March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Weight loss resolution can be kept> Some say staying thin is easier than losing pounds

The New Year is around the corner and that means resolutions for changes in our lives. With the news that one out of two Americans is now overweight, the resolution to lose weight is likely to be the predominant one for 1998. Many people can lose weight, but for the coming year, the big question is: “Do people really keep weight off, and if so, how?”

National weight control registry

In the December 1997 issue of the Nutrition Action Health Letter published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Bonnie Liebman reports on a National Weight Control Registry. Rena Wing, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh, and James Hill of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center are studying people who have lost weight and kept it off. To enroll in the study, call a toll-free number and get a questionnaire. To qualify, you have to have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least one year.

The study hopes to answer the question how successful weight-losers are keeping the weight off. In the registry, approximately 2,000 people have lost an average of 60 pounds and have kept it off for an average of six years. Their average weight dropped from 220 to 154 pounds. Most of them have an average age of 45 years. They were overweight as children. More than 70 percent of the people in the registry have at least one overweight parent.

The registry is not a random sample of the population, but the study can provide insight for weight control. So far, the result is loud and clear: Eat less and move more. To lose weight, 89 percent said they changed both their eating and physical activity patterns.

Weight management in 1998

Many have only 10-20 pounds to lose, but need to avoid having it reappear. Many have gained only five pounds a year for the last few years. Before starting the New Year with a decision to change eating and activity habits, ask what the obstacles are preventing weight loss. What did those 2,000 people now on the registry do to maintain their appropriate weight? What are they like?

About half of those who lost weight had some kind of assistance, either group or individual therapy. An event such as being in a wedding or going to a class reunion provided motivation for losing weight. Some reported a medical trigger, such as low back pain, high cholesterol or diabetes. About a third of those who lost weight limited the amount of fat eaten. The average energy intake of those in the registry was 1,400 calories, according to Wing, with 24 percent of those calories from fat. What does that mean in real food?

One day’s intake

Breakfast: 1/2 grapefruit, 1 cup oatmeal, 8 ounces 1 percent milk, coffee or tea.

Noon: Sandwich of whole-grain bread with 2 ounces tuna and 1 tablespoon of low-fat mayonnaise, plus 1 cup carrot sticks, one apple and 8 ounces skim milk.

Night: Eye of the round roast beef, 1 cup string beans, 2 cups tossed salad with olive oil and lemon juice dressing.

Snack: 1/2 cup light ice cream or 3/4 cups fruited yogurt.

Not only does that menu provide a mere 1,400 calories with 35 grams of fat, but it contains the vitamins and minerals required for good health and disease prevention. The energy is low enough that with 40 minutes of planned physical activity, one should lose 1/2 to 1 pound per week.

If that menu sounds a bit old-fashioned, what about this one?

Breakfast: Bagel and 8 ounces orange juice.

Noon: Sub sandwich — roast beef, onions, green peppers and lettuce, and 8 ounces of skim milk.

Night: Two medium slices of cheese pizza and 12 ounces of soda.

Snack: Small frozen yogurt.

That menu, too, is 1,400 calories with 35 grams of fat. Maybe not as nutrient-dense as the first one, but acceptable.

Eating out

But what about eating out? The registry’s successful weight-losers on the average report eating in nonfast-food restaurants two or three times a week, and in fast-food restaurants fewer than once a week. They eat five times a day.

Physical activity mandate

According to the registry, the big change is the increased physical activity. The subjects reported spending 2,800 calories per week — equal to walking 28 miles. Finding the time to walk three or four miles daily means making a commitment. Many of the study subjects reported other activities such as bicycling, aerobics and climbing stairs. As they get fit, many weight-losers do higher-intensity activities such step aerobics, lifting weights and running to burn the same number of calories more quickly.

The number of calories we spend is influenced by our size, the intensity of the activity and the length of time we stay at it. For example, a 150-pound man or woman would burn about 120 calories per half-hour if walking at 3 mph, but only 70 calories per half-hour if strolling casually.

Liebman reports that these 2,000 successful weight-losers have shattered certain myths about weight loss. They disagree with the popular belief that it is much harder to maintain weight loss than it is to lose weight. They say it is not true that the process of losing weight and keeping it off makes one miserable. They feel good, with 95 percent saying their level of energy was greater. They say that maintaining weight loss is actually easier than losing it.

The researchers are now doing a study to see how common it is for people to lose weight and keep it off. They are asking other questions, such as how does the weight loss affect the metabolic rate? A question frequently asked is about the difference in energy costs between getting all the exercise in 40 minutes versus four 10-minute sessions. The researchers are exploring that difference.

Weight management tips

It is not easy to lose weight or keep it off, but we have learned in therapy groups that we can gradually shape our behavior. Tricks that we have learned plus some tips from the Nutrition Action Letter make weight control much more possible.

Strive for nutrient adequacy, using fruits, vegetables, whole grains and 1 percent milk.

Try cutting your usual portion sizes in half.

Do not deny yourself. This will keep you from cheating.

Think before you drink — choose water, seltzer, coffee and tea.

Chew each bite thoroughly. Put your fork down and your hands in your lap while you chew.

Avoid escalators and elevators. Use the stairs.

Park far away from the place you want to be.

Reward yourself when you have managed to repeat a change until it becomes a habit.

Plan what you are going to eat at meals and snacks and when you are going to exercise.

Move, move, move. Walk, dance, swim.

Accept your body’s build — one does not have to be a “skinny minny” in order to be healthy and happy.

If you want to know more about the secrets of weight-loss success, or if you have lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off for at least a year, the National Weight Control Registry wants you. Call 1-800-606-NWCR, or write to NWCR c/o Dr. Rena Wing, 3811 O’Hara St., Pittsburgh, Pa. 15213. You must be 18 years or older. There is no charge or payment.


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