If you’re one of the millions of Americans currently trying to lose weight, then you know how hard it is to stay on track–but now a new study from the Baylor College of Medicine says doing this could help you lose weight nearly 9 times as fast.
“It’s one of the harder changes people make in their lives, to lose weight, and we’re social animals,” says Craig A. Johnston, a Baylor School of Medicine psychologist who led the study. “Being around people who can encourage and reinforce you–people who are talking about that challenge–is going to help in terms of weight loss.”
With help of a grant from Weight Watches International, researchers studied nearly 300 participants, of which half were enrolled in a Weight Watchers group. Those who were not part of the program used diet books and other printed materials to help them stay on track.
Johnston and his team of researchers then studied how well these participants stayed on track for a total of six months–and the results were hard to deny.
“Truly, weight loss is a journey, and how that person experiences it and what tool is most useful at what time changes,” says Karen Miller-Kovach, a Weight Watchers International chief scientific officer. “It’s important to check in with someone during that journey and to recognize that in giving them that tool belt, the tools that they’ll need along the road will vary.”
For those who went it alone, the results were none too pleasing: They lost an average of 1.3 pounds over a course of six months, a negligible amount. But those who took part in a weight loss group lost an average of 10.1 pounds, nearly nine times as much as the other group.
For Miller-Kovach, this clearly shows that dieting is best done with others, not alone.
“The inclination was to say, ‘Oh, that’s a meeting person, that’s an online person’,” says Miller-Kovach. “But even if you could classify someone, they changed over time.”
In a different analysis of the data, researchers also found that people who utilized most of the tools offered by Weight Watchers–such as using their mobile apps, message boards, and attending meetings regularly–lost the most amount of weight and kept it off over a six month period. As for the reasons why, researchers say it’s pretty clear: By becoming more involved and having a support group, you’re more likely to stick with your diet, especially when faced with certain difficulties, such as a weight loss plateau.
While Weight Watchers did help fund the study, however, experts say it isn’t necessary to join Weight Watchers in order to reap these benefits. Joining an independent weight loss message board, using weight loss apps, or just finding support by talking to like-minded friends and family members may help you push through painful weight loss ruts that are often hard to tackle alone.
Readers: Do you find that weight loss groups help you diet better?
Source:
Weight Loss Improved by Weight Watchers – LATimes.com
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