Community-based weight-loss program proves more successful than a do-it-yourself approach.
When it comes to shedding those unwanted pounds, don’t go it alone. A new study finds that the more tools you use, the more weight you’ll lose. Dr. Craig Johnston says, “Over all, we’re really social animals and I think that even people who consider themselves to be introverts … when we try to make difficult changes, we really do need support of other people.”
And, Johnston says, we don’t like to let other people down.
Johnston is lead author of a new randomized controlled trial from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, which finds that overweight and obese adults who follow a community-based weight loss intervention program lost significantly more weight than those who tried to lose weight on their own — 10.1 pounds versus 1.3 pounds at six months.
AUDIO: When it comes to shedding those unwanted pounds, don’t go it alone. A new study finds that the more tools you use, the more weight you’ll lose. :38
“When we have somebody to encourage us to do things in a healthful manner, to really be committed to a group of people who say ‘yes, we’re gonna be about health’ … I think it’s an important thing.”
The group effort doesn’t have to be face-to-face to be successful. The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, shows group meetings, mobile applications, and online tools all help individuals to lose weight — and further analysis found those who used all three options together lost the most weight.
There are different hurdles in Wisconsin — our love of dairy products and hibernating in the cold winters. Johnston says the main thing is to be cognizant of what we’re consuming and get active. First step: join some type of community.
