You Know How to Create a Dieting Success

You never told me what to do even though I thought I wanted you to.

A recovered bulimic’s response when asked by psychologists what helped her most during the course of therapy for low self-esteem, as reported by Pryor Baird and Judith R. Sights.

Will You Be Overweight in 10 Years? A study presented in the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter posed this question to 700 healthy, normal weight women 12 years ago.

After reviewing the eating patterns of these women, researchers found that women identified as “empty calorie” eaters were the most likely to become overweight, with a 41 percent risk. The diets of “empty calorie” eaters consisted of sugary drinks, fatty sweets like chocolates and cookies, and snack foods such as chips and salted nuts.

Research studies and groups such as the National Weight Control Registry reveal that women who have their own weight programs are more likely to lose weight than women who follow organized diet programs.

Here are some of the dieting strategies that members of Harvard’s National Weight Control Registry use to lose weight:

- 89% modified both dietary intake and physical activity and weighed themselves frequently.

- 88% limited certain types of foods, 44% reduced portion size, and 44% counted calories. The majority also made sure they ate breakfast.

To maintain weight loss

- 92% limited certain foods, 49% limited the percentage of calories from fat, 36% counted calories, and 30% counted fat grams.

- The average macronutrient balance of successful dieters was 24% fat, 56% carbohydrates, and 19% protein.