START THE DAY RIGHT
That first meal of the day is key
for maintaining weight loss,
with 78 per cent of registry
participants eating breakfast
every day. Just four per cent of
the registry participants never
ate breakfast.
Numerous other studies have
shown the benefits of eating
breakfast for successful weight
loss and maintenance. Having
a healthy morning meal boosts
fibre intake from fruits and
wholegrains, it keeps your
blood sugars steady and reduces
mid-morning hunger pangs.
And now, with more choice
than ever before, WW members
can always find a tasty and
filling meal option to give their
day a healthy kickstart.
“The New WW Your Way+
program guides members
toward a healthier eating
pattern with a wide range
of zero Points foods.
“Everything is still on the
menu, but we’ve made it
even easier to make healthy
choices,” says Dr Michelle
Celander, Ph.D., Director of
Program and Content, Weight
Watchers Australasia.REGULAR WEIGH -INS
Once you’ve reached Goal, stay
friends with your scales.
Research shows those who
maintain regular weigh-ins
either don’t gain weight, or lose
more weight than those who go
scale-free. A US study of 91
overweight people found those
who used daily weighing as the
main focus of a self-monitoring
strategy lost more weight than
those not weighing daily.
A two-year Cornell
University study also found that
frequent self-weighing and
then tracking results on a chart
was an effective way to both
lose weight and keep it off,
especially for men.
“You just need a bathroom
scale and an Excel spreadsheet,
or even a piece of graph paper,”More than 10,000 people
who have succeeded in
maintaining weight loss
over the years have a few
common traits.The US National Weight
Control Registry (NWCR)
tracks the habits of those
who have successfully
maintained weight loss.
Established in 1994, the
NWCR records the nutrition
and activity details of over
10,000 people, mostly
female and aged in their
mid-40s, who have lost
weight and kept it off.
To be included in the
study, participants needed
to have lost a minimum
13.6kg and kept it off for
at least a year. But the
average person in the
study has lost 30kg and
kept it off for more than
five years. Most report
continuing to maintain a
low-kilojoule, low-fat diet
and doing high levels of
activity. In addition:- 78% eat breakfast
every day. - 75% weigh themselves
at least once a week. - 62% watch less than
10 hours of TV per week. - 90% exercise, on
average, about an hour
per day.
CHEAT SHEET
says senior study author and
Cornell University professor
David Levitsky.
“We think the scale also acts
as a priming mechanism,
making you conscious of food
and enabling you to make
choices that are consistent with
your weight.”
And those on the registry are
also vigilant weight checkers,
with 75 per cent weighing
themselves at least once a week.MOVE IT!
To keep the kilos off, be
prepared to keep your walking
shoes on. Maintaining a high
level of physical activity was
a key behaviour shown by those
who kept weight off.
One study based on the data
showed that participants
exercised an average of an hour
a day, most commonly walking,
followed by weight lifting,
cycling and aerobics.
As well as scheduling time
for regular activity, try to
incorporate incidental exercise
into your everyday routine.
“Walking home from work
or taking public transport is
a great way to get some extra
steps into your day,” says WW
Program and Nutrition Manager
Nour Nazha.TEAMWORK
At many WW meetings you’ll
find at-Goal lifetime members
who continue to attend, saying
it keeps them updated and
accountable. Now new research
backs up how important it is to
have a support team behind
your maintenance efforts.
A recent study of 288 people
who were obese found that after
losing weight, those given support
were less likely to regain it after
one year than those given no
follow-up. In addition, the study
found those who received no
further advice gained more
weight a year on than those who
received maintenance advice.
The takeaway? Stick with the
program – it works! #weightwatchers.com/au 25HEALTHY HABITS
Words
Carmel Sparke
Photography
Getty Images