Diets don’t work. So why do we keep trying them?

In the 1960s, people were all about Metrecal. In the early 2000s, it was South Beach and Atkins. Then came Nutrisystem. Now everyone is going Paleo or trying Whole30.

Americans try an average of five diets in their lifetime. For women, it’s seven. These diets promise you the body you’ve always wanted — fast.

But most of the time, the shakes and powders and pills and meal plans don’t work in the long run. And it’s not just a matter of willpower: There is little to no science backing the latest diet fads.

So why do so many people diet, even when diets overwhelmingly fail?

Vox tackled this question in the sixth episode of our new Netflix show, Explained. We’ll have new episodes every Wednesday on topics ranging from gene editing to the racial wealth gap to cricket and more. If you like our videos, then you’ll love this show; it’s our most ambitious video project to date.

To watch, search “Explained” on Netflix or go to Netflix.com/explained. Click the “My List” button to make sure you don’t miss an episode!

Learn more:

Why you shouldn’t exercise to lose weight, explained with 60+ studies (Julia Belluz and Javier Zarracina, Vox)

Why do dieters succeed or fail? The answers have little to do with food. (Julia Belluz, Vox)

The keto diet, explained (Julia Belluz, Vox)

We’ve long blamed carbs for making us fat. What if that’s wrong? (Julia Belluz, Vox)

Marion Nestle looks back at 30 years of agitating for better food (Lisa Held speaks with Marion Nestle, whom we interviewed for this episode, for Civil Eats)

The Only 4 Diets That Actually Help People to Eat Better and Eat Less (Marion Nestle, the Atlantic)

Low-fat or low-carb? It’s a draw, study finds (A study by Stanford University professor Christopher Gardner, whom we also interviewed for this episode)

The Weight-Loss Trap: Why Your Diet Isn’t Working (Alexandra Sifferlin interviewed the NIH’s Kevin Hall, whom we also interviewed for this episode, for this Time magazine piece)

The story of America, as told through diet books (by Adrienne Rose Bitar, whom we also interviewed for this episode)

Q&A: David Vigil of East New York Farms (Phillip Pantuso writes about East New York Farms — we spoke with their youth director, Kevin Hines — for BKLYNR)

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via