The following scientific article reviews the randomised controlled trials of various weight losing regimes: 'Obesity: weight loss without drugs: a balanced diet avoiding high-calorie foods, plus exercise. Prescrire Int. 2007;16:162-7.'
The authors performed 'meta-analyses', which are analyses summarizing the results of a large number of randomized controlled trials. The results were as follows:
A meta-analysis of 32 randomised controlled trials involving obese patients showed that moderate and well-balanced calorie restriction is more effective than any other diet, resulting in an average weight loss of about 5 kg after one year.
A meta-analysis of 35 randomised controlled trials involving obese patients showed that a combination of dieting and increased exercise is more effective than either measure alone. Increasing physical activity also helps to maintain weight loss.
A meta-analysis of 19 randomised controlled trials showed that the addition of active support, such as behavioural therapy, makes dietary weight loss measures more effective in obese patients. Behavioural therapy with spousal participation seems to be most effective, with half of trial participants losing about 7 kg after one year.
Interventions that do not involve assistance from healthcare professionals are hardly any more effective than dieting alone.
In practice, a variety of non drug measures can help obese patients to lose weight. However, they only lead to modest enduring weight loss and they have a limited impact on prevention of complications.
The clinical trials of treatments for obesity have not taken into account the social, environmental or psychological factors that contribute to obesity, nor the individual's history of obesity and previous treatments, nor the possible impact of dieting on quality of life. This limits the conclusions that can be drawn from these trials.
Saturday, 14 November 2009
How to Lose Weight Fast
For many men and women, losing weight is like trying to run through quicksand; very difficult, a lot of hardwork and ultimately fruitless! The truth is that losing weight is actually very easy and can be achieved in quite a short period of time with a little bit of will-power, dedication and a basic knowledge of how your body works. This article aims to give you a brief overview of the things you should be incorporating into your lifestyle if you are looking to lose weight and maintain your goal weight.
Firstly, the key piece of information that you must bear in mind is that you must consume less calories than your body can burn. Your body is actually burning calories all the time (as part of our Basal Metabolic Rate) as it requires energy for basic functions such as breathing and circulating. In order for your body to burn more calories, you need to increase your heart rate by doing physical activity such as walking, jogging or running. The "calories in versus calories out" concept can be stuck to in one of two ways. If you are unable to do that much exercise and get your heart pumping that often, you must look to decrease the amount of calorie-rich food you consume. If you are able to put lots of time aside to exercise and really get your heart going, you will not have to calorie-watch as much as your body will obviously be burning quite a lot.
Secondly, and leading on from the previous point, whether you are exercising or not, your diet is evidently a very important part of losing weight. This is where the will-power part comes in. People who are not on a diet will eat whatever they want, whenever they want to. Even if you are in the company of those who will quite happily go for second-helpings of chocolate fudge cake, you must have the will-power not to succumb to such temptations. If you are serious about losing weight quickly, you must ensure that your diet remains structured, healthy and balanced. Many programmes such as WeightWatchers provide support for those who want to know how many calories are in particular types of food. Ensuring that you have three meals a day (at set times of the day that you are able to stick to) with a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, you are nourishing your body and allowing it to run at an optimum rate.
Finally, and arguably the hardest, is exercise. If you want to lose weight quickly, you must try to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. This doesn't mean that you must head to the gym for a hardcore 2 hour treadmill session every day, but it does mean getting your heart beating at a faster rate than it normally would. By increasing your heart rate, you are placing more strain on your body, which in turn will require more energy. When the body requires more energy, it will burn more calories. Simply exercises can be done from the comfort of your very own home. It may be as simple as running up and down your stairs, or skipping in the garden. The aim is not to tire yourself out after 2 minutes, but to carry out simple exercises that you can maintain over a half hour period.
Losing weight quickly really is not as difficult as it may first seem. The key to all weight loss regimes is determination and knowledge. Combining all of the above is a sure fire way to get you started and on the right path. The rest is up to you...
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clint_Garnier
Firstly, the key piece of information that you must bear in mind is that you must consume less calories than your body can burn. Your body is actually burning calories all the time (as part of our Basal Metabolic Rate) as it requires energy for basic functions such as breathing and circulating. In order for your body to burn more calories, you need to increase your heart rate by doing physical activity such as walking, jogging or running. The "calories in versus calories out" concept can be stuck to in one of two ways. If you are unable to do that much exercise and get your heart pumping that often, you must look to decrease the amount of calorie-rich food you consume. If you are able to put lots of time aside to exercise and really get your heart going, you will not have to calorie-watch as much as your body will obviously be burning quite a lot.
Secondly, and leading on from the previous point, whether you are exercising or not, your diet is evidently a very important part of losing weight. This is where the will-power part comes in. People who are not on a diet will eat whatever they want, whenever they want to. Even if you are in the company of those who will quite happily go for second-helpings of chocolate fudge cake, you must have the will-power not to succumb to such temptations. If you are serious about losing weight quickly, you must ensure that your diet remains structured, healthy and balanced. Many programmes such as WeightWatchers provide support for those who want to know how many calories are in particular types of food. Ensuring that you have three meals a day (at set times of the day that you are able to stick to) with a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals, you are nourishing your body and allowing it to run at an optimum rate.
Finally, and arguably the hardest, is exercise. If you want to lose weight quickly, you must try to incorporate exercise into your daily routine. This doesn't mean that you must head to the gym for a hardcore 2 hour treadmill session every day, but it does mean getting your heart beating at a faster rate than it normally would. By increasing your heart rate, you are placing more strain on your body, which in turn will require more energy. When the body requires more energy, it will burn more calories. Simply exercises can be done from the comfort of your very own home. It may be as simple as running up and down your stairs, or skipping in the garden. The aim is not to tire yourself out after 2 minutes, but to carry out simple exercises that you can maintain over a half hour period.
Losing weight quickly really is not as difficult as it may first seem. The key to all weight loss regimes is determination and knowledge. Combining all of the above is a sure fire way to get you started and on the right path. The rest is up to you...
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clint_Garnier
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