetened tea, water, or juice for the entire day.

Wacky as it may sound, it works, Tony says, because it psychologically gives you a sense of control over your appetite, training you to change how you eat. The diet is monitored by health clinics, giving dieters emotional support through the process.

Tony admits that the pins probably act as a placebo, not affecting anything medically, but instead convincing people they have the power to control what they eat. "But don't tell people that, or it won't work for them," he said, "and the diet does work."

Apples, yogurt, and green tea
One of our recruiters, who asked not to be named, devised a very strict diet for herself that has helped her lose 22 pounds in the spring and on which she hopes to lose 22 more pounds through the summer.

The key to her diet is the green apple, which she eats two days a week with unsweetened yogurt and green tea. For the remainder of each week she eats very small portions of regular food low in fat and sugars. She never eats after 6 PM. Crucial for her health, she says, are the vitamins and supplements she takes regularly, including "spirulina" a seaweed-based pill popular for its vitamins, protein, and for reputedly suppressing appetite.

She calls her apple days "unloading days" because her system unloads its impurities and keeps her on track losing weight. She said she just made the diet up herself. "It really works for me," she said.

Gimmicks may help, but lifestyle change really works
Whether it is pins in the ears, green apples, or just closing the kitchen early each day, the gimmicks involved in these diets are not as important as the underlying truth: they work because they train the person to eat more healthy foods in smaller portions. The bad parts of these diets are that they all involve some level of fasting and none include exercise, which would speed results and maintain health.

In Tony's case, he believes exercise isn't necessary because his lifestyle is active enough. "I already walk everywhere," he said.

In the end, statistics show that diets which involve fasting and promise rapid weight loss are the least likely to yield long-term results. The best diets teach you to eat smaller portions and change your lifestyle so that you will remain thin. If you don't change your life, you won't change your results, so pick and choose the best diet, keeping your eye on finding a good long-term solution.