Portion Control Pays Off in Weight Loss
Controlling Portion Size Helps Promote Lasting Weight Loss
Oct. 15, 2004 -- Controlling portion size may be the single most effective thing you can do to promote lasting weight
Portion Control Pays Off in Weight Loss
Controlling Portion Size Helps Promote Lasting Weight Loss
Oct. 15, 2004 -- Controlling portion size may be the single most effective thing you can do to promote lasting weight loss, a new study shows.
Researchers found overweight people who spent the most efforts in controlling the portion size of what they ate were more likely to lose weight and keep it off. Although increasing planned exercise also help people shed pounds, researchers found portion control efforts seem to offer the biggest payoff.
"Portion control may be behaviorally easier to change than increasing planned exercise for many obese individuals," says researcher Everett Logue, PhD, of Summa Health System in Akron, Ohio, in a news release. "However, other research suggests that planned exercise is an important component of long-term weight management."
The results of the study appear in the Sept. 9 issue of Obesity Research.
Portion Control Promotes Weight Loss
In the study, researchers followed nearly 300 obese and overweight adults as they entered a weight loss program. All of the participants received instruction in five different weight loss strategies, including:
- Increasing planned exercise (walking)
- Increasing regular physical activity (incidental walk