Keeping The Weight Off Is Only Half The Battle

With the way that the media portrays the image of beauty as being thin and lean it is no wonder why many Americans are jumping on the diet bandwagon to shed a few pounds.  Although many may want a quick fix, fad dieting is not the way to do it because most likely just as fast as you lose the weight you will gain it right back. So now it seems the push for dieting is more so eating right, exercising, adding whole grains to your diet and so on, in an effort to lose the weight safely and efficiently. Though eating right and working out does take commitment and dedication, a recent study done by the National Weight Registry suggest that keeping the weight off is as much as a challenge as losing it.

A survey of approximately 3,000 participants show that the average weight they started at was around 224 pounds, with an average weight loss of about 69 pounds, and had maintained an average 51 pound loss over a ten year span. While many of these women were motivated by health concerns to keep the weight off, Professor Grahm Thomas at Brown University states, “"They built healthy habits and routines and made them a part of their everyday lifestyle. That makes it feel like less effort than it did at first."

As college students I can only imagine that we are all looking to get fit for the upcoming spring break, and although fad dieting may be a quick fix summer is right around the corner. So if you’re really serious about shedding a few pounds and keeping it off do remember that losing weight is not about dieting, but it is a complete lifestyle change. Some tips to help keep the weight off include:

•       Count calories, carbs or fat grams or use a commercial weight-loss program to track food intake.

•            Eat breakfast regularly, often including whole grains

•            Limit dining out to an average of three times a week

For more tips click the link!

Tylesha Perkins