We continue our five part series where we talk about the five biggest conclusions of the National Weight Control Registry’s research.

5 Proven Behaviors for Long Term Weight Management:

1. Follow a low-fat diet
2. Record keep
3. Monitor weight frequently
4. Eat breakfast daily
5. Exercise

Exercise

One of the most important factors in weight maintenance is exercise.  90% of the National Weight Control Registry members participate in 60-75 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week (on average).  Over half of these people walk.  For weight loss, we recommend doing at least 30 minutes of some kind of cardio activity 4-5 times per week (brisk walking is great!) and doing strength training for 20 minutes 2-3 times per week (to maintain muscle mass).  Exercise is a very important component of weight loss and maintenance.  If you can work your way up to 60 minutes per day then that is excellent.  If not, just do the best you can.  Plus it doesn’t have to happen all at once.  Even exercising in 10-minute increments 3 or more  times per day does the trick.  Be realistic about how much exercise you can do in a day.  Don’t make unattainable goals since you will only end up feeling bad about it.  If you don’t currently exercise, start off walking 15 minutes 5 times a week and slowly work your way up.  Exercise is not only a vital part of healthy weight loss and maintenance but it helps maintain bone density, enhances immunity, lowers risk of some cancers and type 2 diabetes, increases lung and circulation function, lowers incidence of anxiety and depression, enhances self-image and quality of life.  So, just do it!  We know you can.

References

Gorman, Kim.  “Strategies to Consider in the Maintenance of Intentional Weight Loss.”  Weight Management Newsletter 5.4 (2008): 1-5

National Weight Control Registry: http://www.nwcr.ws/

My plan included two coach calls a month.  I normally do not like talking to others about my weight challenges but decided to put my personal feelings aside and give them a chance. The coaches are wonderful!  They are truly encouraging and are there to help you through so many of the challenges you might face while trying to lose weight.  I consider each one a friend and they truly have my best interest at heart.  Now I can’t wait to talk to them and tell them of my progress!

After only 9 weeks on the plan, I lost almost 20 pounds.  I survived the holidays by remembering everything they taught me about eating and maintained my weight.  I did not gain anything back!  I am currently at a 22-pound weight loss and have another 10 pounds to go to reach my goal.  I know I will reach it in just a few more months.

This diet again is not just a diet, it teaches you a new way of living. It teaches you the right way to eat.  I am no longer on a life long diet. I am just eating properly now and boy, does that feel good!

I was lucky enough to be chosen to participate in a weight loss challenge sponsored by Nutrition for You.  I cannot say enough good things about the program and the people working for them.  I lost 21 lbs. in 8.5 weeks, and learned a tremendous amount about how to eat.

One of the big differences for me was the telephone coaching that I received.  While it was great to be able to see what I was eating as it was calculated online, it was having the discussions with the nutrition coaches that really helped me through some of the more difficult times.  They gave me some great suggestions that have really helped me to sustain the weight loss and set some good habits for the future.  I followed everything they suggested as closely as I could (even when I didn’t want to) but it has made a huge difference.

One of the key learnings for me was that I needed to increase my protein intake.  As a vegetarian, that was a bit more difficult, but I’ve found ways and incorporated them into my life.

Ever since completing the Challenge, the toughest thing to keep up with is my ‘craving food’, which for me is cookies. In talking with many of the other participants, I’ve noticed that everyone has their own craving food, whether it’s alcohol, fried foods, or something else. You just have to know that that is the one that speaks to you most, and you are most likely to overdo it. I’ve learned to understand that, and give myself an indulgence once in a while, but not keep those foods around to tempt me.

Nutrition for You has launched its 2010 New Year’s Weight Loss Challenge.  To learn more and sign up today check out the following link.

http://www.nutritionforyou.com/nutrition-for-you/learnmore/weight-loss-challenge.aspx

Fifteen years ago I lost over 45 lbs while on a liquid diet under the supervision of my doctor. Within 6 months, half of that weight was back on. Within 5 years it all caught up with me. So over the past ten years or so, I’ve been fighting (and losing) the “battle of the bulge” to take the weight back off. I tried numerous “fad” diets or specialty diets to try and lose weight including Atkins, the Zone, and South Beach. While most diets led me to some level of success, I was never able to realize my long term weight goals. As soon as I moved “off” the diet, the weight found me again.

In any case, it became apparent to me that each of the previous “diets” was just a specific set of food I ate in order to lose weight. Most of the diets taught me how to lose weight; only a few helped teach me how to eat healthy to keep the weight off. In any case, none of them really focused on the combination of healthy eating, practical eating (given my busy lifestyle), feedback loops (where I could easily monitor my goals and correct behavior where required), and exercise. I can’t speak for everyone, but in my case all of these pieces were necessary for me to meet my goals.

In March 2009, I happened across an advertisement for a weight loss challenge on one of the email lists I monitor. The article caught my eye, so I clicked through the link to the web site of Nutrition for You. Once on the website, I started searching for the small print and cautiously explored for the “gimmick”. I wasn’t able to find one. When I realized that this site wouldn’t try and sell me special food and wouldn’t try to lure me into an expensive ongoing contract, I was interested. After reading the details of the weight loss challenge, a 12 week plan that was as much about lifestyle education as it was losing weight, well that was good enough for me.

In the end, the training, information, sample menus, tracking, and personal consultation provided by Nutrition for You helped me to successfully reach my goal of losing 28.5 lbs in the 12 weeks. Better yet, I feel that I finally received an A+ education in not just the ‘what’ to eat, but also the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of eating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The tracking of habits on the website, both eating and exercise, have really made me aware that I was probably never honest enough with myself with regards to how much I actually ate and how little I actually exercised.

The completion of my weight loss challenge didn’t mark a destination for me; it marked the beginning of a new journey, hopefully down the path of healthy habits, exercise and weight maintenance. In fact, I’m still losing weight at the moment. Only time will tell if I succeed for the long term, but I am much more optimistic than I ever have been in the past!

Nutrition for You has launched its 2010 New Year’s Weight Loss Challenge.  To learn more and sign up today check out the following link.

http://www.nutritionforyou.com/nutrition-for-you/learnmore/weight-loss-challenge.aspx

And congratulations to Grace, Edgar and Bob for being the top three finishers.

Winning the Challenge is not only about losing the most weight but about being successful on all of the following factors that, we believe, will help keep your weight off for the long-term.

• Percent Body Weight Loss
• Record Keeping
• Eating Breakfast
• Exercise
• Monitoring Weight
• Low-fat Diet
• Sportsmanship

Stay tuned for announcements about our bigger and better New Year’s Weight Loss Challenge that will start January 19th and will run through April 12th.

It is a great time to add expert nutrition to help you lose weight and learn how to keep it off permanently. Join the Nutrition for You Fall Weight Loss Challenge. Nearly 100% of the participants that finish our Challenge lose weight. One, 5, 10, 20 or even more pounds can be lost. Our safe, reliable, gimmick-free weight loss program is customized to your specific needs with an initial goal of losing a safe 1.5 pounds per week.

The weight-loss challenge will run from September 14th to December 6th. You have until September 14th to enter the Weight Loss Challenge.

This Weight Loss Challenge is for you.  So go ahead and prioritize yourself.

Click here for full details or to register for the Weight Loss Challenge.

Read what some of our past participants say about our Weight Loss Challenge.

“In the end, the training, information, sample menus, tracking, and personal consultation provided by Nutrition for You helped me to successfully reach my goal of losing 28.5 lbs in the 12 weeks.  Better yet, I feel that I finally received an A+ education in not just the ‘what’ to eat, but also the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of eating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  The tracking of habits on the website (both eating and exercise) have really made me aware that I was probably never honest enough with myself with regards to how much I actually ate and how little I actually exercised… Ed”

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“Nutrition for You has been a life-changing event for me.  I have tried just about every other diet on the market… in fact; I feel I have been on a diet all my life!  Nutrition for You has been the only plan that not only helped me lose the weight but taught me how to eat properly for the rest of my life.  The plan, the staff, and the coaches at Nu4you truly are wonderful!  It has really worked for me.  This is not just a diet… it teaches you a new way of living. I no longer feel like I am on that life long diet… I am just eating correctly and boy, does that feel good!”

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“To everyone who made the Weight Loss Challenge happen including people I have missed (Manuel for sure), I just wanted to express my profound gratitude for making it happen and allowing me to be a part of everything. It really has been a life-changing experience for me as I had hoped and as with all life-changing experiences, it’s not something I could have predicted or done myself.”

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“Well I have to say that it is a little sad to have the challenge ending this week……I feel so good and empowered by this process……All my clothes fit well ( even the skinny jeans relegated to the very back of my closet for two years)…..I am really glad my friend [name removed] encouraged me to do it.That said we are both interested in continuing with the self monitoring software  and nu4you for 3 more months.Both of us have Shannon as our coach and she thinks we are well suited to continue logging without the coaching.Hopefully you can help us get set up.Thank you so much for everything.I am really happy to have grasped nutrition finally and hope this continues for my life……Eileen”

Today kick’s off the first day of the Weight Loss Challenge at Nutrition for You.  For the next 12 weeks participants will be learning about nutrition and competing not only against each others but against themselves to see who can win the Challenge.

Participants will challenge themselves to excel in more than just weight loss, but in a number of important areas for long term health:

1. Percent Body Weight Loss
2. Record Keeping
3. Eating Breakfast
4. Exercise
5. Monitoring Weight
6. Low-fat Diet
7. Sportsmanship

We actually have two Challenges underway.  After a very successful fall challenge community site RealJock is sponsoring a group of 25 participants to see who in their community can come out on top.  The larger Nutrition for You challenge is running side by side.

Good luck everyone!

Nutrition for You invites you to join the 2009 New Year’s Weight Loss Challenge.

New Year’s is upon us and many of us make the same old resolution each year to lose weight. Don’t just resolve to eating only salad, eliminating carbs, or going to the gym 4 hours a day. Instead we would like you to try something new for you. No more empty New Year’s Resolutions. Proper nutrition is what you need to lose the weight for good.

Learn more or Register for the Challenge.

It’s my pleasure to announce the winners of the RealJock Nutrition for You Fall Weight Loss Challenge.  Everyone in this challenge has been absolutely fantastic.  Remember that our scoring system focuses on more than your weight loss percentage, but on all of the following factors that will help you keep your weight off for the long-term!

• Percent Body Weight Loss
• Record Keeping
• Eating Breakfast
• Exercise
• Monitoring Weight
• Low-fat Diet
• Sportsmanship

Thank you to everyone for participating in the Challenge, and we hope that you will keep up with your nutrition goals, and tell your friends about Nutrition for You.

First Place

Matt45710 Total Score: 97.2

Matt45710 lost 21 lbs an excellent 11.4% of his original body weight during the challenge.    Although this wasn’t the highest percentage weight loss accomplished by TigerFrank with 30 lbs and 13.5% Matt45710 excelled across the board in all of our critical numbers!

Congratulations Matt45710 you win a Polar F6 heart rate monitor and a hand held body fat tester!

Second Place

Ctocity Total Score 93.8

Ctocity lost 16.6 lbs an excellent 8.6% of his original body weight.  The second place spot was a very close contest between ctocity score 93.8, jkw69 score 93.4  and thegaytekeeper  score 93.2.  We spent a lot of time checking and re-checking the numbers for these 3 because the scores were so close.

Congratulations to ctocity who will win a Polar F6 heart rate monitor!

Fantastic Results

As we finished the challenge we had 23 out of the original 33 contestants finish the challenge.

Really great statistics for the 23 finishers of the Challenge

100% of the Finishers lost weight.
Group Starting Weight: 5,319
Group Ending Weight:  5,007
Pounds Lost: 312 during the challenge (or 1,092,000 calories!)
Average Weight Loss Per Person: 13.6 pounds
Average Weight Loss Per Person Per Week: 1.5 pounds
The largest weight loss: 30 pounds
The least weight loss: 5 pounds
Contest Length: 9 weeks