When I go to different events, people who haven't seen me for a while are impressed with my weight loss. Just this week, a friend who runs asked if I was also running. I am not - my weight loss is a combination of using a point system to control my eating plus walking and the products of Healthy For Life in Urbandale.
That's why I was surprised to read that eating right and exercising aren't the most important weight loss keys.
A new report by the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce shows that having a system of regular support in place is the key to dieting success.
When I thought about this - it made sense. I started on the point system because my wife had achieved great success on it. When we were BOTH on the system, we supported each other by only having healthy foods in the house and encouraging each other on a daily basis.
That means our focus on getting on the right diet is misplaced. Sure, you can get on a diet that works for you - but if you are not accountable to someone who is also supporting you, it isn't sustainable.
And this is an important study: obesity is a national epidemic. With numbers like three quarters of men and two thirds of women being obese, it’s staggering actually. Basically 40-percent of the country is obese.