The percentage of Americans who are dieting is at its lowest in 16 years, according to a recent survey. While most adults polled said they would like to drop at least 20 pounds, more and more people are not seeking weight-loss advice.

As of February 2006, 26 percent of women and 19 percent of men in this country reported being on a diet — a decrease of 9 percent for women and 7 percent for men since 1990. Researchers admit this is a troubling trend, considering that 60 percent of American adults are overweight — and nearly one in four is clinically obese, according to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This represents a nearly 5 percent increase from 2000.

The reason may be that Americans are disillusioned with diets. Statistics show that up to 95% of all dieters fail to maintain their weight loss, gaining most of the weight back — and in many cases, even more pounds — within the first year. Experts believe that diets aren't working because people quickly tire of restricting themselves to "approved" foods only, which gives rise to strong cravings for "forbidden" foods.

Another study shows that 80% of all successful dieters don't follow any diet, choosing to create their own eating plan instead. This accounts for the appeal of eating plans such as The Fast Food Diet , which incorporates fast food into a healthy, reduced-calorie diet.

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