Back in 1994, Dr. Rena Wing, a behavior psychologist from Brown University, and Dr. James Hill, a professor at the University of Colorado Health Science Center, jointly established a database composed of successful losers; people who had lost a substantial amount of weight and were able to keep it off. The two founders hoped that by studying this population they could uncover their secrets.
The criteria for inclusion into the National Weight Control Registry database are simple. All you need to do is lose at least 30 pounds, keep it off for 12 months or longer. Membership is currently ongoing and has now exceeded 5,000 individuals.
Not surprisingly, most of the enrollees up until 2003 have turned out to be middle-aged white females. The mean weight loss was an astounding 66 pounds, kept off for a mean of 5.5 years!
In studying how the group lost weight, Wing and Hill found that nearly 9 out of 10 used some type of dietary change in combination with exercise. Ten percent of the group used just diet, while only 1 percent used just exercise.
It is interesting to note that they could not identify one specific diet used by the group that was the most successful. Some enrolled in a formal program, some did it on their own. Others counted calories, while a few counted fat grams. Use of meal replacements, exchange diets, and restricting certain foods were all reported as a means for success.
Wing and Hill identified 4 common behavioral characteristics among the group that they believed contributed to successful weight maintenance.
1 Low fat, high carbohydrate diet. When surveyed, members of the Registry reported a diet in which 23-24 percent of total calories came from fat, allowing for a reasonable intake of some healthier versions.
2. Eating breakfast. Roughly 8 out of 10 reported eating breakfast regularly. Most said they ate breakfast every day without exception.
3. Regular weigh-ins. About three quarters of the group said they weighed themselves at least once week. Some weigh themselves daily. Hill believes that regular weigh-ins serve as an early warning signal, and many of the subjects have a strategy ready to deploy in the event they gain a few pounds.
4. Plenty of exercise. Women estimated an average daily expenditure of 2,500 calories. Men estimated burning 3,300 calories per day. That is roughly 60-90 minutes of moderate intense exercise, such as brisk walking, every day of the week (ACCUMULATED THROUGHOUT THE DAY, not all at one time).
The authors acknowledge potential flaws in their research. There is no control group, and subjects are self selected. The possibility exists of biological differences between these people and others who are having trouble maintaining weight loss.
Despite the drawbacks, the information they have uncovered is useful. The database is large enough to provide some pretty convincing evidence of what works for keeping weight off for a large number of people.
In a manner of speaking, water blocks out hunger more similar to ephedrine, the ingredient in weight loss pills which allows the subject to control her diet by suppresing the craving to eat. On the other hand, water works in a different way. Water does not suppress your appetite per se, instead, it satisfies your hunger , deceiving it to feel that it's already stuffedl. This is recognized to forget someone's urgent necessity to gobble something.
Water, in fact, is a key component in a popular 3-day diet plan circulating on the internet, where the person will be required to abstain from eating in a matter of 3 days, taking in nothing but water during that period. Water is supposed to provide the nutrients that the subject needs, in no less than 3 days included in the plan.
Moreover, water also balances the struggle for a regular pace of metabolism. Metabolism is the way to a helpful and manageable reduction of weight. in short, a an individual with an irregular pace of metabolism will shed a smaller amount of calories, and in effect, will acquire more flabs in his body . Someone who has a fast paced method of metabolism, on the other hand, is more capable to lose weight, and as a result, will retain fewer fats.
How does water affect the picture?
Metabolism is a function of the liver. The liver, however, is also assigned to purify the kidneys. Water purifies the kidneys. So with enough intake of water, there will be less pressure for the liver to perform its task and it can concentrate more on improving and maintaining the rate of the body's metabolism.
Water is also a good detoxifying substance. It assists in purifying the body of the contaminants that may have developed over time. Detoxification will lead to a healthier body that will bemore ready to engage in substantial actions that can help the person lose a lot of weight.
Both Dave Elger & Michael A. Mcgrath are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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