Fewer Desserts, Sugary Drinks Linked to Long-Term Weight Loss
By Salynn Boyles WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
Aug. 28, 2012 -- As she approached her 50s, Susan Williams found it harder and harder to maintain her weight, let alone shed the extra pounds she had been working to lose for some time.
"I was working out as hard as I ever have, but I was gaining weight," the Atlanta-based film production executive says. "It's a constant struggle."
Now 52, Williams says she has recently revamped her diet to include more fruits and vegetables and less sugar and white flour -- and she's managed to lose a few pounds.
Conventional wisdom says weight gain is inevitable with menopause and that losing weight is difficult. But a new study questions this wisdom.
Researchers examined eating behaviors among postmenopausal women in their 50s enrolled in a weight-loss study. They identified those behaviors that were common in women who managed to shed pounds and keep them off.
Cutting way back on sugary desserts and drinks topped the list, followed by limiting meats and cheeses and eating more fruits and vegetables.
"People who were able to decrease their consumption of desserts and sugar-sweetened beverages tended to have more success losing weight and keeping it off," says researcher Bethany Barone Gibbs, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh.
Read this article:
Keys to Weight Loss After Menopause
