Monday, January 16, 2012

My Text Messages from the Weight Loss Study: Tips for success

I'll have a progress update shortly, but I had promised to publish the ideas coming from the nursing student who is trying to gauge the impact of technology on weight loss and seeing if there are ways to improve results.  These were some of the text messages I received as a part of a weight loss study from Duke. They were trying to determine if daily reminders and tips would help to increase weight loss efforts and also in maintaining that weight loss.  Many of you had asked me about tips and information that was coming out of my Duke experience.  These are good representations of what is rolling around inside my melon. Happy New Year!


Small diet changes add up.  Eat breakfast every day.  You will eat less during the day and it will help you reach your weight loss goals.

Weight yourself daily at the same time and on the same scale.  This is important.  Checking on you progress will help you control your weight.

Exercise regularly. Exercise will maintain a healthy weight, blood pressure and reduce problems with diabetes.

Sustain your weight loss.  Use the 'plate method'.  Fill up 1/2 your plate with vegetables, 1/4 with starch, 1/4 with protein.

Check your food intake.  Record everything you eat and portion sizes. Checking increases awareness of what you are eating.

Count steps to increase the amount you walk.  Use a pedometer.  Set a goal of adding 150 steps a day up to 5000 steps a day or 2.5 miles.

Use smaller plates. You will still clean you plate and feel satisfied and have better portion control.

Keep track of the things that lead to unplanned and overeating.

Activity burns calories and helps maintain weight.  Climbing stairs, parking further away, or walking to the office add up quickly to 30 minutes a day.

Eat slowly. Put fork down between bites. Check fullness level during meal. When full push your plate away.  Satisfaction takes 15-20 minutes.

Keep exercising! After 1 year dieters who exercise maintain most of their original weight loss.

Select healthy breakfast cereals.  Follow the "5 and 5" rule - 5 grams fiber & 5 or less of sugar.  Or try heart healthy oatmeal with honey.

Monitor your progress and how you are doing.  Schedule time to review your progress in your calendar.

Exercise helps more than just with weight loss.  It helps to decrease high blood pressure, improve diabetes and decrease cholesterol.

Reward yourself, It's OK to have a little sweet foods such as pie, cookies, and candy and alcohol.

Cross train.  Vary your exercise: walk, bike, elliptical, water aerobics, swimming, it will keep you motivated and have fun too.

Identify and change habits and foods that lead to binges, including risky foods kept in the house such as chips or watching TV while eating.

Stay on top of how you are doing.  Review your monitoring forms to check for patterns.  Monitor at least 2-3 times a week.

For general fitness exercise 30 minutes daily.  8-10 exercises, 8-15 repetitions, 1-3 sets, 30-90 second rest between sets.

Use a grocery list for grocery shopping and only buy planned for items.  This will help you buy good, healthy foods.

Limit size of portions at mealtimes by measuring planned servings. Keep measuring utensils readily available.

Weigh yourself daily. Place the weight on a graph to see trends over time.  It is natural to fluctuate daily due to things such as water.


There are more, but you get the idea... Cheers!

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