Looking at the Role of Behavior in Successful Weight Loss

From a scientific point of view, at least, weight loss is a simple proposition. If you take in fewer calories than you expend in exercise and other daily activities, weight loss will result. It's simple physics, these rational types will argue.

"Easier said than done," say the millions of obese and overweight men, women, and children who have fought the good fight against their expanding waistlines -- and lost. Although the physical act of losing weight may be as simple as eating less and exercising more, we all have very strong social, mental, emotional, and cultural associations that make the process of implementing significant and lasting changes in our eating patterns extremely difficult.

To those who have engaged in extended battles with excess weight, it should come as no surprise that scientists are now documenting the ways that human behavior can impact weight loss. A number of recent studies have sought to identify and analyze the behavior patterns of those people whose diet efforts have succeeded. This week, we'll take a look at the findings that have emerged as researchers seek to better understand the role of behavior in weight loss.

New Model of 'Eating Competence' May Help Weight Loss Efforts

For decades, dieters have been force-fed a view of food that is unhealthy, according to researcher Barbara Lohse, associate professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State. People trying to lose weight have been encouraged to wallow in a sense of food deprivation. Many popular diets counsel their followers to think of food as fuel, rather than a source of pleasure.

However, this view of food may prove to be unhealthy in the long-term, spurring binges, cyclic weight gain, and yo-yo dieting, none of which are consistent with optimal health and weight management. The research team led by Dr. Lohse recently directed a study that sought to determine whether a more well-rounded view of eating and food would help or hinder study participants' weight loss efforts.

According to the study, food competence is defined as having positive, flexible, and comfortable eating habits. People with food competence are confident in their ability to choose nutritional foods, to eat when, what, and how much they want to, and to approach their food with discipline and self-control.

The study demonstrated that those who scored higher on the food competence scale were less likely to be overweight, have high cholesterol, or to be at high risk for heart disease. Highly food-competent individuals were also more likely to have a more nutritionally-balanced pattern of food consumption.

The researchers concluded that the food competence model should be considered as a replacement for the deprivation-based "food is fuel" model that is now commonly pushed by many popular diets.

Researchers Analyze the Behaviors of Successful Dieters

Statistics say that major weight loss is often impossible to achieve and maintain, but there is a small group of elite dieters out there who have beaten the odds and gone on to lose a hundred pounds or more. A study conducted by a team at the College of Medicine Metabolic Research Group recently sought to pinpoint and analyze the behavioral techniques of these superstar dieters.

According to the findings of the study, the first twelve weeks of any weight loss effort usually determine the success of the long-term outcome. If a dieter can stick to an intensive, highly restrictive diet regimen for twelve weeks, they will exponentially increase their chances of going on to lose all of their excess weight.

In the long-term, most of the successful dieters reported that improved quality of life post-weight loss provided the motivation they needed to maintain their dietary changes. The researchers concluded that supervised intervention during the first phase of a major weight loss effort may increase the chances of success.

The Behavioral Components of Successful Weight Loss are Unique, Study Says

There is a widespread belief that overweight people can shed excess pounds by adopting the eating patterns and behaviors of their thinner counterparts. People who are desperate to lose weight are often counseled to take on the behaviors of those who have already won the weight loss battle.

However, this seemingly harmless form of diet mimicry may be doing more harm than good, according to Queensland University of Technology behavioral scientist Neil King. King led a recent research effort to identify behavioral patterns in successful weight loss.

The study, conducted by investigators at the University's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, found that there is a great deal of variation in each individual's response to weight loss. Each person deals with their own unique biological, physiological, and psychological barriers to the weight loss process. As such, issuing a single standard as the universal prescription for successful weight loss is unrealistic.

The researchers concluded that their findings emphasize the need for individualized treatment of obese and overweight patients. The standard "one-size-fits-all" approach is not specific enough to give people who are struggling with their weight the kind of personalized support that they need.

If you want to shape your habits to help reach your weight loss goals faster, talk to your doctor, a licensed therapist, or another helping professional with a track record of expertise in this area. And please be sure to check back each week for more of the diet and fitness news you need.