Want to lose weight?

New research from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre suggests two important behavioural techniques that can help if you are a postmenopausal woman struggling with weight gain wanting to lose weight:

Firstly keep a diet diary

In the study those women that kept a diet diary lost more weight than those that did not. This is certainly something that confirms what i see in clinical practice. Keeping track of what you eat ensures you are honest with what you are putting into your mouth. With technology the way it is, you don't even need to write down everything you eat. Many of my patients document their daily meals on an i-pad or phone.

Avoid skipping meals and eating in restaurants, particularly at lunch

Women who frequently skipped meals lost less weight than women who did not. Interestingly, women who ate meals (particularly lunch) out at least once a week lost less weight than those who ate out less often. This is probably because when meals are eaten outside the home, portion sizes are usually bigger. There is also less control over the ingredients added to the meal (so probably higher levels of fat and sugar than what would be used at home). By applying these two techniques, women in the study lost about 10% of their body weight over the year long study.

Ref: Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (2012, July 13). Want to lose weight? Keep a food journal, don't skip meals and avoid going out to lunch. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 15, 2012, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2012/07/120713080029.htm

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