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The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) follows more than 10,000 women and men who have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off a minimum of 1 year (both Jeff and Nancy are members). Here are lessons from these successful long-term losers.
- Walk for 60 minutes every day. Break it up into 20-minute segments to sync with your schedule.
- Watch less than 10 hours of TV a week. That’ll get you off your duff and keep you from snacking.
- Weigh yourself at least once a week. Think of the scale more like a car’s speedometer—not as a measure of success or failure.
- Go low-fat, low-cal. Aim for less than 30 percent of calories from fat and about 1,600 calories per day—this has been most successful among NWCR participants.
- Keep a daily food diary. Follow Jeff’s example, or simply track fat grams and calories.
- Eat five small meals a day, including breakfast. This helps you keep a handle on hunger.
- Dine out fewer than three times a week. You have more control over portion size and fat and sodium when you eat home cooking.
