This study shows that people who attend Weight Watchers meetings regularly lost more weight than those who did not. This shouldn’t be surprising - attending meetings shows a commitment to the diet above and beyond the decision to diet alone. Then, getting constant reinforcement and feedback should help you stay on track.
Still, the report puts numbers to the concept.
New Study Demonstrates the Impact of Comprehensive Weight-Loss Program on Health; Weight Watchers(R) Program Data Show Benefits Are Greater Than Weight Loss Alone
The results of a new study, which evaluated the role attendance at weekly meetings plays in the weight-loss process, demonstrated significant decreases in body weight and insulin resistance for the group that participated in the highest percentage of weekly meetings as part of a comprehensive weight-loss program (Weight Watchers). The 24-week data of this ongoing study, which was conducted by a team of researchers, led by James Rippe, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Founder and Director, Rippe Lifestyle Institute, was published in the abstract supplement to Diabetes this month.
Those who attended the most meetings showed significantly greater weight loss and decreases in waist circumference compared to those who attended infrequently. Despite the fact that none of the subjects had diabetes, improvements were also seen in fasting glucose, fasting insulin (p=0.05) and insulin resistance (p=0.02) among those who were regular meeting attendees. These observations suggest that attending weekly meetings in conjunction with following a comprehensive weight-loss plan promotes weight loss and improves glucose handling, important factors in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Common Voice warns us to Be Wary Of Any ‘Expert’ Weight Loss Advice
What I am about to say is probably going to sound a lot more cruel than I mean for it to, but it’s something that we’ve all thought about from time to time even if it was just to ourselves. Here it is: Why do so many food and health editors at newspapers in America always look like they need to go on a diet themselves? Oh boy, now I’ve done it! BUT IT’S TRUE!!!
Case in point: look at that picture of 30-year veteran Food Editor Heather McPherson from The Orlando Sentinel above. You can REALLY tell that she loves food and it shows. That’s not being disrespectful to her, I’m simply pointing out the obvious.
To which we add, you should also be wary of non-’Expert’ weight loss advice.
Common sense, really. Don’t eat too many of them, choose healthier snacks like fruit or veggies if possible. But the good thing is the fact that you have to keep opening a new one gives you an idea how many calories you are really eating - and you will likely be surprised.
KLTV 7 Tyler-Longview-Jacksonville, TX: 100-Calorie Snack Packs: Do They Help With Weight Loss?
These days, quite a few snack foods are available in 100-calorie packs - like Pringles chips, Nutter Butter cookies, and even the 8-ounce mini Coke serving size.
These portion-controlled servings may be convenient, but they typically cost more per ounce than larger serving packages.
Are 100-calorie bags worth the cost?
“We are a nation on the go, looking for convenience and used the right way, there is nothing wrong with them,” said dietitian Julie Walsh. “Used the wrong way and you are going to pile on a lot of additional calories that don’t add a lot of nutrients to the diet.”
Do you drink 50 pounds worth of beverages per year? If so, no wonder it seems like you can’t lose any weight.
Your Personal Trainer: Remember that calories from liquids add up fast | www.tucsoncitizen.com ®
Oftentimes we focus intently on what we’re eating in order to achieve long-term weight goals. Frequently however, while we’re eating relatively healthfully, we’re consuming beverages that thwart our weight-loss efforts. It’s critically important to pay close attention to “liquid calories.” Let’s look at what might be a typical day of liquid intake and see how the calories really add up.
The total calorie intake just from liquids on this “typical” day is 845. If you add that up over five days, that’s a whopping 4,225 calories, about enough to put on a pound of unwanted weight. So in just one year, you could easily put on 50-plus pounds just from liquids. And that was only five days out of the week!
What’s the good news? The good news is that by cutting back on some of these calorie-adding drinks, you can just as easily shed those unwanted pounds. By cutting back or cutting out these drinks, you could lose 50 pounds in a year as opposed to gaining them. Replace just a few of these with some good old-fashioned water, and you could stand to lose 25 or 30 pounds. Add in a little more exercise, or more efficient exercise, into the mix and you’ll be way ahead of the game.
Can something as simple as standing up translate into 50 pounds per year? One Doctor says yes.
It seems that thin people can eat and eat without gaining weight. They appear to be blessed with a high metabolism.
It is actually more complicated than that, according to Dr. Jim Levine who was featured on Friday’s ABC News program 20/20. The program compared two individuals, a lean Kathy Strickland and a heavier Dawn Campion. According to Levine, an obesity researcher at the Mayo Clinic and has studied the metabolism of lean and heavy people, “Dawn’s numbers are actually higher because what we find continuously is that people with weight problems who have obesity have a higher basal metabolism compared to people who are lean.”
This was one of the 10 “body myths” explored by John Stossel along with aging guru Dr. Michael F. Roizen and heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz, authors of “You: The Owner’s Manual”.
Dr. Oz said the metabolism correlation with weight has been looked at several times. He said “It’s generally false that your metabolism is the reason for your weight.” Levine says that most of the patients who come to his clinic have a higher metabolism. “Your basal metabolism is the calories you burn to keep your body going, so if your body is bigger, of course your basal metabolism is greater,” according to Levine. “If your body is smaller your basal metabolism is less.”
So what can you do? Levine says people can become obese by simply not moving around as much. By simply standing at a desk can increase your metabolism by 40 percent. He says moving more will also reduce the risk for becoming obese.
Dr. Levine outfitted Dawn and Kathy with “data-logging underwear” to determine how much each of them moved during the day. Later Levine would take the devices and attach them to a computer to extract the data. Levine says people with obesity have a tendency to be seated for two and a half hours more than those that are not obese.
After comparing the two subjects, he found that Kathleen was moving around a lot more than Dawn. Dawn had a desk job and was sitting most of the day. They say that people that move during they day can burn 350 calories more per day than those that don’t. This can add up to between 30 and 50 pounds per year.
Weight Loss - Standing At Work Can Lower Your Weight - Dr. Oz on ABC News Program 20/20 with John Stossel Body Myths Program
USA Today has run their second in an ongoing Weight Loss Challenge series. The dieter complains about the ups and downs.
USATODAY.com - Weight loss has its downs and ups
But it has been a bumpy ride. Some weeks she loses; some weeks she doesn’t. The latter is discouraging.
“I really have worked my butt off and don’t eat when I go out with my friends. I’ve been perfect to the T. I don’t know what else to do with myself except sit home and cry.”
On the weeks in which she does lose, she says, “I am really encouraged to keep on going, keep up my exercise and keep eating right.”
One thing I realized from the beginning is that this is part of the process. As long as I am sticking to the plan, I shouldn’t be overly excited by good news or depressed by bad. If I am not sticking to the process, I should get back on track.
People kill their diets by becoming too emotional about day to day fluctuations that don’t mean anything.
Obesity contributes to a variety of ailments, so it is probably no big surprise that a healthy workforce costs less to insure. US News has an article highlighting employer-sponsored diet and fitness activities that benefit employees and the bottom line.
USNews.com: You may see a payoff in working out at work
As the cost of employee healthcare grows by 10 percent or more each year, corporate America is instituting preventive measures: everything from Pilates class to belly dancing to lavishly equipped gyms. “We are trying to do whatever we can to encourage employees to stay healthy,” says Evelyne Steward, vice president of Discovery’s LifeWorks department, whose wellness program consists of health and nutrition classes, weight-loss groups, and an on-site clinic as well as the eight-week-long Body Challenge. Other fitness offerings include a 20-minute, low-sweat “executive workout” and yoga classes. Last year, 66 percent of companies surveyed by the Society for Human Resource Management offered wellness programs, up from 53 percent in 2001. The number offering weight-loss programs like Weight Watchers grew from 17 percent to 29 percent; while companies aren’t rushing en masse to outfit their own gyms, more than a third now subsidize the cost of fitness club memberships.
Bottom line. Investing in fitness can provide an immediate return. In the first two years of the Body Challenge, the 800 or so (of 6,000) Discovery employees participating lost a collective 4,600 pounds; these and less dramatic results from across the wellness program “have had a positive impact on our health insurance costs,” says Steward. Clif Bar, the energy-bar maker in Berkeley, Calif., spends about $1,000 per employee each year providing about 150 staffers with a free gym, three personal trainers, 24 classes a week, and a paid 30-minute workout break every day. “I consider it money very well spent,” says David Jericoff, executive vice president of people, noting that yearly savings in insurance premiums are in the “double-digit percents.”
Weight today was 235. Definitely going in the wrong direction again. Seems like I will have to start calorie counting again.
On the positive side, the body fat percentage was still 28, which is still going in the right direction.
Tomorrow looks to be a busy day. Hopefully the kind where I will be too busy to eat.
Men’s Fitness presents a shoulder exercise that can be done anywhere. Although they suggest using a light dumbbell, any handy weight (a gallon of milk, a clothes iron, your briefcase) can do the trick.
Hold a light dumbbell in your right hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Keeping your shoulders square with your hips, reach your right hand over to your left hip, as if you were pouring the dumbbell into your pocket [1]. Raise the weight diagonally across and away from your body-like you’re drawing a sword out of its scabbard-and hold it over your right shoulder, your palm facing up and slightly behind you [2]. That’s one rep. Perform one set of eight to 12 reps on each side, then rest 1-2 minutes before beginning any overhead press.
Drawing the sword activates the rotatorcuff muscles-the stabilizers that protect your shoulder joint from injury and support it under heavy loads-helping you slash through your old max like a cutlass.
Source: Men’s Fitness: Shoulder More Weight
Here is a story about a woman who has lost more than 200 pounds and is working on an additional 70. Personally, I use sticks of butter rather than bags of dog food as my analogy. 205 pounds is 820 sticks of butter she is no longer carrying.
Karen Durden, a librarian at Missouri State University, dropped 205 pounds with the help of a Weight Watchers chapter at the university and the help of her co-workers and fellow chapter members.
The leader of the chapter brought in four 50-pound bags of dog foot to a recent meeting to help illustrate how much weight Durden lost.
“It’s kind of amazing,” Durden said as she looked at the bags.
Amazing, indeed. And she’s not done. She told a News-Leader reporter she hopes to lose 70 more pounds.
Losing weight is never easy. And how would anyone go about losing 200 pounds?
It boggles the mind. But it also shows us that with dedication and hard work, seemingly insurmountable goals can be achieved.
Source: News-Leader.com | Our View