Dieting With A Partner Doesnt Work — One of You Will End Up Lighter The Other Upset

Dieting is a miserable practice that can easily leave anyone irritable, unhappy, and hungry, so it makes sense to think that dieting with a partner will make it easier and more enjoyable. Well, you might want to hold off on the buddy system for now; a new study found that dieting with a partner doesn’t work.

The study, published in Eating Behaviors, surveyed 50 overweight couples that had made New Year’s resolutions to lose weight. The survey asked questions about how much confidence the participants had in controlling their food portions when they were alone and when they were eating with company. Participants were asked if they agreed with statements like “When eating out with friends, they influence how much I eat” and “I feel confident that I can leave food on my plate if I think a serving size is too large.”

Overall, the study found that when couples diet together, only one person is successful. The main reason for this is because as one partner is accomplishing their goal, the other loses confidence in their own efforts. It seems counter-intuitive, because partners are supposed to be support systems for one another, but it turns out that being close to someone who is successful in a similar goal undermines the other’s confidence.  It also appears as if women have a disadvantage in couple’s dieting form the get-go; the women who participated in the study reported being less confident then men in their ability to control portions.

It’s easy to scoff at the outcomes of this study, especially for those who view dieting as an exercise in vanity. However, this information is useful for those who are dieting in order have a healthier lifestyle.  And it’s not easy! As author of the study Jennifer Jill Harman points out, portion sizes have increased 700 percent over the last 30 years, so understanding portion control and eating healthier is more important than ever. So for those of you who are serious about losing weight, do yourself a favor and don’t ask the significant other to join in your diet…you’ll be more successful on your own.

By Alanna Greco

Source: http://www.bustle.com/articles/54204-dieting-with-a-partner-doesnt-work-one-of-you-will-end-up-lighter-the-other

Any diet will do say researchers if you stick to it

All diets - from Atkins to Weight Watchers - have similar results and people should simply pick the one they find easiest, say researchers.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, analysed data from 48 separate trials.

The Canadian team concluded that sticking to a diet was more important than the diet itself.

Obesity experts said all diets cut calories to a similar level, which may explain the results.

Diets go in and out of fashion on a regular basis, with a current debate around the relative benefits of low carb and low fat diets.

All the same

Scientists at McMaster University in Ontario and the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute in Toronto analysed data from 7,286 overweight dieters.

The range of diets covered included, Atkins, South Beach, Zone, Biggest Loser, Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Volumetrics, Weight Watchers, Ornish and Rosemary Conley.

It showed that after 12 months, people on low carbohydrate and low fat diets both lost an average of 7.3kg (16lb). Those on low carb meal plans had lost slightly more at the six-month marker.

The report said: "The differences [between diets] were small and unlikely to be important to those seeking weight loss."

It concluded: "Our findings should be reassuring to clinicians and the public that there is no need for a one-size-fits-­all approach to dieting because many different diets appear to offer considerable weight loss benefits.

"Our findings suggest that patients may choose, among those associated with the largest weight loss, the diet that gives them the least challenges with adherence."

The Atkins diet has a focus on protein

However, the study did not look at wider health issues, such as levels of cholesterol, which may vary according to diet.

Prof Susan Jebb, from the University of Oxford and a government advisor on obesity, said diets were more similar than they appeared, advocating cutting calories to 1,500 a day, sticking to strict meal times and avoiding biscuits, cakes and chocolate.

"The issue is about adherence and its how closely and how long can you keep sticking to the plan over time that matters.

"That probably means finding the right diet for you, rather than one being so particularly better than the others."

She said people should try to match diets to their lives.

Vegetarians would struggle more with a high protein, low carb diet, while people living on their own may find liquid (instead of meals) diets easier than those who would still have to cook for a family.

By James Gallagher

Source: BBC News

7 Fantastic ways water will help you lose weight

We continue our series on the ABCs of Weight Loss. H is for Hydrate with Water:

Hydrating with water is crucial for weight loss. Studies suggest to drink half of your body weight in water daily when you are in the first stages of weight loss. If you weigh 180 pounds then you will target 90 ounces daily. I know it sounds like a lot and it is! Keep in mind the reasons for this include:

7. You will be eliminating a larger concentration of toxins initially and water will be needed to remove them safely from your body.

6. Water will assist the primary way fatty deposits are eliminated from the body.

5. Dehydration slows down the bodys ability to burn fat and it harmful to your heart.

4. The more calories you burn the more important it is to flush them out of your body.

3. Water will help reduce constipation and remove wastes from the body quickly.

2. You will feel more flexible, less body aches and reduce soreness when you are well hydrated.

And my favorite reason!

1. The brain does not know the difference between hunger and thirst. The same trigger is activated. Drink a glass of water first to determine if you are in need of hydration. If you still feel hungry, then eat. The advantage is that you will feel fuller faster!