Secrets To Success - Keeping Weight Off

Have you ever wondered what the secret to success might be, for people who have lost weight and have been able to keep it off?

While the answer to this question will be different for each individual, the American National Weight Control Registry was established in 1994 to try to identify behaviors associated with long term weight loss success.   It is the largest prospective observational study of weight maintenance out there, and includes individuals who have maintained a weight loss of at least 30 lbs for at least 1 year.

Some interesting facts about NWCR members:

• 80% are women, 20% men
• average age is 45-50 years
• 45% lost weight on their own, and 55% with a program

Here are the winning patterns of NWCR members:

• 98% modify their food intake in some permanent way: portion control, low fat diet
• 90% exercise at least 1 hour per day, burning at least 400 calories per session
• 78% eat breakfast every day
• 75% weigh themselves once a week
• 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week
• average daily calorie intake for women = 1306 cal
• average daily calorie intake for men = 1685 cal

While the causes and contributors to excess weight, and the challenges in maintaining weight loss are different from person to person, it would be worthwhile to consider these permanent habits to improve the likelihood of long term weight management success!

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