Habits of Naturally Thin vs. Successful Dieters

www.DrWeigh.com

I just read a very interesting article that I wanted to share with you. The study looked at the habits of the naturally thin, successful dieters, and failed dieters. The study was from Consumer Reports and looked at 21,632 people.

Group 1: 'always thin', never overweight.

Group 2: 'successful dieters', people who now weigh at least 10 percent less than they did at their heaviest and have been at that lower weight for at leat 2 years.

Group 3: 'failed dieters', people who would like to lose weight but still weigh at or neaer their lifetime high.

Only 3% of the 'always thin' group said that they never exercise and eat whatever they want.

The study shows that the eating and exercise habits of the 'always thin' group was the same as the eating and exercise habits of the 'successful dieters'. Both groups said that they regularly eat healthy foods, such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and routinely stay away from excessive dietary fat. Both groups also watch their portion sizes and follow a regular, vigorous exercise plan.

It seems that the only advantage the 'always thin' have over the 'successful dieters' is that those habits seem to come a bit more naturally to them, according to Consumer Reports.
"When we've compared people maintaining a weight loss with (those) who've always had a normal weight, we've found that both groups are working hard at it; the maintainers are just working a little harder," Dr. Suzanne Phelan of the California Polytechnic State University and co-investigator of the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks people who have successfully maintained a weight loss over time, noted in a Consumer Reports press statement.