What is the most successful way to achieve weight loss and management for life?

Another hard question to answer in a few paragraphs!  Firstly, my advice is that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, so get personalised advice from an Accredited Practising Dietitian (see www.daa.asn.au). 

However, the US Weight Control Registry is a database of thousands of people who have lost more than 30 pounds (13 kg) and kept it off for more than a year, and the results show that many of the people who achieved successful weight loss, undertook the following:

• They eat breakfast daily
  
• They weigh themselves at least once per week
  
• They watch less than 10 hours of TV per week
  
• They undertake an average of 7 hours of exercise each week
  
• They have a diet which is low in fat
  
• They don’t skip meals
  
• They are accountable to someone for their weight.
  

The most successful way is educating yourself and getting back to basics with fresh healthy food you prepare yourself at all times.  If you eat out you must insist on being served at least 4 vegetables and avoid all fried foods, creams/sauces and simply use lemon and olive oil as a garnish.  Most restaurants are happy to assist here.  Exercise is important - daily - we are not meant to sit around all day, you need to move the body.  Remember food = energy, exercise = energy, if you eat more than than you exercise you will put on weight.  Keep on top with your metabolic function, i.e. digestive issues, bowel problems, hormonal imbalance.  All these things are important.  See this link re article I wrote for more indepth information.
http://www.novamagazine.com.au/article_archive/2012/2012-05-back-to-basics.html

Hi there,
One really important part of your question was about keeping weight off for life. It is really not so hard to lose weight but you are correct it is trickier to keep it off.

Melanie's information from the US weight registry is spot on and another really vital piece of advice is to make sure the changes you are making to lose weight are sustainable.
How many people go on “the soup diet” lose weight and then put it back on again because they get sick of soup!

An Accredited Practising Dietitan (APD) can help you become aware of the unhelpful thoughts, incorrect assumptions and bad food habits that keep you above the weight you are comfortable at and more importantly work out a food plan that creates sustainable weight loss and works with your lifestyle.

Another great tool to keep you on track is to keep a food diary- people find that if they have to write it down they think twice about eating it…very powerful.

Good Luck.

If you want to lose weight and maintain it long term then you must weight train while you are losing the weight. This will set you up for life. Your real goal should be to keep muscle mass if not increase it and just lose body fat NOT weight. Why would I say this. Well we know these few things. The more muscle you have the faster your metabolism will go, the more energy you can burn at rest. The more muscle you have, the more energy you burn during exercise. The more muscle you have the more carbs you can store. Once you can not store anymore carbs in your muscle you must convert it to fat. So if you want to lose fat and keep it off long term then you must have this in mind. In order to to keep muscle if not increase it, you must weight train and eat the right amount of carbohydrate, protein and fat. Then you must eat the right amount of food during the day as well as before and after your weight training to keep muscle. The biggest mistake you can do is just do cardio exercise, eat less calories and then think you will tone up after that. It is much harder to increase your muscle mass than just lose some body fat. Seek professional help so you get it all right. Contact me if you need further help.

To have permanent weight loss and weight management one needs to change their whole relationship with food. Breaking the negative cycle of feeling ‘bad’ and ‘guilty’ if you eat something that is not on your ‘diet’ is important as this often leads to binge eating. Viewing healthy food as ‘everyday’ food and junk food as ‘occassional’ food is a better way to go for life time change. Hypnotherapy is very effective in changing your mindset around food and weight. It's often the unconscious messages and beliefs that you are holding onto in your subconscious mind that are stopping you from reaching your weight loss goals. For more tips and strategies download your free copy of Weight Loss Mind-Set Secrets at www.weightlossnewcastle.com.au

 

Weight management is much more complex than just eating less and exercising more. There are a number of nutritional, physical, hormonal, emotional and psychological factors involved too.
Signing up for the latest diet may have an effect in the short term but many of us find ourselves slipping back into old habits leaving us feeling worse than when we started. Unless we can uncover the reasons we’re actually turning to excess eating or sabotaging our exercise regime, the weight keeps coming back. That’s where kinesiology is effective. As a holistic therapy, kinesiology looks at all issues associated with weight loss and management which include nutrition, the bodies physical state, one's emotional state and energy flow around the body. By utilising modalities including the Inner Traditions of Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic Medicine, Nutrition, Sports Therapy, Homeopathy (flower essences) and Holistic Counselling. A kinesiologist uses tools that enable them to find out what is causing weight gain, and determine what type of eating and exercise plan is best for you, what types of foods to avoid and eat more of and what supplementation might be necessary. A kinesiologist can also uncover energetic blockages and unresolved emotional issues that may be blocking your progress.
So if you're looking to start a new weight loss plan or are already in the midst of one but are finding that particular issues are surfacing for you then kinesiology and sports kinesiology are holistic ways of helping you to move forward. In our clinic we have seen clients not only shift weight but create profound changes in their lives as they have done so.

All fantastic responses above. I do agree the best thing you can do is to seek personalised advice from an Accredited Practising Dietitian. They are trained to provide personalised and sustainable based on the latest research and best practice evidence based guidelines. 

To add to the answers above I would say portion control is really important when it comes to weight loss. As a general rule of thumb, approximately half of your main meal should be of free vegetables and salad, a quarter of lean protein and a quarter of low glycemic index carbohydrates. For example if you are a woman weighing around 80kg, a suitable dinner for weight loss would be 1-2 cups of free salad, 3/4 cup of cooked pasta and about 100 grams of cooked lean protein (palm size). Make sure you minimise your oils and dressings as they can be a hidden source of fat. If you find this does not fill you up you may have to look at what you have eaten earlier in the day - it's important to eat regularly and not skip meals, choosing meals high in fibre and low in GI.

Snacks are also important to increasing satiety and preventing you from overeating at meals. Suitable snacks would be a handful of almonds, tub of low fat yoghurt, fruit and dried fruit to name a few. Apart from that, having a good high fibre breakfast and fitting a suitable amount of physical activity would be two other important factors. 

I do agree with the previous poster that you need to approach weight loss in a holistic sense. What is the reason you are trying to lose weight and have you set specific realistic goals? Don't just focus on weight as a number focus on the changes until it becomes an automatic habit. Remember you won't be able to lose weight by just going on a quick fix diet, but rather by making realistic, sustainable and appopriate changes over time that can get you to your goal!

Good luck :)

Aidan
DNA Dietitians

A positive attitude is very important for successful weight loss and weight management. To lose weight permanently, you must make a commitment to gradually adopt a healthier way of life.

You can control your weight. To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories or burn up more calories than you need. The best way to lose weight is to do both.

Following a very low calorie diet can leave you feeling deprived and can increase the temptation to binge. Often, very low calorie diets make you lose muscle instead of fat. You are then left with a body that jiggles instead of one that is smooth and toned. Exercise helps you keep the muscles and lose the fat.

Very low calorie diets also lack many important nutrients, putting you at risk of becoming malnourished. Most importantly, research shows that people who follow these diets usually gain all their weight back. People who lose weight slowly by eating less and exercising more tend to keep the weight off.

I think your question is ineresting in that, its not just about weight loss but management of life. I deal specifically with individuals that need to loose weight (the obese group). There are multiple ways of doing it as all the other answers seem to provide.

The most proven way to sustain your weight loss is with metabolic/bariatric surgery. The difficulty is when your BMI is 40 and above the ability to sustain this eight loss becomes tremondously difficult for a variety of physiological reasons. There is a misconception for this group of pepole that its just a matter of excercise and diet. 

The management of life if your struggle with life is closely realted to your BMI(body mass index), then this too will definitely improve as your weight reduces and the side effects of the excess weight starts loosening its grip on your life