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Weight loss nutrition: nutrition that will help you lose weight.
Is it really possible to have true long term weight loss?
The statistics say that most people who lose weight
will gain most of it back again in a very short amount of time. Those statistics can be discouraging, because losing a significant
amount of weight, from 5% to even 25% of your total body mass, is hard work and it takes a huge commitment.
If you
get help from a weight loss clinic or doctor specializing in obesity, the process can be expensive, too. How can you know
if you'll be one of the "biggest losers" who manages win the long-term weight loss battle?
The National Weight Control
Registry (NWCR) has the resources to actually study this issue, and their findings are important clues to the odds of losing
weight and keeping it off.
They have the voluntary participation of over 4,000 members who have lost at least 30 pounds,
and who have kept it off for at least one year. The greatest value of this program is that they study the successes, as much
as they study the failures, so they are learning what works as well as what doesn't.
The successful folks, the ones
who lose their excess pounds and manage to stay thin over a long period of time, have a number of things in common:
1.
They eat breakfast, usually consisting of cereal and fruit.
2. They continue to eat a low-calorie, low-fat diet.
3.
They're active, and stick with their exercise program even after they've thinned down. Most participate in some form of physical
activity for at least an hour a day, with walking being the most common form of exercise.
4. They get on the scales
at least once a week.
5. They maintain their weight for at least two years after the weight loss - in other words,
the longer you keep it off, the lower your chances of getting fat again.
What are the risk factors?
People who start to regain their weight seem to have some common traits, as well. Of particular importance is maintaining
control of your eating habits. People who regain at least part of their weight tend to have periodic losses of control, and
may experience occasional bing eating.
The folks who keep on the same eating schedule and diet every day of the week, and even on holidays, tended to keep their
weight stable. Those who fluctuate with their diet are more likely to get lax about the amount of calories they consume, and
the numbers on the scale start creeping back up.
Depression has a significant effect on the study's participants, as well. Frequent bouts of depression or dark mood swings
makes regaining the weight more likely. Since depression is now seen as a medical condition, and many treatment options are
available, it makes sense to talk to your doctor about this issue if you need to.
Keys to successful long-term maintenance of a healthy weight:
Stay active, remember your commitment to a low-calorie, low-fat diet every single day, and seek help for depression if
mood swings affect your eating choices.
And remember - the longer you keep the weight off, the easier it is to stay thin, so commit to staying vigilant with your
diet for at least two years. Success with long-term weight loss is possible - and you could be one of the "biggest winners".
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