Winners at Weight Loss

I have recently met 3 women I am calling winners at weight loss. I have gleaned some useful tips from them which I thought you might like to know.

One woman lost 70 pounds during COVID-19, while the rest of us were gaining. She had been at her doctor’s office, and was told that she was pre-diabetic. This inspired her to begin a rigorous weight loss program, which included limiting herself to just 15 grams of sugar per day. (Current FDA recommendations call for no more than 50 grams of added sugars in a 2000 calorie per day diet.) She also began walking, and eventually worked her way up to 7 miles of walking per day. She followed this routine most days of the week, and she eventually lost the weight.

A woman I met in my doctor’s office lost 50 pounds. She attributes her weight loss to a significant reduction in carbs and sugars. She says it was very difficult for her to do this, because she is Italian and she loves pasta. She also attributes her weight loss to another radical change in eating behavior: She says, “You’re going to think I’m crazy, but sometimes when I am craving something, I take just one bite of it; and sometimes I might even spit that out. Because, after all, it’s the taste of the food you are craving. Once I have that taste, that’s all I need.” What’s more, she buys candy or sweets and gives all or most of it away, substituting the satisfaction of giving others happiness for the satisfaction of eating it herself.

The two women above went it alone in their weight loss efforts, not feeling the need for support from outside weight loss programs, specialty diets, or supervision of any sort. Both of these women lost their weight in the last year or so, but it is too early to say if they can maintain their weight loss over time. Believe me when I say I am envisioning the very best for them. Unfortunately, statistics show that 90% of all those who lose weight gain most or all of it back.

A third woman I have spoken with, lost 55 pounds many years ago. After her initial loss, she had to continue working with diet and exercise to keep it off, but has been successful in keeping most of it off. She lost the weight by joining the Weight Watchers program (now called WW International), attending weekly meetings, using their app in more recent years, and continuing to exercise. She is a strong proponent of this program, which uses a point system and rewards to apply to food intake and exercise. She has very much enjoyed the support of the meetings, and sees the point system as a sort of game she can play with herself. She has continued to use this program over the years to help her maintain a healthy weight. As of today, she has kept 46 of the 55 pounds off.

The down side of WW is that it is not free, at least not while you are losing the weight. They do have free resources for those who meet and stay at or close to their goal weights, but it can mean a long-term commitment to a monthly fee for the majority of us. More about WW International in a future blog.

The point is, it is certainly possible to lose weight, and if it is done as a part of a life-time commitment, it is possible to keep a significant amount of it off. The biggest winners in my little study all used a combination of diet and exercise. Ask, and your doctor will tell you: The payoffs of this combination of diet and exercise include weight loss as well as a healthier, stronger body.