Most of us say we're trying
to control our weight, but we are sabotaging themselves,
a study shows.
Weight-loss experts have
long said calorie control and physical activity
are both necessary for weight control.
Yet of participants in a
government study who say they are working on their
weight, only 23% are monitoring their calorie
intake and doing an average of 60 minutes of physical
activity a day on most days, the amount some experts
say is needed to prevent weight gain.
About two-thirds of adults
in the USA are overweight or obese. For the latest
study, researchers with the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention reviewed the data on 4,300
adults from the 2001-2002 National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey, a nationally representative
sample of adults.
Other findings in July's
American Journal of Preventive Medicine:
• 51% say they tried
to either lose or maintain their weight in the
previous 12 months.
• 48% of women and
34% of men tried to lose; 10% of women and 11%
of men tried not to gain.
• 74% of those who
are trying to lose say they ate less food or switched
to lower-calorie foods.
• 66% of men and 58%
of women who are trying to shed pounds say they're
exercising.
• Those trying to trim
down do an average 135 minutes a week of physical
activity. Those trying not to gain average 180
minutes.
The government recommends
at least 30 minutes a day of moderate physical
activity on most days to improve health. To prevent
weight gain, experts suggest 60 minutes of moderate
to vigorous physical activity most days.
People who aren't getting
desired results must "intensify their efforts
on one or both sides of the equation," says lead
author Edward Weiss, a CDC epidemiologist.
Harvard University obesity
expert George Blackburn says overweight people
who want to slim down should aim for losing 10%
of their weight and then "try to maintain that
weight loss permanently."
