Losing weight isn’t easy for anyone. Yes, someone can drop 100 pounds in the course of a television season, but a typical person isn’t going to have a slew of weight-loss gurus following her every move…and her every pound.
But here’s the secret:
When it comes to food, be prepared.
Plan a workout.
Keep on it during your days off.
What’s your weight loss IQ? Take our quiz!
1. A virus may trigger overeating. True or false?
2. Staying in a climate-controlled environment will help speed weight loss. True or false?
3. Keeping track of the food you eat and the steps you take is a good strategy if you want to lose weight. True or false?
4. Treating obesity boils down to this: Eat less, move more. True or false?
5. Weighing yourself every week has been shown to help individuals maintain or lose weight. True or false?
ANSWER KEY
1. True
Research indicates that a virus known as AD-36 may cause an infection that triggers overeating and prompts fat cells to multiply in both number and size. Obesity research suggests only 15 percent of people are infected with the virus, but they were usually the heaviest and the most resistant to weight loss.
2. False
Indoor heating and cooling systems keep us in the “thermoneutral zone,” a temperature range where the body no longer needs to regulate body temperature for itself. Some scientists believe this causes us to cling to our body fat more tenaciously since we no longer need to burn additional calories to stay in the zone.
3. True
A Kaiser Permanente study found that dieters who kept a weight-loss diary lost twice as much weight compared to folks who didn’t. Other studies show that tracking your movement with a pedometer increases the number of daily steps you take, which can help you shed pounds and may be just as effective for long-term weight loss as going to the gym.
4. False
That simple formula makes sense, but it’s too simple. Obesity is a complicated disease with a multitude of triggering factors. A one-size treatment does not fit all. That said, according to research from the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR)—the longest prospective investigation long-term weight-loss success—98% of its participants modified their food intake to lose weight and 94% increased their physical activity. So eating less (or better) and moving more is a good place to start.
5. True
Multiple studies indicate that a weekly weigh-in can help you fight the battle of the bulge.
SCORING
5 out of 5 correct: You’re a weight-loss genius (at least, according to our test).
4 out of 5 correct: You’re not quite a genius, but your weight loss IQ is impressive.
3 out of 5 correct: Your weight loss IQ is about average.
2 out of 5 correct: Time to brush up on your weight loss facts.
1 out of 5 correct: You need a remedial weight loss course.
0 out of 5 correct: You’ve defied the odds (and not in a good way) by getting 0 out of 5 correct.