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'Not Rocket Science' Diet Best Way To Lose Weight

PA/The Huffington Post UK  |  Posted: 10/04/2012 11:42 Updated: 10/04/2012 11:42

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Forget fad diets - the most effective way to lose weight is by simply eating less fat and taking more exercise, a study has found.

The "not rocket science" weight loss formula achieved results in a large proportion of 2,500 obese Americans.

Forty per cent managed to shed 5% or more of their weight, and 20% lost a tenth or more over a period of 12 months.

Before losing weight, all had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, meeting the clinical definition of obese.

Dr Jacinda Nicklas, from Harvard Medical School, who led the dieting study, said: "This is great news because studies have shown that even a 5% reduction in weight can lead to improved health."

The researchers analysed data from a total of 4,000 obese individuals who took part in a large health and nutrition survey.

Of these, 2,523 reported trying to lose weight.

Writing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the authors concluded: "Those who exercised more and ate less fat were significantly more likely to lose weight."

A correlation was also seen between joining a structured weight loss programme and successfully losing weight.

However, self-reported use of "popular diets, liquid diets, non-prescription weight loss pills and diet foods/products" was not associated with weight loss.

Co-author Dr Christina Wee, from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston, US, said: "It's very encouraging to find that most of the weight loss methods associated with success are accessible and inexpensive.

"There are lots of fad diets out there as well as expensive over-the-counter medications that have not necessarily been proven to be effective, and it is important that Americans discuss product claims with their doctor before trying such products."

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  • Natural Weight Loss Aids

  • Green Tea

    Green tea is rich in the antioxidant called catechin which help speed up metabolism and burn fat quicker. It also contributes towards lowering LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol).

  • Pineapple

    Pinapples contain high levels of an enzyme called bromelain that aids digestion and prevents inflammation and swelling in the gut, which can lead to constipation and weight gain.

  • Green Coffee Beans

    Green coffee bean extracts help reduce the absorption of fat and glucose in the gut, as well as insulin levels, which improve metabolic function. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2012/03/28/green-coffee-new-weight-loss-food_n_1384970.html?ref=uk-lifestyle" target="_hplink">Read more about the weight-loss benefits of green coffee beans here</a>.

  • Water

    Although drinking water alone won't shift the pounds, drinking a glass of it before you eat will make you eat less and suppress your appetite. It also keep you hydrated throughout the day and will keep hunger pangs at bay, because hunger is mostly driven by dehydration.

  • Eggs

    Having an egg for breakfast keeps you feeling fuller for longer as it acts like a bulking agent in the stomach. It also staves off hunger pangs because the protein prevents the blood sugar level spikes, which lead to food cravings.

  • Grapefruit

    Eating half a grapefruit before each meal or drinking grapefruit juice three times a day helps aid weight loss. The fruit's phytochemicals reduce insulin levels, a process that forces the body to convert calories into energy rather than fat.

  • Beans

    Beans and pulses contain cholecystokinin, a natural appetite suppressant as they stay in the stomach longer. They also help keep blood sugar on an even keel, so you can stave off hunger longer.

  • Cinnamon

    A little bit of cinnamon a day can help control post-meal insulin spikes, which make you feel peckish. A recent study by U.S. Department of Agriculture showed that just a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon a day lowered the blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

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Forget fad diets - the most effective way to lose weight is by simply eating less fat and taking more exercise, a study has found. The "not rocket science" weight loss formula achieved results in a...
Forget fad diets - the most effective way to lose weight is by simply eating less fat and taking more exercise, a study has found. The "not rocket science" weight loss formula achieved results in a...
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Jim Moret

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When I saw photos from that evening, I had an epiphany. I had let myself go, and nothing could hide it. It was subtle at first, but the years seemed to get away from me, along with my increasing waistline.

 
 
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kmcruz
3 Fans
04:28 on 11/06/2012
If it's really this simple, why isn't it working for more people? If all it takes is to just eat less, and move more (something that is cheap and easy) we shouldn't all be getting heavier.
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kevin1149
0 Fans
12:27 on 05/06/2012
It has nothig to do with how much fat you consume, simply calories in vs calories out. Where they com from doesn't really matter as long as the diet is balanced.
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kevin1149
0 Fans
12:24 on 05/06/2012
It has got nothing to do with how much fat you consume, all today with calories in vs calories out. Doesn't matter where the calories come from.
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Jock O The North
21 Fans
08:32 on 05/06/2012
You do realise that if too many americans lose weight the planet might just lose balance and go off axis.
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hilaryhalliwell
43 Fans
12:48 on 11/04/2012
Well if fat is so bad for weight loss, then how does the Atkins diet work so well? I'm not saying that eating loads of saturated fat is good for you and I don't agree with Atkins, but surely eating less but of all the basic food groups except, boiled or steamed green and yellow leafy vegetables of which you can and should eat lots, and you can still lose weight, makes more sense. I have tried all the diets and any diet works to some degree if you stick to it, but I found that eating less carbs including sugar carbs worked the best. The problem is we all like what we like and eat too much of it and move too little these days don't we!
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MelasZepheos
7 Fans
10:31 on 11/04/2012
Obvious to anyone who actually possesses a brain (although sometimes reading internet comments makes me suspect that number is lower than I would have previously thought)

Then again, I do wish they hadn't used BMI, because it's a really bad system. By that system, a rugby player or body builder who weighs twenty stone of nothing but muscle is as 'obese' as a man who weighs 20 stone in fat. Very bad measuring system overall.
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eddiemceleney
0 Fans
05:46 on 11/04/2012
This is just plain common sense. I visited Vietnam last year and I did not see one obese person
and the totally dieting industry which we have in the western world does not exist.
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MaltLoaf
10 Fans
11:38 on 05/06/2012
I totally agree, its the same in a lot of far Eastern countries, they eat a varied and fairly healthy diet, and they are just more physical, they exercise, and walk a lot etc.whereas in the west we eat and drink huge amounts of junk, burgers, fast food, large bottles of fizzy drinks, etc, a lot of us have become physically lazy,some parents and kids driving to school because they cant be bothered to walk is one example.
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ggardiner86
27 Fans
05:15 on 11/04/2012
the woman in the pic needs to eat a burger or two.. TOO skinny
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raynski07
0 Fans
20:00 on 10/04/2012
No wonder there are so many obese people in America if they have only just realised this.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
tendril
imperfect at best and proud of it
132 Fans
 
14:35 on 08/06/2012
The reason why there is so much obesity in America is because they eat, think,celebrate around, grieve around, plan around, dream about, watch television about, obsess over...food. It is the nations number one preoccupation.
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robsh51
9 Fans
18:23 on 10/04/2012
IF YOU READ THIS STORY IT SAID USA
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Down and out
4 Fans
16:22 on 10/04/2012
No s**t Sherlock!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
janno000
59 Fans
15:59 on 10/04/2012
Why did they airbrush an already thin women in the photo?
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dennettbee
9 Fans
15:44 on 10/04/2012
What is this rubbish. We want to hear something that we didn't already know.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
minimemo
Can I be your friend...if they let me out...
414 Fans
15:38 on 10/04/2012
I do wish they would be honest with folk regarding sugar! It causes much more obesity than fat!!
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Clarks0n
24 Fans
14:42 on 10/04/2012
This is actually new as before it used to be eat less, move more. Now it is advising 'eat less fat' which turns into, e'at more sugar', one of America's biggest industries. "90% reduced fat" (90% increased sugar) foods are much more dangerous and likely to cause diabetes, heart disease and weight gain than higher fat foods, when overall calories are equal. The study is also flawed, people with a BMI over 30 will lose weight missing a meal or two a week, tests on healthy subjects with less weight to lose are much more useful.
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ggardiner86
27 Fans
05:24 on 11/04/2012
Yeah, good post :)

I always look at labels/ingredients/calories etc and I'm always shocked to find the amount of sugar in seemingly "healthy" foods.. Yazoo milkshake for one, which is approved for schools or something.. (Not sure - but it masquerades as being healthy!)
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