Vtrim Community Blog      Vtrim Online

For those of you that follow our blog, you know we are referring to weight, so becoming a successful loser is something to aspire to!  You all know by now that Vtrim is a research-based program.  That sounds credible but what the heck does it mean?  In a nut shell, we have combined research findings from obesity research done at the University of Vermont by Dr. Jean Harvey-Berino and research results from other universities to create a commercially available program that provides the best chance of success based on many research studies over many years.

One of our favorite sources of research data is the National Weight Control Registry.   This database was started in 1994 and is now 5000+ people deep.  The criterion for joining the Registry is maintenance of at least a 30 lb weight loss for at least one year.  Rena Wing, PhD and Jim Hill, PhD, two renowned obesity researchers, started this database in an effort to study people who have lost weight and kept it off.  People self select to join this database and it is not a randomized controlled study.  The researchers concede this limitation but the point is to gleen common characteristics of people who are keeping weight off long-term.  What are they doing and how can this knowledge help others who are attempting to maintain the weight they’ve worked so hard to lose?

This data provides a road map of what successful weight maintenance looks like and it is no cake walk, so to speak!

Common characteristics among successful weight losers:

1.  Diet AND exercise are key.  Successful weight maintenance requires both!  Successful losers lost weight with diet and exercise and they continue these behaviors in maintenance.

2.  Most follow a reduced-calorie, low fat diet with an average of 24% of calories coming from fat.  (Tracking fat helps you to meet your calorie goal since gram for gram fat has twice the calories of protein and carbohydrate.)

3.  Almost 80% eat a healthy breakfast everyday. (They get started on the right foot everyday.)

4.  75% weigh themselves at least once a week and many weigh daily.  (This allows you to correct for minor slips.)

4.  90% exercise an average of 1 hour per day.  The average exercise expenditure is the equivalent of walking 28 miles per week.  (Don’t be intimidated, see it as perspective on what you are currently doing.  Can you do more?)

5.  62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.  (No time for TV with all of that exercise!  Can’t give up TV, walk the treadmill while you watch.)

Vtrim will teach you the weight loss behaviors necessary to achieve these markers of long-term success. You too can be a successful loser and Vtrim can help!

So, it was bound to happen and we are now there.  The National Center for Health Statistics reported last week that the percentage of obese Americans has surpassed the percentage of overweight.  A BMI between 25-30 is considered overweight and a BMI of greater than 30 is obese.  You can check out your BMI here.  BMI stands for Body Mass Index.  It is an estimate of your body fat based on your height and weight.  Your risk for weight-related diseases increases as your BMI increases.  The increase is dramatic once you reach the obese category.

Currently, 34% of Americans are obese and 32.7% are overweight.  If you find yourself in a BMI range that is less than ideal, don’t despair, it is never too late to turn the ship around.  Participating in an evidenced-based behavioral weight loss program provides the best chance for long-term success.  Many successful Vtrimmers have achieved a healhty BMI (<25) and have eliminated many, if not all,  of the diseases that were part of their lives or looming as the weight hung around.  Changing engrained behaviors is not easy but with the help of a structured program and expert guidance, success is attainable!

Statistics paint a picture but people make choices!  If you don’t want to sit back and be a stat in our unhealthy American landscape, then make a choice to make a change!  Get healthy today, Vtrim can help.

The Denver Post recently wrote an article about online weight loss and the gamut of options available to the public. Not all programs are created equal and as a consumer it is wise to do your homework before signing up.  As reported in the CNN article, an estimated 80 million Americans go on diets every year, spending more than $30 billion annually on programs and products. That’s a lot of cash and high hopes for change.

The Denver Post article suggests that high tech can work as well as old school. They base this conclusion on the research paper we published in Obesity in 2007 comparing Vtrim to eDiets.com, a popular commercial online weight loss program. eDiets.com is one of the few programs to put their protocol through a randomized clinical trial. Kudos to them! The results they achieved were promising from a public health standpoint. They have hundreds of thousands of active participants. However, a program like Vtrim provides the best results and the best chance of keeping the weight off long-term.

In this study, participants lost an average of 18 pounds in 6 months, 2x that of eDiets.com. How come the weight loss is so much greater in Vtrim? We attribute the difference to the systematic delivery over 24 weeks of a behavioral weight loss curriculum. We teach people how to manage their daily choices around food and exercise. And, we offer expert support and accountability throughout the process. Vtrim participants get weekly feedback on their food journal and their personal reflection activities from a professional facilitator.

The Denver Post article offers a cheat sheet on what to look for in a solid online weight loss program. They say look for the following attributes:

Questions that determine your height, weight, age and weight loss or fitness goals (and, ideally, your body-fat ratio).

A food journal to monitor daily calorie intake.

An activity log with a drop-down menu of tasks and exercises.

An educational element (behavior-modification articles, e-mail access to a therapist or personal trainer).

Community support via e-mail, chat rooms or discussion boards.

Vtrim has all of these and more and we guide you through the process of losing weight. Check us out today. We’d like to suggest you stop wasting money on fast, false-promise programs and invest in your weight management future with a scientifically-validated program like Vtrim.

CNN Health recently published their list of the top 10 healthiest diets in America. On that list was the Eating Well Diet which is based on the Vtrim Weight Management Program and authored by Vtrim’s creator and founder, Jean Harvey-Berino, PhD, RD. The CNN Health team evaluated 60 popular diet plans and whittled it down to the 10 most sensible, safe, and healthiest ways to manage weight loss. “The Eating Well Diet: Introducing The University-Tested Vtrim Weight-Loss Program” was hailed for its focus on behavioral changes–including finding and facing eating triggers, eating and shopping mindfully, and cultivating regular, joyful exercise habits.

“Hallelujah,” says registered dietitian and author of health.com’s Diet Guide, Maureen Callahan. “Here’s a diet plan that tells the truth about weight loss. Dieters lose about 21 pounds in six months, or about a pound a week. This kind of steady weight loss is the real thing, the kind that stays off.”

The Eating Well Diet book is a great start to any weight management effort. Want more support and accountability? Enroll in an online Vtrim class today! Not only will you learn those keys about behavior changes, you’ll have the support you need as you create healthier habits in your life. Check out the website for current classes:

www.uvm.edu/vtrim