Study - Successful Weight Loss Among Obese U.S. Adults - How?

 

Study - Successful Weight Loss Among Obese U.S. Adults - How?

What WORKS to lose weight?  

Most of you know that weight loss surgery often works in the long term to lose weight, but not everyone (No, really...)  is a candidate for surgery

 Also, in the long-term it's not unusual for bariatric surgery post ops to again embark on diet plans to lose regained weight.  Shocking, I know!

What works?  What can we do to lose weight successfully?

Not fad diets.  Also, SHOCKING?  /end sarcasm 

If you want to lose weight, eat less fat, exercise more, and prescription weight loss pills.  Wait, really?  

That's what works?  Apparently, according to a new study from the American Journal Of Preventative Medicine -

CBS -

"Researchers analyzed data from more than 4,000 obese people over the age of 20 with a body mass index of 30 or more and then interviewed them one year later. Over half of them were trying to lose weight when the study began. By the end of the study, 40 percent said they lost at least 5 percent of their body weight, while 20 percent of participants lost 10 percent or more.

Among the participants who shed pounds, they often reported working out and eating fewer fatty foods. Those who were in weight loss programs lost even greater amounts of weight.

Duh.  Right?  More from CBS -

What didn't work? Those people who participated in popular diets, liquid diets nonprescription weight loss pills and diet foods/products didn't see the scale tip in the right direction.

"It's very encouraging to find that the most of the weight loss methods associated with success are accessible and inexpensive," senior author Dr. Christina Wee, co-director of research in the division of general medicine and primary care at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,  said in the statement.

"There are lots of fad diets out there as well as expensive over-the-counter medications that have not necessarily been proven to be effective, and it is important that Americans discuss product claims with their doctor before trying such products."

No fad diets.  Did you read that?  Stop it.

The study -

Successful Weight Loss Among Obese U.S. Adults
May 2012, Vol. 42, No. 5

Background: Little is known about weight control strategies associated with successful weight loss among obese U.S. adults in the general population.

Among those attempting weight loss, 1026 (40%) lost
5% and 510 (20%) lost
10% weight after adjustment for potential confounders, strategies associated with losing
5% weight included eating less fat; exercising more; and usingprescription weight loss medications 

Eating less fat; exercising more; and using prescription weight loss medications were also associated with losing
10% weight, as wasjoining commercial weight loss programs.

Adults eating diet products were less likely to achieve 10% weight loss Liquid diets, nonprescription diet pills, and popular diets had no association with successful weight loss.

Conclusions:

A substantial proportion of obese U.S. adults who attempted to lose weight reported weight loss, at least in the short term.  Obese adults were more likely to report achieving meaningful weight loss if they ate less fat, exercised more, used prescription weight loss medications, or participated in commercial weight loss programs.

Another great posting - thanks for this!

I was always good at loosing weight, the trick was KEEPING IT OFF!

 My only thinking about this is  that 5%of my starting weight( 235)  is  just 12 lbs .  I actually needed to lose 100 lbs ! 

Yes i could and did keep off 10-15 lbs by eating a lowfat high fiber diet and frequently walking /running /hiking/rollerblading pre op  but   neither I  nor my body was happy hauling  that much extra weight around .