I'd like to share a study of women done in 1990 which appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition". This study looked at women who were able to keep weight off ("maintainers") and women who weren't ("relapsers"). The conclusion reads as follows:
"Maintainers made decisions to lose weight and then devised personal weight-loss plans to fit their lives. These plans usually included regular exercise or activity and a new eating style of reduced fat, reduced sugar, more fruits and vegetables, and much less food than previously eaten. Maintainers reported being patient, setting small goals that they could meet, and sticking to their personally devised weight-loss plans. Some used ideas from earlier weight-loss experiences, some used diets from books, but all persisted until new eating patterns were established...However, they did not completely restrict favorite foods and made efforts to avoid feelings of deprivation while changing food patterns.
In contrast, few relapsers (36%) had exercised to help lose weight. They had lost weight by taking appetite suppressants, fasting, or going on restrictive diets that they could not sustain. They took diet formulas and went to weight-control groups and programs many times. While dieting they did not permit themselves any of the special foods they enjoyed."
A great book to read about keeping off weight is "Thin for Life" by Anne Fletcher, Ph.D. She interviewed 160 'weight-loss masters' who have managed to keep off a minimum of 20 lbs for at least 3 years.
I'm also going to attach the study results to this message (or try to!)
Thought you all would find it interesting to say the least!
Followed book, magazine diet:
Relapsers - 25%; Maintainers - 10%
Total methods used:
Relapsers - 121; Maintainers - 28
--Susan Kayman, William Bruvold, and Judith S. Stern, "Maintenance and Relapse after Weight Loss in Women: Behavioral Aspects", American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 52 (November 1990).
Wow. That article was very sobering. I guess all of those quick fixes are just that. You lose quick and you gain quickly. It is a whole lifestyle change to maintain. We all hate hearing it but I guess it is the only way to go!
Looking at the statistics I notice that some of the groups don't seem to be fully identified. A large percentage of some groups are missing. For example in Weight Watchers 43% relapse and 10% maintain - does that mean the other 47% drop out before they even make goal?
Anyway, the numbers are comforting to me. I'm basically working on my own plan, taking things very slow and adding exercise. It's frustrating because the weight loss seems to take so long...but the point is the maintanence will last a long, long time as well.
What the percentages mean in my second post are what percent of each group used a certain method of weight loss. So the percentages for, say, "Attending Weight Watchers" means that 43% of the relapsers and 10% of the maintainers in the study group attended Weight Watchers as a method of weight loss.
Fascinating data...
I wonder, did they mean that only 10% of the successful maintainers had ever set foot in WW, or just that only 10% were actively following that program at the time they made it to their goal weight for good (whatever "for good" meant in this study). Those who "devised a personal eating plan" were probably influenced by prior participation in a variety of diet plans, programs, etc.
I also wonder how those numbers would differ now, over 10 years later, with the introduction of a completely different WW program?
I'm not a WW fanatic or anything, I'm just pointing out that the old program (which I know is just right for some people) was substantially more "restrictive" than the current program (which I am fully aware is not effective for some people). I'd hazard a guess that a higher prevalence of WW participation would be found among successful maintainers today. It is now SO unstructured as to almost require that each person "devise a personal eating plan." (HEY...maybe they read this article???)
Tried to attach the results...
