Weight loss tips
from Consumer Reports magazine

Looking for weight loss tips that have worked for thousands of people? The February 2009 issue of Consumer Reports magazine includes results of their survey of 21,000 readers, which studied the habits of people who've always been thin or have lost at least 10 percent of their weight and kept it off three years or more (called successful losers).

6 Key Weight Loss Tips

• Observe portion control at every meal

• Eat whole grains, not refined grains
• Less than one-third of calories eaten each day come from fat
• Eat fruit and vegetables at least five times a day
• Exercise vigorously at least 4 days a week
• Strength train at least once a week

Project researchers found that survey respondents who have always been thin (16 percent of the sample) had similar habits to survey respondents who were successful losers (15 percent of the sample). An encouraging note: more than half of successful losers said they shed the pounds on their own, without buying a diet program, book, medical treatment or pills. Another category of survey respondent was failed dieter, classified as an overweight individual who has tried to lose pounds but still weighed at or near their lifetime heaviest (42 percent of sample).

Below is a look at the daily weight loss habits of the three groups.

Weight loss tip #1: Observe Portion Control at Every meal

• Always thin - 57% did this
• Successful loser - 62% did this
• Failed dieter - 42% did this

Tip #2: Eat whole grains, not refined grains

• Always thin - 56% did this
• Successful loser - 61% did this
• Failed dieter - 49% did this

Tip #3: Less than one-third of calories eaten each day come from fat

• Always thin - 47%
• Successful loser - 53%
• Failed dieter - 35%

Weight Loss Tip #4: Eat fruit and vegetables at least five times a day

• Always thin - 49%
• Successful loser - 49%
• Failed dieter - 38%

Tip #5: Exercise vigorously at least 4 days a week

• Always thin - 36%
• Successful loser - 41%
• Failed dieter - 27%

Tip #6: Strength train at least once a week

• Always thin - 31%
• Successful loser - 32%
• Failed dieter - 23%

The popular dieting activity of counting calories was not found to be statistically linked with a healthy BMI in the Consumer Reports survey. Here's what the data said about calorie counting.
Counting calories

• Always thin - 9%
• Successful loser - 17%
• Failed dieter - 9%

Another weight loss strategy that didn't make the Consumer Reports list is going low carb. It turned out that limiting carbohydrate intake was linked to HIGHER BMI in their study.

Other weight loss suggestions offered in the Consumer Reports magazine included eating at home and being active. The more days a week survey respondents reported that they ate dinner at a restaurant or ate take-out food, the more they weighed. While a regular exercise regimen with rigorous exercise was strongly correlated with healthy BMI, researchers found that any physical exercise was helpful, including everyday activites such as housework, yard work or playing with kids.

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