Middle age isn't too late to lose weight.
In fact, middle-age women can still lose a significant amount of weight, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society -- if they make the right changes and stick with them.
Women who are committed to make changes can lose 20 pounds, says Karen Foster-Schubert of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Anne McTiernan, the center's lead researcher says women should:
• Write down what they eat.
• Prepare food at home when possible rather than eat out.
• And make weight loss a priority.
The researchers recruited 439 overweight or obese postmenopausal women, average age 57, average weight 185, all of them sedentary. They were assigned to one of four groups: diet only, exercise only, diet and exercise, or no lifestyle changes.
After a year, the diet-and-exercise group had lost about 21 pounds; the diet-only group 18 pounds; and the exercise-only group almost 5 pounds. The control group did not lose a significant amount.
Gannett News Service
