Why Fewer People Are Dieting

Ding-dong, the diet’s dead! Or it’s at least getting there. The percentage of Americans who are dieting is at an all-time low, according to The NPD Group, a consumer market research company.

Only 19 percent of American adults are currently dieting, down from 20 percent last year. Dieting peaked in 1991 (about one-third of Americans were doing it at the time). But today, dieting is at its lowest rate since The NPD Group started tracking it three decades ago.

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“That doesn’t mean that people aren’t concerned with losing weight or don’t pay attention to what they put in their body,” says Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst for The NPD Group, who notes that the percentage of people who want to lose 20-plus pounds remains pretty steady. People are just turning to healthy-eating strategies—noshing on whole grains, organic varieties, and unprocessed foods—as opposed to using the D word. “There are so many new ways of addressing our health that aren’t diets,” he says.

MORE: 5 Easy Ways to Start Losing Weight Now

And we’ll probably all end up slimmer (and healthier!) for it. After all, sustainable lifestyle changes will always lead to longer-lasting results than crash diets will. Plus, research suggests that losing weight won't make you happier in the long term, so prioritizing health over weight loss is a much saner and all-around better-for-you way to live.

MORE: Can You Really Be Healthy at Any Size?

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