Teens Lose More Weight Using Healthy Strategies
Increasing exercise, water and fruit consumption leads to success, study finds
(HealthDay News) — Increased exercise, reduced soda consumption and self-weighing are among the most effective weight control strategies for adolescents, a new study shows.
Researchers surveyed 130 adolescents about their weight-control strategies and lifestyle habits. Sixty-two had succeeded in losing weight and 68 had not. The responses were grouped into four categories:
- Healthy weight control behaviors, which included eating fewer calories, increasing exercise, eating less high fat and junk food, drinking less soda, drinking more water, weighing oneself, eating more fruits and vegetables and doing different types of exercise.
- Unhealthy weight control behaviors, which included laxatives, vomiting, diuretics, smoking and fasting.
- Extreme dietary changes, which included use of liquid diet supplements, the Atkins diet, a structured diet, fasting and increasing protein consumption.
- Structured behaviors, which included eating a certain amount of calories, counting calories, recording food intake and working with a professional.
Overall, a higher percentage of participants who lost weight used six or more of the healthy weight control behaviors, compared to those who didn’t lose weight. A minority of adolescents who lost weight reported using any of the structured weight control behaviors or extreme dietary changes. Read more…