Variety is considered the "spice of life," but does today's unprecedented level of dietary variety help explain skyrocketing rates of obesity? Some researchers think it might.
According to ASN Spokesperson Shelley McGuire, PhD: "We've known for years that foods- even eating, itself- can trigger release of various brain chemicals, some of which are also involved in what happens with drug addiction and withdrawal. And, as can happen with substance abusers, tolerance or "habituation" can occur, meaning that repeated use (in this case, exposure to a food) is sometimes accompanied by a lack of response (in this case, disinterest in the food). The results of the study by Epstein and colleagues provides a very interesting new piece to the obesity puzzle by suggesting that meal monotony may actually lead to reduced calorie consumption. The trick will be balancing this concept with the importance of variety to good nutrition."
Studies have shown that many people become disinterested in a particular food when they are repeatedly exposed to it. This response, called habituation, can decrease caloric intake in the short-run. Conversely, when presented with a variety of foods, caloric intake can increase. The "food addiction hypothesis" purports that some people may overeat because they are insensitive to the normal habituation response and thus need even more exposure to a food to trigger a disinterest. However, there has been no rigorous research investigating whether healthy-weight and overweight individuals have different habituation responses, and little is known about what patterns of food exposure are most powerful in triggering habituation. To help close these research gaps, researchers studied long-term habituation in obese and nonobese women. Their results, and an accompanying editorial by Nicole Avena and Mark Gold, are published in the August 2011 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Sixteen nonobese [BMI (in kg/m2) < 30] and 16 obese (BMI 30) women were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 groups: the "weekly group" participated in weekly experimental food exposure sessions for 5 wk, whereas the "daily group" were studied daily for 5 consecutive days. During each 28-min experimental session, subjects were asked to complete a variety of tasks after which they were "rewarded" by being given a 125-kcal portion of macaroni and cheese. Participants could work for as much food as they wanted. The researchers then evaluated total energy intake.
Whereas weekly food exposure increased total caloric intake by approximately 30 kcal/d, daily exposure decreased energy consumption by ~100 kcal/d. This supports long-term habituation in terms of caloric intake. Very few differences were found between how obese and nonobese individuals responded.
The authors concluded that reducing variety in food choices may represent an important strategy for those trying to lose weight. Moreover, having a person even remember that they have eaten a certain food recently may be effective in this regard. In their accompanying editorial, Avena and Gold compare physiologic components of the food addiction hypothesis to the body's addictive responses to drugs. They also ponder whether school-lunch planners and public health officials should note that diversity in the menu is not necessarily a virtue" but might instead "be associated with promoting excess food intake and increased body mass index." Provocative food for thought.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
'Love your body' to lose weight
Almost a quarter of men and women in England and over a third of adults in America are obese. Obesity increases the risk of diabetes and heart disease and can significantly shorten a person's life expectancy. New research published by BioMed Central's open access journal International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity shows that improving body image can enhance the effectiveness of weight loss programs based on diet and exercise.
Researchers from the Technical University of Lisbon and Bangor University enrolled overweight and obese women on a year-long weight loss program. Half the women were given general health information about good nutrition, stress management, and the importance of looking after yourself. The other half attended 30 weekly group sessions (the intervention plan) where issues such as exercise, emotional eating, improving body image and the recognition of, and how to overcome, personal barriers to weight loss and lapses from the diet were discussed.
On the behavioral intervention plan women found that the way they thought about their body improved and that concerns about body shape and size were reduced. Compared to the control group they were better able to self-regulate their eating and they lost much more weight, losing on average 7% of their starting weight compared to less than 2% for the control group.
Dr Teixeira from Technical University of Lisbon, who led the research, said, "Body image problems are very common amongst overweight and obese people, often leading to comfort eating and more rigid eating patterns, and are obstacles to losing weight. Our results showed a strong correlation between improvements in body image, especially in reducing anxiety about other peoples' opinions, and positive changes in eating behavior. From this we believe that learning to relate to your body in healthier ways is an important aspect of maintaining weight loss and should be addressed in every weight control program."
Researchers from the Technical University of Lisbon and Bangor University enrolled overweight and obese women on a year-long weight loss program. Half the women were given general health information about good nutrition, stress management, and the importance of looking after yourself. The other half attended 30 weekly group sessions (the intervention plan) where issues such as exercise, emotional eating, improving body image and the recognition of, and how to overcome, personal barriers to weight loss and lapses from the diet were discussed.
On the behavioral intervention plan women found that the way they thought about their body improved and that concerns about body shape and size were reduced. Compared to the control group they were better able to self-regulate their eating and they lost much more weight, losing on average 7% of their starting weight compared to less than 2% for the control group.
Dr Teixeira from Technical University of Lisbon, who led the research, said, "Body image problems are very common amongst overweight and obese people, often leading to comfort eating and more rigid eating patterns, and are obstacles to losing weight. Our results showed a strong correlation between improvements in body image, especially in reducing anxiety about other peoples' opinions, and positive changes in eating behavior. From this we believe that learning to relate to your body in healthier ways is an important aspect of maintaining weight loss and should be addressed in every weight control program."
Personality plays role in body weight, according to study
Ω
Impulsivity strongest predictor of obesity
People with personality traits of high neuroticism and low conscientiousness are likely to go through cycles of gaining and losing weight throughout their lives, according to an examination of 50 years of data in a study published by the American Psychological Association.
Impulsivity was the strongest predictor of who would be overweight, the researchers found. Study participants who scored in the top 10 percent on impulsivity weighed an average of 22 lbs. more than those in the bottom 10 percent, according to the study.
"Individuals with this constellation of traits tend to give in to temptation and lack the discipline to stay on track amid difficulties or frustration," the researchers wrote. "To maintain a healthy weight, it is typically necessary to have a healthy diet and a sustained program of physical activity, both of which require commitment and restraint. Such control may be difficult for highly impulsive individuals."
The researchers, from the National Institute on Aging, looked at data from a longitudinal study of 1,988 people to determine how personality traits are associated with weight and body mass index. Their conclusions were published online in the APA's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
"To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to examine whether personality is associated with fluctuations in weight over time," they wrote. "Interestingly, our pattern of associations fits nicely with the characteristics of these traits."
Participants were drawn from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, an ongoing multidisciplinary study of normal aging administered by the National Institute on Aging. Subjects were generally healthy and highly educated, with an average of 16.53 years of education. The sample was 71 percent white, 22 percent black, 7 percent other ethnicity; 50 percent were women. All were assessed on what's known as the "Big Five" personality traits – openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism -- as well as on 30 subcategories of these personality traits. Subjects were weighed and measured over time. This resulted in a total of 14,531 assessments across the 50 years of the study.
Although weight tends to increase gradually as people age, the researchers, led by Angelina R. Sutin, PhD, found greater weight gain among impulsive people; those who enjoy taking risks; and those who are antagonistic – especially those who are cynical, competitive and aggressive.
"Previous research has found that impulsive individuals are prone to binge eating and alcohol consumption," Sutin said. "These behavioral patterns may contribute to weight gain over time."
Among their other findings: Conscientious participants tended to be leaner and weight did not contribute to changes in personality across adulthood.
"The pathway from personality traits to weight gain is complex and probably includes physiological mechanisms, in addition to behavioral ones," Sutin said. "We hope that by more clearly identifying the association between personality and obesity, more tailored treatments will be developed. For example, lifestyle and exercise interventions that are done in a group setting may be more effective for extroverts than for introverts."
Impulsivity strongest predictor of obesity
People with personality traits of high neuroticism and low conscientiousness are likely to go through cycles of gaining and losing weight throughout their lives, according to an examination of 50 years of data in a study published by the American Psychological Association.
Impulsivity was the strongest predictor of who would be overweight, the researchers found. Study participants who scored in the top 10 percent on impulsivity weighed an average of 22 lbs. more than those in the bottom 10 percent, according to the study.
"Individuals with this constellation of traits tend to give in to temptation and lack the discipline to stay on track amid difficulties or frustration," the researchers wrote. "To maintain a healthy weight, it is typically necessary to have a healthy diet and a sustained program of physical activity, both of which require commitment and restraint. Such control may be difficult for highly impulsive individuals."
The researchers, from the National Institute on Aging, looked at data from a longitudinal study of 1,988 people to determine how personality traits are associated with weight and body mass index. Their conclusions were published online in the APA's Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
"To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to examine whether personality is associated with fluctuations in weight over time," they wrote. "Interestingly, our pattern of associations fits nicely with the characteristics of these traits."
Participants were drawn from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, an ongoing multidisciplinary study of normal aging administered by the National Institute on Aging. Subjects were generally healthy and highly educated, with an average of 16.53 years of education. The sample was 71 percent white, 22 percent black, 7 percent other ethnicity; 50 percent were women. All were assessed on what's known as the "Big Five" personality traits – openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism -- as well as on 30 subcategories of these personality traits. Subjects were weighed and measured over time. This resulted in a total of 14,531 assessments across the 50 years of the study.
Although weight tends to increase gradually as people age, the researchers, led by Angelina R. Sutin, PhD, found greater weight gain among impulsive people; those who enjoy taking risks; and those who are antagonistic – especially those who are cynical, competitive and aggressive.
"Previous research has found that impulsive individuals are prone to binge eating and alcohol consumption," Sutin said. "These behavioral patterns may contribute to weight gain over time."
Among their other findings: Conscientious participants tended to be leaner and weight did not contribute to changes in personality across adulthood.
"The pathway from personality traits to weight gain is complex and probably includes physiological mechanisms, in addition to behavioral ones," Sutin said. "We hope that by more clearly identifying the association between personality and obesity, more tailored treatments will be developed. For example, lifestyle and exercise interventions that are done in a group setting may be more effective for extroverts than for introverts."
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Why do people eat less when they have big forks?
Larger portion sizes usually mean we eat more food, but according to new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, bigger bites lead to eating less—in restaurant settings.
"In this research we examined the influence of small versus large bite-sizes on overall quantity of food consumed," write authors Arul Mishra, Himanshu Mishra, and Tamara M. Masters (all University of Utah, Salt Lake City).
The authors conducted a field study in a popular Italian restaurant. They used two sizes of forks to manipulate bite sizes and found that diners who used large forks ate less than those with small forks.
The authors then began to investigate why this finding seems to contradict earlier research on portion sizes. "We observe that diners visit the restaurant with a well-defined goal of satiating their hunger and because of this well-defined goal they are willing to invest effort and resources to satiate their hunger goal," the authors write. Diners can satisfy their hunger by choosing, eating, and paying for their food—all of which involve effort.
"The fork size provided the diners with a means to observe their goal progress," the authors explain. "The physiological feedback of feeling full or the satiation signal comes with a time lag. In its absence diners focus on the visual cue of whether they are making any dent on the food on their plate to assess goal progress."
The authors tested this conclusion by varying the quantities of food. They found that when the initial quantity of food was more (a well-loaded plate) diners with small forks ate significantly more than those with large forks. When customers were served small servings, the fork size did not affect the amount of food. Interestingly, in a lab experiment the authors found that participants with small forks consumed less than those with large forks. The authors believe that the participants did not have the same goals of satiating hunger as the restaurant customers did.
To avoid overeating, the authors suggest consumers learn to better understand hunger cues. "People do not have clear internal cues about the appropriate quantity to consume," the authors write. "They allow external cues, such as fork size, to determine the amount they should consume."
"In this research we examined the influence of small versus large bite-sizes on overall quantity of food consumed," write authors Arul Mishra, Himanshu Mishra, and Tamara M. Masters (all University of Utah, Salt Lake City).
The authors conducted a field study in a popular Italian restaurant. They used two sizes of forks to manipulate bite sizes and found that diners who used large forks ate less than those with small forks.
The authors then began to investigate why this finding seems to contradict earlier research on portion sizes. "We observe that diners visit the restaurant with a well-defined goal of satiating their hunger and because of this well-defined goal they are willing to invest effort and resources to satiate their hunger goal," the authors write. Diners can satisfy their hunger by choosing, eating, and paying for their food—all of which involve effort.
"The fork size provided the diners with a means to observe their goal progress," the authors explain. "The physiological feedback of feeling full or the satiation signal comes with a time lag. In its absence diners focus on the visual cue of whether they are making any dent on the food on their plate to assess goal progress."
The authors tested this conclusion by varying the quantities of food. They found that when the initial quantity of food was more (a well-loaded plate) diners with small forks ate significantly more than those with large forks. When customers were served small servings, the fork size did not affect the amount of food. Interestingly, in a lab experiment the authors found that participants with small forks consumed less than those with large forks. The authors believe that the participants did not have the same goals of satiating hunger as the restaurant customers did.
To avoid overeating, the authors suggest consumers learn to better understand hunger cues. "People do not have clear internal cues about the appropriate quantity to consume," the authors write. "They allow external cues, such as fork size, to determine the amount they should consume."
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Smoking Does Not Keep You Slim, Research Shows
You might think that you will gain weight if you quit smoking. But it's not that simple. A master's thesis from the Nordic School of Public Health (NHV) in Sweden shows that smoking doesn't help you get thinner.
While cigarette smoking has decreased in western countries, obesity has increased. Recent studies have suggested that today's smokers may have less weight problems than non-smokers. "That's why I wanted to study whether the relationship between smoking and overweight has changed over time," said Lisa Webb, Master of Public Health at NHV.
Approximately 6,000 people have participated in a study on the relationship between smoking and obesity. Two measure of body fat have been used: BMI (body mass index) and WHR (waist hip ratio). The master's thesis "Smoking in the age of obesity: an investigation of secular trends in body fat and cigarette smoking" shows higher WHR for male and female smokers but lower BMI for female smokers, as compared with non-smokers.
A particularly noteworthy finding was that the difference between WHR among female smokers and never-smokers increased during the study.
While cigarette smoking has decreased in western countries, obesity has increased. Recent studies have suggested that today's smokers may have less weight problems than non-smokers. "That's why I wanted to study whether the relationship between smoking and overweight has changed over time," said Lisa Webb, Master of Public Health at NHV.
Approximately 6,000 people have participated in a study on the relationship between smoking and obesity. Two measure of body fat have been used: BMI (body mass index) and WHR (waist hip ratio). The master's thesis "Smoking in the age of obesity: an investigation of secular trends in body fat and cigarette smoking" shows higher WHR for male and female smokers but lower BMI for female smokers, as compared with non-smokers.
A particularly noteworthy finding was that the difference between WHR among female smokers and never-smokers increased during the study.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Top 10 Things That Are Eating Away at Your Ideal Body
You may not be entirely to blame for your diet woes. So say brother and sister Dian Griesel, Ph.D. (Nutrition) and Tom Griesel.
After spending 30 years working with scientific researchers while continuously experimenting with various diets, the Griesels explain why all other diet and exercise advice to date is inherently designed to contribute to the growing epidemic of chronic obesity. “The best of diet intentions fail in late afternoon and evening because dieters fall for certain traps that sabotage success,” says Dr. Griesel. Those traps, say the authors, include:
10. Commercials could make anyone hungry. “They are designed to be enticing—even though we all know a fast-food burger tastes like a hockey puck! (Not that we’ve eaten hockey pucks...),” say the authors.
9. Manufacturers make foods addictive with chemicals and preservatives.
8. Manufacturers make foods addictive by using sugar/fat/salt combos.
7. Hanging out with an overeating, unimaginative crowd. (There ARE other things more interesting than eating...)
6. Boredom.
5. Dieting and aerobic exercising together reduce calories, so primitive starvation-survival mechanisms kick in making the brain scream for food.
4. Burning the candle too late, is counter productive to fat burning. A good night’s sleep burns fat and keeps us from eating!
3. We eat when we are really thirsty.
2. Motivation is misdirected. The choice needs to be: Which do I value more? A chocolate bar now or a longer and healthier life with my family
1. Traditional diet and exercise advice is all wrong.
After spending 30 years working with scientific researchers while continuously experimenting with various diets, the Griesels explain why all other diet and exercise advice to date is inherently designed to contribute to the growing epidemic of chronic obesity. “The best of diet intentions fail in late afternoon and evening because dieters fall for certain traps that sabotage success,” says Dr. Griesel. Those traps, say the authors, include:
10. Commercials could make anyone hungry. “They are designed to be enticing—even though we all know a fast-food burger tastes like a hockey puck! (Not that we’ve eaten hockey pucks...),” say the authors.
9. Manufacturers make foods addictive with chemicals and preservatives.
8. Manufacturers make foods addictive by using sugar/fat/salt combos.
7. Hanging out with an overeating, unimaginative crowd. (There ARE other things more interesting than eating...)
6. Boredom.
5. Dieting and aerobic exercising together reduce calories, so primitive starvation-survival mechanisms kick in making the brain scream for food.
4. Burning the candle too late, is counter productive to fat burning. A good night’s sleep burns fat and keeps us from eating!
3. We eat when we are really thirsty.
2. Motivation is misdirected. The choice needs to be: Which do I value more? A chocolate bar now or a longer and healthier life with my family
1. Traditional diet and exercise advice is all wrong.
Higher-protein diets can improve appetite control and satiety
A new study demonstrates that higher-protein meals improve perceived appetite and satiety in overweight and obese men during weight loss.(1) According to the research, published in Obesity, higher-protein intake led to greater satiety throughout the day as well as reductions in both late-night and morning appetite compared to a normal protein diet.
"Research has shown that higher-protein diets, those containing 18 to 35 percent of daily calorie intake from dietary protein, are associated with reductions in hunger and increased fullness throughout the day and into the evening hours," said Heather Leidy, Ph.D., study author and professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri. "In our study, the two groups ate either 25 or 14 percent of calories from protein, while the total calories and percent of calories from fat stayed the same between the higher-protein and normal-protein diet patterns. "
During the study, Dr. Leidy and associates also conducted an eating frequency substudy in which the 27 participants on both normal- and higher-protein diets consumed either three meals or six meals per day. The researchers found that eating frequency had no effect on appetite and satiety on the normal-protein diet. However, subjects on the higher-protein diet who ate three meals per day experienced greater evening and late-night fullness than those who ate six meals per day.
Dietary Protein and Reduced Calorie Consumption
This study supports previous research that demonstrates higher-protein diets, including egg breakfasts, are associated with decreased calorie consumption. A study published last year in Nutrition Research showed that men ate roughly 112 fewer calories at a buffet lunch and 400 fewer calories in the 24-hour period following a protein-rich egg breakfast compared to a bagel breakfast. (2) Another study demonstrated that overweight dieters who ate eggs for breakfast lost 65 percent more weight and felt more energetic than those who ate a bagel breakfast of equal calories and volume. (3)
References
(1)Leidy HJ, Tang M, Armstrong CLH, Martin CB, Cambell WW.The effects of consuming frequent, higher protein meals on appetite and satiety during weight loss in overweight/obese men. Obesity. 2011;19:818-824.
(2) Ratliff J, Leite JO, de Ogburn R, Puglisi MJ, VanHeest J, Fernandez ML. Consuming eggs for breakfast influences plasma glucose and ghrelin, while reducing energy intake during the next 24 hours in adult men. Nutrition Research 2010;30:96-103.
(3)Vander Wal JS, Gupta A, Khosla P, Dhurandhar NV. Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. International Journal of Obesity. 2008;32:1545-1551.
"Research has shown that higher-protein diets, those containing 18 to 35 percent of daily calorie intake from dietary protein, are associated with reductions in hunger and increased fullness throughout the day and into the evening hours," said Heather Leidy, Ph.D., study author and professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology at the University of Missouri. "In our study, the two groups ate either 25 or 14 percent of calories from protein, while the total calories and percent of calories from fat stayed the same between the higher-protein and normal-protein diet patterns. "
During the study, Dr. Leidy and associates also conducted an eating frequency substudy in which the 27 participants on both normal- and higher-protein diets consumed either three meals or six meals per day. The researchers found that eating frequency had no effect on appetite and satiety on the normal-protein diet. However, subjects on the higher-protein diet who ate three meals per day experienced greater evening and late-night fullness than those who ate six meals per day.
Dietary Protein and Reduced Calorie Consumption
This study supports previous research that demonstrates higher-protein diets, including egg breakfasts, are associated with decreased calorie consumption. A study published last year in Nutrition Research showed that men ate roughly 112 fewer calories at a buffet lunch and 400 fewer calories in the 24-hour period following a protein-rich egg breakfast compared to a bagel breakfast. (2) Another study demonstrated that overweight dieters who ate eggs for breakfast lost 65 percent more weight and felt more energetic than those who ate a bagel breakfast of equal calories and volume. (3)
References
(1)Leidy HJ, Tang M, Armstrong CLH, Martin CB, Cambell WW.The effects of consuming frequent, higher protein meals on appetite and satiety during weight loss in overweight/obese men. Obesity. 2011;19:818-824.
(2) Ratliff J, Leite JO, de Ogburn R, Puglisi MJ, VanHeest J, Fernandez ML. Consuming eggs for breakfast influences plasma glucose and ghrelin, while reducing energy intake during the next 24 hours in adult men. Nutrition Research 2010;30:96-103.
(3)Vander Wal JS, Gupta A, Khosla P, Dhurandhar NV. Egg breakfast enhances weight loss. International Journal of Obesity. 2008;32:1545-1551.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Food, Not Diet Soda, Makes You Fat
You are making a healthier choice when opting for a diet soda instead of a calorie-laden drink, but beware that you don’t sabotage your good behavior by indulging in fat-adding foods. “I suspect that people are likely drinking those diet sodas to wash down high fat and high-calorie fast food or take-out meals, not as a complement to a healthy meal prepared at home or to quench a thirst after a tough workout, ” says Jessica Bartfield, MD, internal medicine who specializes in weight and nutrition at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital.
Dr. Bartfield takes issue with two recent studies were presented at the American Diabetes Association in June that conclude that diet soda negatively impacts your waistline.
One study tracked 474 people, all 65 to 74 years old, for nearly a decade. It measured height, weight, waist circumference and diet soda intake every 3.6 years. The waists of those who drank soft drinks grew 70 percent more than those who did not.
Another study found that after three months of eating food containing aspartame, mice had higher blood sugar levels than rodents who ate regular food. Researchers concluded that aspartame could trigger the appetite but not satisfy it, leading you to eat more in general.
“The association studies are significant and provocative, but don’t prove cause and effect,” says Bartfield who counsels weight-loss patients at the Chicago-area Loyola University Health System. “Although these studies controlled for many factors, such as age, physical activity, calories consumed and smoking, there are still a tremendous number of factors such as dietary patters, sleep, genetics, and medication use that account for the metabolic syndome/weight gain.”
For people trying to lose weight, switiching from sugar-sweetened beverages to diet soda can have a tremendous impact on calorie reduction but Dr. Bartfield feels it comes down to one basic principle. “It still comes down to moderation,” she says. “I caution patients to keep it to one or two diet sodas per day.”
Dr. Bartfield takes issue with two recent studies were presented at the American Diabetes Association in June that conclude that diet soda negatively impacts your waistline.
One study tracked 474 people, all 65 to 74 years old, for nearly a decade. It measured height, weight, waist circumference and diet soda intake every 3.6 years. The waists of those who drank soft drinks grew 70 percent more than those who did not.
Another study found that after three months of eating food containing aspartame, mice had higher blood sugar levels than rodents who ate regular food. Researchers concluded that aspartame could trigger the appetite but not satisfy it, leading you to eat more in general.
“The association studies are significant and provocative, but don’t prove cause and effect,” says Bartfield who counsels weight-loss patients at the Chicago-area Loyola University Health System. “Although these studies controlled for many factors, such as age, physical activity, calories consumed and smoking, there are still a tremendous number of factors such as dietary patters, sleep, genetics, and medication use that account for the metabolic syndome/weight gain.”
For people trying to lose weight, switiching from sugar-sweetened beverages to diet soda can have a tremendous impact on calorie reduction but Dr. Bartfield feels it comes down to one basic principle. “It still comes down to moderation,” she says. “I caution patients to keep it to one or two diet sodas per day.”
Losing Weight, Keeping It Off Might Require Distinct Skill Sets
Source: Health Behavior News Service
A new study indicates that the practices that help people to lose weight and the practices that help them keep it off do not overlap much.
“No one announces to a dieter, ‘You’re moving into the weight-maintenance stage. You’ll have to do things differently,’ said lead author Christopher Sciamanna, M.D. His group investigated whether two distinct sets of behaviors and thought patterns were involved in weight loss and its maintenance.
Practices associated with successful weight loss only were:
•Participate in a weight–loss program
•Look for information about weight loss, nutrition or exercise
•Eat healthy snacks
•Limit the amount of sugar you eat or drink
•Plan what you’ll eat ahead of time
•Avoid skipping a meal, including breakfast
•Do different kinds of exercise
•Do exercise that you enjoy
•Think about how much better you feel when you are thinner
Practices significantly associated with successful maintenance only were:
•Eat plenty of low-fat sources of protein
•Follow a consistent exercise routine
•Reward yourself for sticking to your diet or exercise plan
•Remind yourself why you need to control your weight
If the two stages do demand different practices, then weight loss programs might need to guide people about key strategies for each phase explicitly, said Sciamanna, a professor of medicine and public health sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine. The study appears online and in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Lawrence Cheskin, M.D., director of the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said, “We do often tell patients about the different skills that are needed and the different approaches to take to achieve weight loss and weight maintenance. This work adds substance to that general statement.” Cheskin has no affiliation with the study.
Sciamanna’s group surveyed a random sample of 1,165 adults by telephone. Some had been successful at losing weight; some had also maintained a weight loss. They asked them about 36 things they might do and think about to lose weight and keep it off. The researchers defined long-term success as losing at least 30 pounds and keeping if off for a year.
Fourteen practices were associated with either successful loss or successful weight loss maintenance, but not both. The overlap between practices associated with weight loss and those associated with weight loss maintenance was 61 percent, not much higher than that expected by chance.
“Some people are ‘black and white,’” Cheskin said. “They’ll diet strictly, eating nothing they’re not meant to eat, or they won’t be careful at all. Maintenance requires something in between. This research could have implications for what we should emphasize when we are trying to help people lose versus maintain their weight.”
If the two stages do demand different practices, then weight loss programs might need to guide people about key strategies for each phase explicitly, said Sciamanna, a professor of medicine and public health sciences at the Penn State College of Medicine. The study appears online and in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Lawrence Cheskin, M.D., director of the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said, “We do often tell patients about the different skills that are needed and the different approaches to take to achieve weight loss and weight maintenance. This work adds substance to that general statement.” Cheskin has no affiliation with the study.
Sciamanna’s group surveyed a random sample of 1,165 adults by telephone. Some had been successful at losing weight; some had also maintained a weight loss. They asked them about 36 things they might do and think about to lose weight and keep it off. The researchers defined long-term success as losing at least 30 pounds and keeping if off for a year.
Fourteen practices were associated with either successful loss or successful weight loss maintenance, but not both. The overlap between practices associated with weight loss and those associated with weight loss maintenance was 61 percent, not much higher than that expected by chance.
“Some people are ‘black and white,’” Cheskin said. “They’ll diet strictly, eating nothing they’re not meant to eat, or they won’t be careful at all. Maintenance requires something in between. This research could have implications for what we should emphasize when we are trying to help people lose versus maintain their weight.”
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