five commonly repeated weight loss myths

GiddyupTim

Hey,
Did anyone else see this ? An article in the New England Journal of Medicine, published last week, in which the researchers -- prominent obesity researchers -- described the most common weight loss myths they heard repeated all the time.
Yes, I know we have had innumerable "top weight loss myth" threads.
But, these are kind of interesting.

THE MYTHS:

Small things make a big difference. Walking a mile a day can lead to a loss of more than 50 pounds in five years.

Set a realistic goal to lose a modest amount.

People who are too ambitious will get frustrated and give up.

You have to be mentally ready to diet or you will never succeed.

Slow and steady is the way to lose. If you lose weight too fast you will lose less in the long run.

Ideas not yet proven TRUE OR FALSE

Diet and exercise habits in childhood set the stage for the rest of life.

Add lots of fruits and vegetables to your diet to lose weight or not gain as much.

Yo-yo diets lead to increased death rates.

People who snack gain weight and get fat.

If you add bike paths, jogging trails, sidewalks and parks, people will not be as fat.

FACTS — GOOD EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT

Heredity is important but is not destiny.

Exercise helps with weight maintenance.

Weight loss is greater with programs that provide meals.

Some prescription drugs help with weight loss and maintenance.

Weight-loss surgery in appropriate patients can lead to long-term weight loss, less diabetes and a lower death rate.

The New York Times had a report on this article. In it, the reporter interviewed the article's main author. One example of supposed weight loss dogma that particularly galls the author is that people who eat breakfast have better weight control, he says. That has simply not been proven, he says.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/myths-of-weight-loss-are-plentiful-researcher-says/

Here is a link to the NEJM article, but you need a subscription to view the entire report.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa1208051

d_Mode

Thanks. I'll check it out when I get a chance!

GiddyupTim

I gotta bump my own post. (How embarrassing) I thought this was pretty interesting.