3 Rules Of Successful Weight Loss

Researchers in study found keeping a food journal, not skipping meals, and avoiding eating in restaurants helped weight loss goals.

A recent study has found that three habits helped weight loss and contributed to sustained weight control.

123 participants between the ages of 50 and 75 were involved in the study.  During the year-long period of the study participants lost, on average, 10 per cent of their body weight.

Researchers found 3 keys to successful weight loss:

I. Women who kept diligent food logs lost six pounds more than those who did not keep a food journal.  "We found that the better women in our study were at consistently writing down everything they ate and drank, the more weight they were able to keep lose," Lead researcher Dr. Anne McTiernan of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle said.

II. Participants who consistently ate three meals a day lost almost eight pounds more, compared to those who skipped meals.  People who skip meals tend to be hungrier and have a tendency to overeat by the next meal.

III. Eating lunch at home contributed to greater weight loss.  Women who ate lunch outside their home at least once a week lost five fewer pounds on average, compared to those who ate out less often. Researchers found that the more meals women ate out, specifically lunches, the less weight women lost.

"I think the real key is knowing how many calories you're getting, and controlling the amount. That is very difficult to do in restaurants where you can't always tell how many calories are in your meal," McTiernan said.

Researchers said that the results can be applied to the general population and are likely not limited to overweight postmenopausal women.

In conclusion, keeping a food journal, not skipping meals, and avoiding eating in restaurants help weight loss goals.