Diets compared: choose the best weight-loss plan for you.

Donna Gould is a diet guru's dream. She'll buy anything, try anything. In the last 35 years, the Matawan, New Jersey, woman has starved herself, taken appetite suppressants and vinegar pills, followed liquid diets and single-food diets, had her ears stapled, sent away for patches and acupuncture gadgets, and tried most major weight-loss programs. Gould is also a book publicist who has read and promoted hundreds of diet titles. Yet she still struggles with her weight, now carrying 167 pounds on her 5'3" frame. "I don't eat because I'm hungry. I eat to reduce stress, to get away from something, for instant gratification," says the 55-year-old woman, who would love to weigh ...