The Holy Grail: What is the Secret to Successful Weight Loss/Management?

People ask me nearly everyday how to lose weight. Although there are many answers to that question, I always remind those who ask me that the real key is not just how to lose weight but how to successfully maintain a healthy weight over the long term.

We continue to learn new and interesting things about weight loss, human metabolism, the importance of exercise but still the majority of Americans are overweight.

Have you heard of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR)? It is a fascinating prospective investigation of long-term successful weight loss maintenance. Some key findings about the people in the NWCR who have successfully lost weight:

• 78% eat breakfast every day


• 75% weigh themselves at least once per week


• 62% watch less than 10 hours of television per week


• 90% exercise 1 hour per day, on average

Want to know more about the NWCR? Check it out: http://www.nwcr.ws/default.htm

What Time of Day Should I Stop Eating?

"What time of the day/night should I stop eating?" I get asked this question frequently, particularly by people who wish to reduce their body weight.

I often begin the discussion about meal timing by saying that there is no magic hour at which you must stop eating. Consuming a meal at night does not make you overweight. It is more important to assess what you are eating at night and how you have eaten throughout the day to more accurately determine what, how much and when you should have a meal and/or snack in the evening hours. Many of the college students with whom I work regularly tend to eat junk foods (sweets, french fries, chips) at night and they tend to eat for reasons other than hunger when they are up late (procrastination from studying, alcohol-fueled cravings, etc.) So, those kinds of eating habits could lead to weight gain.

However, many of us need to eat in the evenings and for some that may mean a 6:00pm dinner and for others, it means a 9:00pm dinner. Either one can work very well for the individual - it depends on other factors such as your daytime eating habits, your exercise habits, and evening food choices.

Check out this article on the topic of eating at night: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/health/2011/06/10/what-time-should-stop-eating/