Successful “Dieting” is All About Attitude (and Self-Monitoring)

If weight-loss is one of your goals and you’ve struggled to achieve lasting results, you’re not alone. That’ doesn’t mean it’s time to give up – according to a recent article on Competitor.com it’s time for an attitude change.

Competitor recently took a look at a number of the people on the National Weight Control Registry, a database of men and women who lost at least 30 pounds and maintained it at least a year, and discovered what they had in common.

Here’s a hint – it’s not a specific kind of diet. Low fat, low carb, vegetarian, Weight Watchers – some work for some, some fail for some, some work for some, another for others.

“Another interesting characteristic of NWCR members is that the vast majority of them failed with weight-loss diets a few times before finally succeeding. The combination of these two characteristics—variety in successful diet approaches and failures preceding success—suggests that different ways of losing weight work best for different people. A certain amount of trial and error is required to find a system that’s a good match for one’s individual needs, preferences, personality, and lifestyle.

So if the diet itself doesn’t matter, what does? After exercise, the behavior that is most powerfully associated with successful weight-loss maintenance among NWCR members is self-monitoring.

Most NWCR members count calories or at least track their food intake. This can be done informally, as in aiming for a quota of five fruit and vegetable servings daily or limiting oneself to one sweet per day. But, one way or another, these folks are paying attention to, and quantifying, their intake. And almost all of them are weighing themselves at least once a week and as often as daily.“

Read more at http://running.competitor.com/2014/06/nutrition/want-to-lose-weight-then-get-serious_24583#ABRaG15XLtS1C30i.99

Do you have a weight-loss success story? Tell us in the comments or e-mail Sharon.Sellers@RockCreekSportsClub.com