Diet Guru

Eating breakfast regularly is a common characteristic among those who lose weight and keep it off, according to a recent study published in Obesity Research.

Researchers at the University of Colorado, the University of Pittsburgh, and Brown University routinely collect data on a group of people comprising the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR). In order to be eligible for inclusion in the registry, an individual has to have lost a minimum of 30 pounds (13.6 kg) and maintained the weight loss a minimum of one year.

Successful Weight Loss “Maintainers”

The NWCR includes information on almost 3000 individuals. On average, these people have lost 71 pounds (32.4 kg) and kept the weight off for over 6 years. Strategies previously identified that contribute to their success are eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet, monitoring food intake and body weight, and maintaining high levels of physical activity.

Breakfast & Weight

As part of routine follow-up, the people in the NWCR were asked, “How many days of the week do you eat breakfast?” Nearly 80% reported eating breakfast 7 days per week and only 4% reported never eating breakfast. Almost 90% said that they ate breakfast on most days of the week (4 or more days). There was no significant difference between breakfast eaters and non-breakfast eaters in the number of calories they consumed during the day.

Breakfast - Calorie Intake

In the general public, the percentage of people who skip breakfast is on the rise, from about 14% in 1965 to 25% in 1991. Some people skip breakfast because they feel it will reduce their overall daily calorie intake. However, in this study the daily caloric intakes of the two groups were comparable, meaning that “breakfast skippers” were making up the calories they missed at other points throughout the day.

A Good Weight Loss Strategy

Eating breakfast is obviously a good strategy to include in your weight maintenance efforts. For those in a hurry in the morning, quick options include instant oatmeal, a bagel, cold cereal, a piece of fruit, or a carton of yogurt. If you have a little more time to be creative, check the recipe files of Mayoclinic.com, Foodfit, and Cooking Light for more low-fat breakfast ideas.

A recent study into obesity done in Sweden has shown that exercise contributes very little to achieving initial weight loss but that it’s vital in maintaining the weight loss that has already been achieved.

There has long been an emphasis on exercise as an important part of a weight reduction program. This certainly has merits, but the big question is if you can lose weight only by exercise. I often hear the statement “I will work it off later.” Many people feel that if they just did more exercise then they should be able to eat anything.

Using exercise as a primary weight loss strategy does not work unless you change your eating habits as well. This is because you can not burn enough calories to compensate for over-eating.

One recent study investigated this in more detail.

Two groups of men completed an 8-week diet/exercise program. One group went on a diet and the other group did both the diet and exercise program. After the 8 weeks both groups had lost the same amount of weight. But when monitored further the group that did exercise in addition to the diet maintained their weight loss while the group that did only the diet actually regained their weight.

This study shows that to lose weight you need to go on a diet but to actually maintain any weight loss you need to exercise as well.

In a study, researchers at Purdue University studied the effects of daily peanut consumption on dietary intake, satiety, energy expenditure and body weight. The principle investigator, Dr. Richard Mattes, Department of Foods and Nutrition, Purdue University, observed that, “the high protein and fiber content in peanuts may play an important role in curbing hunger and thereby not promoting weight gain.”

The findings are consistent with large population studies such as the Seventh Day Adventist Study and the Nurses’ Health Study, where researchers found that people who consumed about an ounce of peanuts, nuts and peanut butter frequently, had lower BMI scores.

This new cross-over study included three diet treatments. Every subject participated in all three diet treatments, each providing a research-sized portion of approximately 500 calories of peanuts - a pretty substantial amount of peanuts! A handful of 20 peanuts is only about 150 calories.

The first treatment group consumed a Free-Feeding diet, which included the peanuts without any dietary guidance.

Subjects in the second Addition treatment group were given instructions to add the peanuts to their usual diets.

The third Substitution treatment group followed individualized diets, substituting the peanuts in place of 500 calories in the diet.

According to Dr. Mattes, in both the Free-Feeding and Addition groups, the subjects spontaneously remarked that they felt full and could not eat all of the food they typically eat daily. The men and women compensated for most of the additional calories by eating less than usual, even without dietary instruction to do so. This resulted in lower actual weight gain than was expected from including the extra calories into their routine.