The Weight-Loss Mistake You’ve Been Making

If you’ve tried losing weight on your own and keep failing, it’s OK to ask for help—especially considering that people tend to drop more pounds when they join a weight-loss intervention group, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Medicine.

For the study, which was commissioned by Weight Watchers, researchers from Baylor College of Medicine monitored 292 overweight individuals as they participated in a six-month weight-loss trial. Participants in the Weight Watchers group had access to weekly group-support meetings, the Weight Watchers website, and the Weight Watchers mobile app (which is designed to track physical activity and food intake). The other group had no outside help.

By the end of the study, people in the Weight Watchers group had lost an average of 5 percent of their initial weight, while on average, the other group lost less than 1 percent of their original weight—and study authors say the social support aspect of Weight Watchers was key to the dieters’ success.

“It’s not to say it can’t be done, but losing weight on your own is a very difficult thing to accomplish,” says study author Craig Johnston, Ph.D., researcher in the department of medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. “Finding a weight-loss program that works for you puts you around people who can support and motivate you.”

Want to drop pounds but not interested in a program like Weight Watchers? Try using these four ways your existing social networks can help you slim down.

Photo: Andresr/Shutterstock

More from Women's Health:
The One Place You Shouldn't Try to Lose Weight
Why You DEFINITELY Shouldn't Take Weight-Loss Pills
The New Weight-Loss Strategy: Just Don’t Gain Weight
 

Kenny Thapoung Social Media Editor When I'm not stalking future-but-never-going-to-happen husbands on Facebook, you can catch me eating at one of NYC's B-rated or below dining establishments—A-rated restaurants are for basics.