There may be more weight loss programs and books on the market than any other self improvement subject. Until now, though, there has been little agreement about what the basic rules for weight loss success may be. A recent study published online by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sheds new light on this old problem, revealing 4 rules all dieters can follow for weight loss success.
The study, conducted by Dr. Anne McTiernan and her team from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, included 123 women between the ages of 50 and 75 who were also participating in a larger nutrition and exercise study at the centre. The year long study focused on the effectiveness of three weight loss strategies:
- Keeping a food journal.
- Eating at home.
- Not skipping meals.
At the conclusion of the study, McTiernan and her team discovered that those women who adhered most strictly to these 3 rules lost the most weight: up to 3.6 kilograms more than those who sometimes succumbed to dining out or were less than strict with their journaling. Remarkably, though, these weight loss strategies were so effective, study participants as a group lost 10% of their combined body weights.
Why Were the Weight Loss Rules so Successful?
According to the study results, the women who most faithfully adhered to the food journal rule lost 3.7% more weight than other study participants. What made food journaling so effective? Researchers believe keeping a food journal makes dieters become more conscious of what they are eating, their caloric intake and how much they eat.
When dining out, it's difficult to judge how many calories you are taking in. This probably accounted for the fact that those women who ate out for lunch at least once a week lost an average of 2.5% less weight than those who dined out less frequently. Only 10% of the women who did eat out reported eating at fast food outlets, so that was probably not a factor, according to the researchers.
Dieticians have always stressed the importance of not skipping meals in an effort to lose weight. Skipping meals leads to food cravings and a tendency to overeat, while eating meals at regular intervals helps control appetite. This was confirmed in the study, which showed that participants who skipped meals lost 4.3% less weight than the others.
Natural Therapy Pages is filled with articles about the importance of a healthy diet and exercise for optimal health and weight maintenance. This study reveals 3 rules you can apply to any weight loss program to achieve weight loss success. Why not combine these rules with a healthy natural diet and exercise program and see how it works for you?
