Pray It Off May 20, 2010 Meeting The Strategies For Lasting Weight Loss WITH VIDEO

The Strategies for Lasting Weight Loss by Alice Lesch Kelly

A surprising study cites what's critical for sticking with an exercise and diet plan to lose weight by Alice Lesch Kelly Freelance Health Journalist and Medical Writer (Shape Magazine)

"You're ready to launch your weight-loss program: You've joined a gym; stocked your kitchen with fruit and microwave popcorn; and cleaned the candy out of your desk drawers. But wait, before you start to become the trimmer new you, consider the compelling research that shows it pays to get your head in the right place first.

Weight-loss researchers are finding that people who lose weight and keep it off don't just alter the way they eat and exercise. They modify their minds too. "The difficulty with weight loss is you have to be committed to changing habits which are extremely ingrained," says Jane Ogden, Ph.D., a health psychologist at Guys Kings and St. Thomas' School of Medicine in London.

Ogden studied a group of women, one-third of whom had lost weight and maintained it for more than three years. She compared their habits to women who didn't lose weight and to women who'd lost and gained it back. She found that the women who can keep the weight off change not only the way they eat and exercise, but also the way they think about eating and exercising. By doing so, they're able to make a commitment to changing their ingrained behaviors. Weight-loss experts have pinpointed several important psychological factors that help women change their mind-sets. These factors may mean the difference between success and failure. Here are five attitudes to get you into a successful weight-loss frame of mind.

1. Believe you can lose.

Why this works: In her study, Ogden found that the women who believed their weight problems were caused by their own choices (such as what foods they ate and how much they exercised), rather than by metabolism or genetics, were more successful at losing pounds because they believed that they were in control of their weight -- and, therefore, believed they could lose weight.

Many people think they can't lose weight, either because of their "slow" metabolisms, their mothers' large thighs or because they've had trouble sticking with diets or exercise routines in the past. They're wrong. Maybe you'll never be considered svelte, but you can take off enough weight to feel better, look better and reduce your risk of disease.

"You have to believe that you will drop some weight and then begin that journey," says Pamela Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., assistant professor of medicine at the University of Maryland in Baltimore and author of Fight Fat Over Forty (Viking, 2000). Once you believe success is possible, Peeke says, you'll feel less intimidated by the challenges along the way.

Who it's worked for: Michelle Chapman, 37, of Portland, Ore., lost 35 pounds and has kept them off for three years. She's 5 feet 8 inches and now 145 pounds.

At 5-foot-8 and 180 pounds, Chapman grew frustrated with her weight. "I was a size 12for as long as I can remember. I was an athlete, playing team sports like basketball, volleyball, soccer, track and field. So I was in shape, but I was a big girl," she says. A divorce a few years ago led Chapman to think hard about herself, and she decided to make some changes. "I was tired of being unhappy with my weight and not doing anything about it," Chapman says. "I ate well -- I'm a vegetarian -- but I ate too much. I decided I wanted to be in control of what I put in my body." One of Chapman's transforming moments came when she was trying on clothes and had to wiggle into a size 14 for the first time in her life. "I thought to myself, this is ridiculous! I felt very much out of control, and I realized no one could change this but me. I believed that if I set some goals, I could eventually be the person I wanted to be."

Chapman educated herself about portion sizes, started working out with weights and on the elliptical trainer (in addition to playing her team sports) and lost 35 pounds, which she's kept off so successfully that her personal trainer suggested she contact a local modeling agency. She didn't think anything would come of it, but now she does print modeling for Nike, Columbia and other athletic-wear lines.

2. Seek support.

Why this works: Women who have a support group -- of family or friends or an organized gathering -- cheering them on are more successful with long-term weight loss. in one recent study, the men and women who participated in a structured weight-loss program that included weekly group support lost more weight and did a better job of keeping it off for two years than did people who lacked group support.

Years of fast-food lunches, takeout dinners and her grandmother's Italian cooking contributed to Collins' weight gain: She weighed 162 pounds in 1997. Determined to trim down for her wedding, and frustrated at her inability to lose weight on her own, Collins joined Weight Watchers and found that group support made the difference for her.

Who it's worked for: Tiffany Collins, 29, of Haverhill, Mass., lost 22 pounds and has succeeded in keeping the weight off for four years. She's 5 feet 2 inches and now 140 pounds.

"What helped was hearing other people's stories, and sharing recipes and menus and advice on what restaurants to go to," Collins says. "That kind of experience was excellent. I had a whole group of women cheering me on."

3. Look at healthy foods in a new light.

Why this works: In Ogden's study, the women who lost weight and kept it off were more likely to have permanently changed the way they view food; and they understood that their eating patterns would have to change. The women educated themselves about good nutrition and made a commitment to enjoying healthy, lower-fat foods. "They did that by focusing on the positive aspect of what they were eating -- trying to see healthier foods as desirable foods," Ogden says. The women also allowed themselves small portions of different desserts because, Ogden says, "lowfat, low-sugar diets are impossible to stick to." And they learned that denying themselves certain foods backfires. "If you say you're never going to eat chocolate again, instantly chocolate becomes the thing you crave," Ogden says. "No specific foods should become forbidden. You can still have them, but in smaller amounts."

Who it's worked for: Lisa Picciola, 34, of Orland Park, III., lost 20 pounds and has kept them of f for 12 years. She is 5 feet 8 inches and now weighs 159 pounds.
Originally, Picciola had dieted all the way down to 137 pounds -- without doing any exercise -- but she found she had to eat like a bird to keep herself at that weight. And she knew it was neither healthy nor possible to live like that forever. So Picciola started doing aerobic exercise (running, stair climber, elliptical trainer) and lifting weights. The byproduct of her new workout program was that she started thinking of food as fuel, and not an emotional crutch.

"I started looking at food differently," Picciola says. "It's just food. It's not my best friend. It's not going to make my problems go away. But it is fuel for my body." Now she eats a healthful diet: six daily mini-meals made up of such foods as oatmeal and fruit, turkey sandwiches, protein shakes, salads, chicken breast and vegetables. She still exercises regularly and feels better than ever. "I may be a couple of pounds heavier, but I'm stronger than I ever have been before," Picciola says.

4. Welcome the opportunity to exercise.

Why this works: The evidence is in: You're far more likely to get and stay slim if you accept that exercise needs to be an everyday part of your life. Information from the National Weight Control Registry, a national database of more than 2,000 people who have maintained an average weight loss of 60 pounds for five years, indicates that exercise is crucial both for losing and maintaining weight loss. "Subjects in the registry report engaging in about an hour a day of physical activity -- much more than is generally recommended to the general public to maintain health," says James O. Hill, Ph.D., director of the center for human nutrition at the University of Colorado and co-founder of the registry. (FYI: You need 30 minutes of activity a day to maintain good health.)

Who it's worked for: Christy Collinson, 30, of San Francisco lost 10 pounds and has kept them of f for three years. She 5 feet 7 inches and now weighs 135 pounds.

Collinson credits daily exercise for her success. She had always been a swimmer because it was a great way to reduce stress and maintain good health. She never thought she really needed to lose weight, but she just wanted her body to feel better, so she committed herself to more exercise. She added strength training and other forms of cardio -- and the pounds came off naturally. Her new workouts have become such a part of her life that today she still swims regularly, but also lifts weights, walks to work and explores her city on foot for three or four hours on the weekends. She says she exercises because she loves it and because it makes her feel good -- on most days, anyway. "Sometimes I don't feel like doing it, but then I remind myself that exercise really does make a difference," Collinson says. "When I exercise regularly, I can pay a lot less attention to what I eat, and I have so much more energy."

5. Concentrate on short-term goals (and avoid long-term ones.

Why this works: Studies conducted at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown that obese men and women who set a more modest goal of losing just 5-10 percent of their body weight are more likely to succeed than are those who set more extreme goals. This study has led researchers such as Thomas Wadden, Ph.D., director of the Weight and Eating Disorders Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, to recommend to his patients that when attempting to lose weight, they focus only on losing a small amount.

Long-term goals alone -- for instance, wanting to go down three dress sizes before bathing-suit season -- fail to motivate healthy behavior because they are too far away to inspire you to make smart choices dozens of times a day. "Short-term goals are doable, and long-term goals are a fantasy" Peeke says. Say you weigh 175 and want to trim down to 140. "If all you think about is 140, it minimizes the tremendous accomplishment of losing 2 pounds, because it's 'only' 2 pounds" Peeke says. Having small, achievable goals creates a positive feedback loop that nurtures your resolve.

Who it's worked for: Kristi Whisenant, 33, of Ormond Beach, Fla., lost 68 pounds and has kept them off for three years. She is 5 feet 6 inches and now weighs 134 pounds

Turning 30 jolted Whisenant into wanting to slim down her 202-pound body. She didn't succeed by fixating on pounds. Instead, she concentrated on two daily targets: Stick to her healthy eating plan and either walk or take a Spinning class. These two small and simple daily goals helped Whisenant shed the weight she wanted to lose. "If there were weeks when I didn't lose anything, I didn't beat myself up over it," Whisenant says. "I knew that I was still going to try to eat well and that I was still going to try to walk that day. That was what got me through it."