Excess weight is the epidemic in question.
And if an audience of 320 women at the Nebraska Women's Health Symposium last month in Lincoln was any representation of the American public, struggling with weight has almost become an afterthought. But it's not your fault. The blame lies with the fad diet books that are best sellers all over the country, she said. Although an initial 10 percent weight loss may result from one of those diets, two-thirds of the weight will return in one year and all of it in five years. Oftentimes, dieters gain back more weight than they lost in the first place, Tribole said.