Two Important Weight Control Studies

According to one study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, most weight-control strategies emphasize energy-restricted diets and increased physical activity. Most are not effective over the long-term. Researchers found that a shift from a "weight-centered" approach to a more "health-centered" approach, or Health at Every Size (HAES), does not focus on weight-loss exclusively. Instead, it focuses on a healthy lifestyle with an emphasis on size acceptance and balanced eating. The subjects who followed the HAES model had lower feelings and perceptions of hunger with food intake when compared to the control (dieting) group.

Another study from Nutrition and Metabolism stated that exercise alone appeared to have minimal impact on measured outcomes in obese women. However, when combined with a diet rich in lean protein, greater improvements in waist circumference and body composition were seen. The protocol also stimulated improvements in markers of cardiovascular disease risk, energy expenditure, and psychosocial parameters.

Bonnie - let me get this straight. Instead of focusing on weight-loss fad diets, one should look to healthful, balanced lifestyle and dietary choices while embracing your body size, thus allowing the weight, however much you lose, to come off naturally? On top of that, combine exercise and a diet rich in lean protein encourages greater improvements in body composition as opposed to exercise alone?

Gosh, where have I heard this before?