Lessons Learned from the National Weight Control Registry

The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) was established in 1994 by Rena Wing, Ph.D. from Brown Medical School and James O. Hill, Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. The NWCR is the largest prospective investigation of long-term successful weight loss maintenance. The NWCR is tracking over 5,000 individuals who have lost significant amounts of weigh (30 -300 pounds) and kept it off for long periods of time. Volunteers in this study are followed through questionnaires and annual follow-up surveys.

Volunteer profile:
• 80% of persons in the registry are women and 20% are men
• The "average" woman is 45 years of age and currently weighs 145 lbs, while the "average" man is 49 years of age and currently weighs 190 lbs
• Registry members have lost an average of 66 lbs and kept it off for 5.5 years
• Duration of successful weight loss has ranged from 1 year to 66 years
• Some have lost the weight rapidly, while others have lost weight very slowly--over as many as 14 years

I few interesting facts about these volunteers’ weight loss:
• 45% of registry participants lost the weight on their own and the other 55% lost weight with the help of some type of program
• 98% of Registry participants report that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight
• 94% increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.
• 78% eat breakfast every day
• 75% weigh themselves at least once a week
• 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week
• 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day

Most volunteers report continuing to maintain a low calorie, low fat diet and performing high levels of activity.

Source: http://www.nwcr.ws/default.htm