The media reported with great fanfare this week that it really doesn’t matter what type of diet you go on–low fat, low carbs, grapefruit, whatever–the key factor is calories in, calories out. The most recent iteration of this finding is a study by Sacks et al. in the New England Journal of Medicine.
What these studies don’t address is what do we do once we’ve lost the weight? As a world-class yo-yo dieter, I can attest to the fact that losing weight is easy, keeping it off is something altogether different. So I am very pleased to report that I have passed the 18-month mark in my maintenance plan after losing nearly 80 lbs on Jenny Craig. This means that over the last 18 months, I haven’t been more than 3 lbs. over my goal weight.
What has been really helpful to me is participation in the National Weight Control Registry. Part of this is purely psychological. After all, how bad would it be to have to let the NWCR know that they had to take me off their books because I had become chubby once more! Catastrophe! But even better, the NWCR provides lots of clues for maintaining weight loss. Here’s what successful maintainers do:
- Eat breakfast every day (78%)
- Modify food intake (98%)
- Exercise, at least one hour per day (90%)
- Weigh at least once per week (75%)
- Watch less than 10 hours of TV per week (62%)
Actually, I do all of these things and then some. I weigh myself every morning, and I have strategies in place depending on the outcome. If I’m one pound over my goal, I drop the cheese from my lunch sandwich. Two pounds over, and I drop my afternoon and evening snacks. Usually, this takes care of things in one day. One day is better than looking at weeks or months to get back to where I’m supposed to be.
I’m not a huge exerciser. I love exercise, but my job and writing do not allow much time for this. Mr. F and I walk at least 2 miles per day, and usually more.
The key seems to be to find something you can live with long term. We’re not stoics here. I just enjoyed a marvelous lunch (we do this once a week) of Mr. F’s macaroni and cheese, followed by a dessert of bread pudding with ice cream. Tomorrow? Okay, if I’m over, I know how to deal with that.
8 Comments
Mhusband · March 1, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I thought it was interesting that it doesn’t matter what diet your on, you will lose weight as long as you maintained calorie intake and calorie outtake. Now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense that “fad diets” wouldn’t really work. The 5 things that successful maintainers do were also interesting and helpful to anyone trying to lose weight. All in all, I feel that anyone trying to lose weight has to have plenty of self-control to be successful.
shakiamitchell · March 1, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I definitely agree with it being easier to lose the weight than to keep it off because after coming off of a hardcore diet most people feel so excited that they slowly gain the weight back. I think instead of just cutting back calories by going on extreme diets people should adopt a healthy diet into their permanent lifestyle that way you lose the weight and keep it off. I aslo think it is a good idea to weigh yourself often that way when your weight starts picking up you can notice it and make adjustments to accomodate for the weight gain. Catching it early is a lot easier to handle than catching it late.
katyupchurch · March 2, 2009 at 6:01 pm
I heard any interesting weight loss plan once- it doesn’t necessarily matter what you eat per-say but the amount that you eat. If all individual proportions of food is no larger than your fist, your weight gain should stay minimal. A doctor explained that it isn’t necessarily what Americans eat, its how much they eat. If you eat too much your body is over loaded with nutrients etc. and it gets stored as fat. I thought it was an interesting theory, and obviously you would have to watch what you eat because fist-fulls of Ben and Jerry’s can’t be healthy for you!
ewalter · March 2, 2009 at 8:13 pm
Exercise is very important but i think weight loss and maintenance all depends on what you eat. I have played sports and exercised my whole life but i find that i maintain a healthy wait better if i eat better. College life is making it hard for me to stay in shape these days.
Christinawright · March 2, 2009 at 10:24 pm
I enjoyed reading this because I have always struggled to maintain a stable weight. I swore of diets a long time ago, however, because they don’t work! They are a great temporary fix, but can’t be maintained over any real length of time! I found that the best way for me to look at it is simply to try to be as healthy as possible without depriving myself completely of one of the foods I love most! I allow myself to eat the things I love (like sweets. I have a huge sweet tooth), but only in moderation. I have always enjoyed working out, and find it’s the best way for me to relieve stress, so that really helps (although, I’m in the same boat as you with having to really work to find the time). Overall, I think it really should be about health, not appearance.
Laura Freberg · March 3, 2009 at 3:44 pm
Good comments, all. I think you have to find something that works for you. I was raised by “depression era” parents who insisted that we clean our plates, or some poor child somewhere else in the world was going to starve. Consequently, I know better than to frequent salad bars and buffets! I like Brian Wansink’s site, http://www.mindlesseating.org/ It’s perfect for “mindless” eaters like me….
JoeGaldamez · May 13, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I have always felt skeptical about any type of diet. They truly are just a “quick fix.” You’re absolutely right, so many ads, articles, and programs claim “Weight loss!” but what happens afterward? How do we keep OFF the weight? I’ve seen many of my family members and friends get on diets, and once those few months pass and they’ve successfully lost weight, months after, that weight has come back to haunt them.
I find it amazing how our culture embraces thinness and shuns away “chubby” folk. I come from a pretty big family, if you know what I mean ;), and they’re always struggling to lose weight. The first day of my high school career, I made it my goal to be part of the Cross Country team AND the Track and Field team. That’s how I’ve kept my 145 average. Eating healthy, too, and following those 5 tips above have been very helpful. I try to tell my family that the best way to lose weight is to simply create a healthier lifestyle. In the home run, I believe that will bring us the most success.
Brian Wansink to Speak at Cal Poly | Laura’s Psychology Blog · March 6, 2009 at 9:14 pm
[…] that Dr. Wansink would be speaking at Cal Poly on April 2nd. I ordered my tickets! I may have maintained my weightloss for over a year and a half now, but I’m always up for learning new ways to eat more […]
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