Lose Weight AND Keep It Off?

By Unite Fitness Retreat, Brooke Bouwhuis, RDN

Billions of dollars are spent each year on the latest greatest cleverly marketed products touted to help people lose weight.  Diets that come in and out of favor along with their books, specialty food products and gadgets that end up being empty promises until the next nifty solution comes along.

What really works?

What does the science actually say about what REALLY helps people lose weight and keep it off?

The National Weight Control Registry gives us just that – how have people lost weight and keep it off.  The National Weight Control Registry was organized in 1994 and is the largest prospective study of long-term successful weight loss maintenance.  The registry tracks over 10,000 people who have lost a significant amount of weight and have kept it off.

People in real life who have lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off is absolutely being done!  This group of people has lost an average of 66 pounds and has kept it off for over 5 ½ years!

What on earth did they do? This is a really big deal to lose that much weight and keep it off!

Here are a few facts about what this group of people are all about.  80% are women, leaving 20% men, even though the average member has lost 66 pounds and kept it off for 5 ½ years, weight loss ranges from 30-300 pounds, some have lost it rapidly while others have taken up to 14 years to lose the weight.

• 45% of people lost weight on their own while the remaining 55% follow some type of program
• 98% of participants modify their food intake in some way to lose weight
• 94% increase physical activity and the most common exercise in walking

Behavior modification is what keeps participants from regaining the weight.  Changes such as:

• 78% eating breakfast every day
• 75% weigh themselves at least once per week
• 62% watch less than 10 hours of tv per week
• 90% exercise on average about 1 hour per day

“One size fits all” is not a strategy.  Weight loss can and does happen and people keep it off.

Two thirds of all people who go on a diet regain more weight that what they lost.  At Unite Fitness Retreat we spend a lot of time talking about what works for you and your specific needs.  We have clients who thrive following a paleo/Whole 30 plan; others who feel very strongly about being vegan while some feel their best eating keto.

The last thing we want for you is to have you in a temporary pattern of weight loss and then regain.  We work hard to get your feet on the ground, fill you with information about different types of eating patterns and resources to help with tough real challenges like emotional eating and sugar addiction.

We help you find a strategy and the confidence to take the steps to help you achieve your goals!  Ask us how we can customize your fitness and nutrition experience at Unite and make lasting changes to your health.