With obesity rates on the rise, more and more Americans are making efforts to manage their weight through lifestyle changes. The Harris Poll conducted an online consumer survey in November 2016 for the Calorie Control Council of over 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older to learn what changes in lifestyle people have made to achieve their weight loss goals. A variety of methods are being utilized by people attempting to manage their weight.
The most prevalent change that people have made is to consume more water. Fifty-seven percent of Americans reported that they drink more water to help achieve weight management goals. Drinking water can help manage weight for a few reasons. Water itself can curb appetite by filling up your stomach. Also, thirst is often mistaken for hunger, so drinking water may satiate what you perceived as hunger but was really thirst. Lastly, when selecting what beverage to consume, water is often used to replace higher calorie drinks which will reduce overall calorie intake.
Fifty-five percent of Americans said that they exercise and are more active. To lose one pound, you need to burn 3,500 calories. Exercising in combination with calorie reduction is an extremely effective way to lose and manage your weight. When choosing what type of exercise to do, I favor combining cardio with weight-strengthening exercises to build muscle and endurance. Building muscle can increase your metabolism, which makes it easier to lose weight and burn calories.
Forty-seven percent of Americans stated that they eat smaller portions to control their weight. Portion size is often overestimated. A typical sized dinner plate is too large and will lead to taking portions that are too large. To give you some examples, one serving of grains is half a cup of cooked brown rice or whole grain pasta. That is roughly the size of your clenched fist. The typical serving size of a meat or fish is 3 ounces, which is the size of the palm of your hand or a deck of cards.
Just over one quarter of Americans (28%) said that they use reduced-sugar or sugar free products. Substituting sugar-sweetened drinks and regular sodas for low calorie sweetened beverages can really make an impact on total daily calorie consumption. Swapping out sugar-sweetened foods or snacks like sugary, flavored yogurt for low calorie sweetened foods will help you achieve your weight management goals.
Weighing yourself more frequently is a good measure to take to keep an eye on your overall weight trends. Twenty-seven percent of Americans reported that they weigh themselves more often to help them reach their weight management goals. Keeping an eye on your weight once a week is a way to mark your progress and keep any upward rises in weight in check.
Overall, this survey demonstrates that effective methods are being utilized to lose weight.
Survey Method
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Calorie Control Council from November 16-18, 2016 among 2,074 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Stan Samples at the Calorie Control Council, ssamples@caloriecontrol.org.
Keri Peterson, MD is a medical contributor and columnist for Women’s Health and a frequent guest on NBC’s Today, ABC’s Good Morning America, Fox News and CNN. Based in New York City, Dr. Peterson has been in private practice since 1999 and holds appointments at Lenox Hill Hospital and Mount Sinai Medical Center. With a BA from Cornell University and a Medical Degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine, she completed post-graduate training in Internal Medicine at New York’s Mount Sinai Medical Center and is board certified in Internal Medicine. Dr. Peterson is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association, and serves as a medical advisor for the Calorie Control Council.
