Weight loss diets

Practically anyone can lose weight. But those who keep it off are a rare species. Theirs is not an entirely mysterious phenomenon—they stay slim by maintaining the behaviors that got them there. They eat healthier foods, decrease portion sizes and exercise.

But how, exactly, do they keep it up? The answer suggests a psychological overhaul as much as a physical one.

Diane Berry, a nurse practitioner and postdoctoral fellow at the Yale School of Nursing, conducted in-depth interviews with true weight-loss champions: 18 women who had lost at least 15 pounds and up to 144 pounds, and all had kept it off for an average of seven years. “Eighty-five to ninety percent of people regain any weight they’ve lost within 3-5 years, so these were the real outliers.” Except for one, the women were involved in either a Weight Watchers or TOPS program.

Common patterns jumped out from the women’s success stories. Each tale began with a fragile character: Before losing weight, she was self-conscious, vulnerable and unaware of events that contributed to the weight gain.

She crossed over into another pattern when she recognized her problem—often after receiving a nasty comment or having to buy a dress in the next larger size—and decided to change. And once she pledged to tackle her weight, her mood shifted. She suddenly had more energy, a fresh outlook.

In the next pattern, the women actively engaged in behavior changes. And in the throes of the final phases, they incorporated these new behaviors until they became second nature. They leaned on a support system (most often family members or fellow weight-loss program participants) to reinforce their behavioral changes, and they consistently monitored themselves, by stepping on a scale at least once a week, for example.

They at last dispensed with popular notions of a quick fix. “The women recognized that this is something they will have to work at for the rest of their lives”

One 82-year-old woman who lost over a hundred pounds when she was in her 60s told Berry: “I’m like an alcoholic. I am addicted to food. I wake up every morning and have to be mindful of what I eat everyday.”

Most telling was that the women did not flow automatically from one stage to the next. Each one slipped backwards at one time or another, caught her footing and then hoisted herself back up.

These women had not only altered their appearance and improved their health—they became different people. They experienced increased confidence and self-esteem and, finally, felt a sense of control over their lives.

Some reported they were more comfortable speaking out and being heard. Others were no longer emotionally responsive to others in a self-deprecating way. Many felt happier than they had been in years.

Berry also interviewed two women who were not able to keep off weight they lost, for comparison’s sake. “They were aware of portion control and the importance of exercise but couldn’t sustain the changes,” she reports. “I truly believe their life was in crisis. Everybody lives with a certain amount of crisis. But they didn’t have support or validation, or ability to work with other women. And neither woman monitored herself regularly.”

Which came first for the successful dieters—the weight loss or the sense of efficacy and worth? “Self esteem comes with pulling the whole package together, when everything starts clicking. They’re comfortable with food, and the initial weight loss makes them feel better physically. It’s a reinforcing cycle,” Berry says.

But she tells her patients that this is a complicated process, where people make a lot of mistakes. “Nothing is black and white. It’s a gray level—it’s muddling through.”

Popularity: 3%

There was a time when if you wanted custom nutrition or exercise advice, your only choice was to see a dietitian or personal trainer.

Now, thanks to a growing demand for quick, convenient personalized health and fitness information, all you’ve got to do is pull out your cellphone or personal digital assistant (PDA). Within seconds you can access everything from a complete abdominal workout guide to the number of grams of fat in a McDonald’s bacon, egg and cheese biscuit.

The idea is that if we turn to these devices, which we always tend to have on hand, for healthy behavior tips, we might have a better shot at adopting them.

A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that programmed PDAs encouraged middle-aged and older Americans, a group that’s known to be sedentary, to get moving. Researchers found that participants who were assigned to use the PDAs were more than twice as active as those in the control group, exercising five hours week versus two.

Study co-author and professor of medicine and health research and policy at the Stanford Prevention Research Center, says another study that will be published this summer in the same journal has shown these devices can increase people’s vegetable and fiber intake by reminding them of its importance.

A major way these services appear to help users is by eliminating their excuses for falling off the health wagon. The Sensei for Weight Loss program, which delivers customized meal recommendations, weekly shopping lists, fitness tips and motivational messages to a mobile phone or personal Web page, aims to get involved in as many of your daily decisions as possible.

Have a tendency to snack at night? For a weekly fee, Sensei will send you a variety of messages reminding you to brush your teeth after dinner to quell your sweet tooth. Get invited to a hastily arranged business lunch at a steakhouse? Alert the program and you’ll get advice on healthy choices the restaurant offers.

If you’re on the road frequently and can’t stand hotel gyms, you can pay a small fee to have PumpOne Mobile send your cellphone traveling workouts that use hotel furniture, water bottles and luggage as props. IPhone or iPod touch users also can access the just launched Pump10, which offers weekly, 10-minute video workouts, fitness tips and personal training advice for free.

And if your downfall is eating out, try texting DIET1 for free instant nutritional information. Part of Diet com’s Nutrition on the Go program, the service can tell you calorie, fat, carbohydrate and protein counts for items on more than 1,700 restaurant menus nationwide.

“It’s not that easy to eat healthy,” says Carol Davies, a partner at Stamford, Conn.-based consultant group Fletcher Knight. “Anything that can help consumers do that on the spot is very on target.”

You can’t discount the fun factor either.

For instance, for a subscription fee Weight Watchers Online for Men shares customized advice, including which beers are the most diet-friendly and whether you’re better off snacking on wings or nachos at the bar. It also lets users constantly manage their food intake and monitor their weight loss progress with charts and statistics sheets, not unlike tracking the stats of an athlete for fantasy baseball, says Jason Carpenter, site editor.

While you can’t discount the benefits of face time with a dietitian or a personal trainer, who can give you advice with a human touch, experts say these services are a good option for those who are time-crunched and have enough discipline to consistently log in to them.

“These things aren’t going to give you willpower or determination,” Davies says. “They’re tools to help you make good decisions.”

Popularity: 4%

Weight-loss drugs can improve your health, if used in combination with a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Weight loss drugs aren’t a good choice for everyone who’s overweight. In fact, many doctors reserve them for people with weight-related health problems.

It’s best to lose weight through a healthy diet and regular exercise. But if you’re among those who struggle to lose weight and the excess weight has produced medical problems, weight-loss drugs may be able to help you.

Prescription weight-loss drugs aren’t intended for people who just want to lose a few pounds for cosmetic reasons. They’re generally reserved for people who are unable to achieve or maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise, and often have health problems as a result.

Your doctor may consider you a candidate for medication treatment if these criteria apply:

• Other methods of weight loss haven’t worked for you.
• Your body mass index (BMI) is greater than 27 and you have medical complications of obesity, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnea.
• Your BMI is greater than 30.

Two prescription drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for long-term weight loss. These drugs work in different ways and cause different side effects.

• Sibutramine (Meridia) – 5 to 15 milligrams (mg) once a day
• Orlistat (Xenical) – 120 mg three times a day

Though not prescribed as often, several medications, such as phentermine (Adipex-P), are approved for short-term use. These drugs suppress appetite, but haven’t been the subject of many long-term studies. When used for a short time , generally less than 12 weeks, the medications usually lead to only temporary weight loss. Side effects of these drugs include dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and lightheadedness.

Alli is the reduced-strength version of Xenical. It’s approved for over-the-counter sale to overweight adults 18 years and older. Alli is meant to be used in conjunction with a low-calorie, low-fat diet and regular exercise. Alli can help you lose weight, but the weight loss likely won’t be great perhaps just a few pounds more than you would lose with diet and exercise alone. Common side effects include diarrhea and gas with oily spotting. You can limit the side effects by eating a low-fat diet.

Combining weight-loss drugs with a low-calorie diet and regular exercise can help you lose more weight than can either drugs or lifestyle changes alone. Combining all three – medication, fewer calories and more activity , can help you lose from 5% to 10% of your total body weight.

This may not seem like many pounds lost, but even modest weight loss has a significant benefit to your health. Losing just a small percentage of your weight can decrease:

• Blood pressure
• Blood triglyceride levels
• Blood glucose levels
• Insulin levels

Weight-loss drugs don’t replace the need for changes in your eating habits or activity level. They mainly improve your chances of achieving clinically significant weight loss — the amount of weight loss that has a positive impact on your health.

You and your doctor need to carefully evaluate the potential benefits of taking a drug and weigh them against the possible long-term risks. Your doctor will also consider your health history, the possible side effects and the potential interaction of weight-loss drugs with other medications you’re taking.

These medications can help you with weight maintenance, especially if you continue exercising regularly. But keeping off the pounds once you’ve lost them is an ongoing concern. And despite your efforts, you might still regain the weight.

As you consider weight-loss drugs, make sure that you make every effort to exercise, change your eating habits and adjust any other lifestyle factors that have contributed to your excess weight.

Weight-loss drugs aren’t the easy answer to weight loss, but they can be a useful tool to help you make the necessary diet and lifestyle changes.

Popularity: 8%

Many people report that losing weight is easy, however it’s maintaining this weight loss that continually proves to be the difficult part. The fact is, however that many people are successful in losing weight, and keeping it off.
There is a prevailing belief that very few individuals can actually succeed in long-term weight loss. However, in 1994 The National Weight Control Registry was established, and it has now become the largest prospective investigation of long-term successful weight loss maintenance.

This registry gives us a valuable incite into what makes for successful weight loss, tracking the habits of over 5,000 individuals who have lost an average of 66 pounds, and have kept it off for an average of 5.5 years.
If you’ve been trying hard to maintain weight loss, the findings of this study should be an encouragement to you that you can succeed. The registry proves that there are many who have been successful in the past, and are still maintaining their weight loss today.

Here are some of the results from the registry:

• 42% of participants said that weight maintenance is easier than weight loss.
• 33% said that it is no more difficult to maintain than to lose.
• 95% of participants said that losing weight improved their quality of life.
• 90% reported that they had more energy and mobility, improved mood and increased self-confidence.
• 86% said their physical health had improved.
• 65% said their interaction with the opposite sex was better.
• More than half said they did better in secular employment after losing weight.

How did they achieve weight loss success?

• 45% of registry participants lost weight on their own.
• The other 55% lost weight with the help of some type of program.
• 98% of participants report that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight.
• 94% increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.
• Most participants report continuing to maintain a low calorie, low fat diet and doing high levels of activity in an attempt to maintain weight loss.
• 78% eat breakfast every day.
• 75% weigh them self at least once a week.
• 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
• 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.

One of the key points that has become apparent from the registry’s findings, is that the longer participants continued with a new behaviour, the easier maintenance became, with new behaviours eventually becoming habits.

What’s preventing you from making beneficial changes?

• Are you ready to make changes? What barriers are preventing you? Make a list of everything you can think of, and beside each one, note down a reasonable solution.
• What about your goals? Are they realistic? Have you made resolutions that really matter to you?
• Do you have a helpful team of supporters around you? If you don’t, can you enlist the help of friends and family? Or, maybe you could join an exercise class in your locality?

There’s no doubt about it, weight loss does require effort and motivation. However, from the registry results, I’m sure you can see the benefits to be experienced from losing weight, and gain.

Popularity: 6%