Six weight loss lessons from the National Weight Control Registry
Who better to glean weight loss tips from than people who’ve successfully lost weight and not put it back on? That’s the idea behind the National Weight Control Registry, a database of about 4,500 men and women who have maintained a 30 lb. or greater weight loss for at least a year. (In fact, the average member of the registry has lost around 60 lbs. and kept the weight off for 5 years.)
The registry, established in 1993, is the brainchild of James O. Hill, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado, and Rena Wing, Ph.D., of Brown University and the University of Pittsburgh. The duo are studying the experiences of successful dieters to determine the keys to weight loss success.
In the 10-plus years that Drs. Hill and Wing have been studying registry members, they’ve learned the following lessons about weight loss:
- Weight Loss Lesson 1: You have to make a commitment to permanently alter your weight, so it’s important to make lifestyle changes you can live with over the long term. To lose weight and maintain their losses, the registry members had to make substantial changes in both their eating and exercise habits. They all had relied on diet and exercise strategies to help them lose weight (although some underwent weight loss surgery) and all were continuing to use diet and exercise to maintain their weight loss. Currently, most report a daily routine of eating about 1,800 calories and exercising for an hour (expending at least 374 calories).
Weight Loss Lesson 2: You can overcome your personal and family history of obesity. Two thirds of the registry members were overweight as children, and over half come from families with obese members.
Weight Loss Lesson 3: You don’t need to join a commercial weight-loss program or a gym to succeed in your weight loss goals. About half of the registry participants lost weight without the help of any formal programs. They used a variety of diets and strategies that best suited them individually. What that means is you have to find the ideal diet and exercise regimen for you. Some people like the freedom of going it alone; others prefer the structure of a commercial diet program, an exercise class, or a support group.
Weight Loss Lesson 4: You need to pay attention to your diet on a daily basis to maintain weight loss. Many people slip back into their old habits after losing weight or allow themselves short-term binges. But the registry participants show that it’s better to keep to a regular eating plan than to repeatedly splurge and diet. Participants who ate the same amount of food throughout the week or year were more likely to maintain their weight within a 5-lb. range than those who dieted more strictly on weekdays and non-holiday times.
Weight Loss Lesson 5: The longer you maintain weight loss, the easier it becomes. Registry members who had controlled their weight for the longest periods of time reported that it took less effort to stay on a diet and maintain their weight than it had when they were initially trying to lose weight and maintain their loss. This suggests that their new dietary and exercise regimens had become accepted habits and an integral part of their lifestyles.
Weight Loss Lesson 6: You don’t have to become an exercise fanatic to lose and maintain weight loss. The most common exercise reported by the registry members was plain old walking, which doesn’t require a gym membership or special equipment and can be done anywhere by almost everyone.
