Long Term Weight Loss - Fact or Myth?

You commit yourself to shed weight, and you sweat, and you eat smarter, and in the end, that unwanted belly fat is gone! But, how easy is it to uphold your hard-won success?

A recent study shows that persons who lose weight and want to keep it off might benefit from talking at least once a month with a fitness/nutrition expert to help them stay on course.

In a test of three systems that might help people maintain weight loss, those who got monthly personal counseling were best at keeping off extra pounds. Overall, 42 percent of the study members maintained at least a 9-pound weight loss for thirty months. This experiment is the longest and largest to test approaches for long-term weight loss maintenance, and it implies that long-term weight management is an attainable goal.

The US is in the center of an obesity scare, one that indicates serious future health consequences. Obesity is the foremost cause of high blood pressure, diabetes and abnormal cholesterol, which are in turn the foremost factors of cardiovascular disease and death in this country.

The 36-six month study comprised of 18-25 members; trained counselors stressed three key issues to weight loss: consuming fewer calories, boosting fair to middling physical activity, and digesting a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grain/high fiber foods and fat-free dairy products.

Researchers randomly assigned the volunteers to one of three groups:

•Personal contact - Participants talked with an interventionist monthly, (nine times by telephone and three times face-to-face each year) who provided personal guidance and motivation.

•Interactive technology - Study members had access to an interactive website on which they could record and track their exercise routine and calorie consumption; set goals and monitor their progress toward them.

•Self-directed - Volunteers were urged to maintain their weight loss and then sent off without further intervention.

Overall, 71 percent weighed less than when they began.

The research results also showed that even when volunteers did not necessarily lose an enormous amount of weight, even lesser amounts had potential health benefits.