Everyone has been there: low-fat, low-carbs, high-protein, all grapefruit – name it and there’s a diet that cuts or focuses on every possible nutrient or food group. Now a new study shows that all such diets may be futile for losing weight in the long term.

A Harvard study published this week in the journal The Lancet looked specifically at low-fat diets, according to Vox. The study found that people with significant weight issues lost on average only seven pounds after a full year on a low-fat diet. Most study participants gained the weight back after the first year.

The study participants and support staff were highly motivated, suggesting that dieting does not work. Similar studies of other restrictive diets showed similar results, with modest weight loss followed by participants quickly regaining the weight.

The researchers noted that the results were so disappointing that they had no evidence-based suggestions for stable weight loss through dieting. Instead, the researchers suggested that common-sense advice regarding eating healthier food overall was the best chance for a healthier diet.

The study authors concede that such a change in one’s eating habits might not lead to weight loss, but stress that healthier diets have been linked to a lower incidence of serious health problems, including heart attacks and cancer.