6 Tips To Help You Lose Weight

If you are wanting to lose one pound a week or 52 pounds a year then who better to obtain your  weight loss tips from than people who have successfully lost weight and not put it back on?

That’s the idea behind the National Weight Control Registry, a database of about 4,500 men and women who have maintained a 30 lb. or greater weight loss for at least a year.

(In fact, the average member of the registry has lost around 60 lbs. and kept the weight off for 5 years.)
The registry, established in 1993, is the brainchild of James O. Hill, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado, and Rena Wing, Ph.D., of Brown University and the University of Pittsburgh. To determine the keys to successful weight loss the two doctors are studying the experiences of successful dieters.

In the 10-plus years that Drs. Hill and Wing have been studying registry members, they’ve learned the following lessons about weight loss:

Weight Loss Lesson 1: You have to make a commitment to permanently alter your weight, so it’s important to make lifestyle changes you can live with over the long term. To lose weight and maintain their losses, the registry members had to make substantial changes in both their eating and exercise habits. They all had relied on diet and exercise strategies to help them lose weight (although some underwent weight loss surgery) and all were continuing to use diet and exercise to maintain their weight loss. Currently, most report a daily routine of eating about 1,800 calories and exercising for an hour (expending at least 374 calories).

Weight Loss Lesson 2: You can overcome your personal and family history of obesity. Two thirds of the registry members were overweight as children, and over half come from families with obese members.

Weight Loss Lesson 3: You don’t need to join a commercial weight-loss program or a gym to succeed in your weight loss goals. About half of the registry participants lost weight without the help of any formal programs. They used a variety of diets and strategies that best suited them individually. What that means is you have to find the ideal diet and exercise regimen for you. Some people like the freedom of going it alone; others prefer the structure of a commercial diet program, an exercise class, or a support group.

Weight Loss Lesson 4: You need to pay attention to your diet on a daily basis to maintain weight loss. Many people slip back into their old habits after losing weight or allow themselves short-term binges. But the registry participants show that it’s better to keep to a regular eating plan than to repeatedly splurge and diet. Participants who ate the same amount of food throughout the week or year were more likely to maintain their weight within a 5-lb. range than those who dieted more strictly on weekdays and non-holiday times.

The blog http://loseonepoundaweek.com/blog will keep you abreast of the latest strategies for losing one pound a week to help you look great, feel great and achieve optimal health.