Eating Breakfast Can Help Keep the Weight Off
If you’re familiar with the yo-yo diet, you know it can be hard to actually keep the weight off once you’ve lost it. According to a recent study that gathered weight loss and maintenance data from the National Weight Control Registry consisting of more than 10,000 registered men and women who met the criteria of having lost at least 30 pounds and keeping it off for over a year afterward, 5 habits were discovered resulting in the ability to actually keep the weight off and maintain weight loss.
Habit #1: Eat Breakfast―Nearly 80 percent of those able to keep the weight off ate breakfast daily; less than five percent skipped it. Eating breakfast, some studies show, can help reduce hunger throughout the day, helping to avoid overeating at other meals.
Habit #2: Weigh In Regularly―More than 44 percent reported weighing themselves daily, while 31 percent weighed themselves weekly. Contrary to a popular trend in scale avoidance, regular weigh-ins are actually supported by a new two-year Cornell University study that found that people who weighed themselves daily lost weight and kept it off.
Habit #3: Stay Active―Ninety percent reported that they exercise an hour a day and for 94 percent that meant brisk walking.
Habit #4: Limit Screen Time―62 percent said they watch less than 10 hours of television per week.
Habit #5: Watch What You Eat―Nearly all (98 percent) participants said they have modified what they eat by following a reduced-calorie, reduced-fat diet even after they lost the weight. They are careful not to splurge on weekends, reporting they consistently eat the same amount seven days a week.