What is the best strategy for maintaining a healthy body weight and composition for the long run?

By: Ashley Smith

Many of us have struggled to reach our personal fitness goals only to find ourselves back at the starting line a short time later. Those frustrating pounds of excess fat are stubbornly resilient. It seems for every one you fight away, another takes it’s spot, strangely similar to dandelions in the spring. A cycle of dieting and exercise gives way to ‘regain’, forming a succession eternal as the tide. At this point many feel that it is impossible to ever maintain lasting results; further suggesting that women like Megan Fox are not from this planet. However all is not lost, and after completing some research it is evident that you can experience sustained health and fitness by following some simple strategies.

In the article, Promoting long-term weight control: Does consistency matter? , a research study was conducted on members of the Nation Weight Control Registry, in an effort to identify what works. Surprisingly researchers found that participants who were able to maintain stable, long-term results all shared a commonality, the secret weapon of consistency. In fact, those who stayed on a consistent ‘diet’ all year around were 1.5 times more likely to keep their body weight within 5 pounds over the subsequent year. Conversely, those who only dieted strictly on weekdays gained significant amounts of weight each year. This was an interesting statistics because getting off track over the weekend can hinder your weight loss. Keeping a consistent diet appears to be a behavior strategy we all need to practice.

The participants that participated in the study lost at least 30 pounds, and maintained it for at least one year. Some other interesting facts about the participants:

98% of the registry members had to modify their food intake to lose weight
94% increased their physical activity
78% ate breakfast
75% weighed at least once a week
90% exercised on average, one hour per day
On average members lost 66lbs and kept it off 5.5 years

The take home message:
STAY CONSISTENT: Approach this as a lifestyle change, so you don’t end up yo-yo dieting!
STAY POSITIVE: Recognize your small achievements, they will add up to a BIG success.
WILLPOWER: Don’t give up!
KEEP IT FUN: Find recipes that are new, flavorful and interesting. We have a recipe link for clients on the Foley Performance webpage.
KEEP IT HEALTHY: Try to make healthier versions to some of your favorite recipes.