Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig have been voted the best weight loss diet programs. A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins, which was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine claims these two to be the best at what they do. Other names such as Nutrisystem and Medifast had also been mentioned by them.

According to statistics, more than 66% of people in the US are obese and more than 60% of the US people have seriously considered to reduce their weight at some point in their lives. 29% of people claim that they are currently on a diet.

Quite clearly, weight loss programs are a huge business. Nearly $2.5 billion is being spent by Americans alone behind weight loss program.

The studies were conducted on 4,200 different cases and only few of them can be reliable, according to the reports. However, Weight Watchers, one of the oldest weight control programs, has been proved to take up the biggest market share with 45%. Clinical trials have also proven that their ways are effective.

In the study report published, researchers from Johns Hopkins have stated that people opting for Weight Watchers have experienced a greater rate of weight loss, than people trying their own diet plans. Also, these people were able to sustain their new weight for more than 12 months. Just a year after beginning the diet, researchers have found that participants from Weight Watchers have lost nearly 8 pounds of their body weight. This is 2.6% higher than what people in the control group had lost.

However, participants from Jenny Craig have also fared well in the studies. In fact, people opting for Jenny Craig have lost more weight than people opting for Weight Watchers. However, this was possible only when people could spend more money than Weight Watcher participants. They were able to lose 15 pounds in their 12th month mark, according to Dr. Kimberly Gudzune from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.