Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about How to Lose or Gain Weight during Your Lifetime, Statistically Verified

June 26, 2011 - Most of us know intuitively what puts on weight – too much carbohydrates, too much sugar, too much processed or red meat, too much diet soda, too little exercise – and what takes weight off - fruit, vegetab3es, fiber, nuts,yogurt, and lots of physical activity.

Now through the work of 5 Harvard health experts, we have a massive study of 120,877 U.S. men and women who gained an average of 3.35 pounds within 4 year periods from 1998 to 2006.

Here is what caused them to gain weight.

• Potato chips,+ 1.6 lb

• Potatoes,+ 1.28 lb

• Sugar-sweetened beverages,+ 1.00 lb

• Unprocessed red meats, + 0.95 lb

• Processed meat, +0.93 lb

• Alcohol use, 1 drink a day,+0.41 lb

• Smoking, new quitters,+ 5.17 pounds

• Former smokers, + 0.14 pounds

• Television watching, + 0.31 lb per hour per day

And to lose weight.

• Vegetables, -0.22 lb

• Whole grains, -0.37 lb

• Fruits, -0.49 lb

• Nuts, -0.57 lb

• Yogurt, - 0.82 lb

• Physical activity, -1.76 lb
Pick your poisons for gaining and your reasons for losing. Follow the + and - bullets. You have something to gain, and little to lose.

Darisush, MD, et al, Changes in Diet and Lifestyle and Long-Term Weight Gain in Men and Women, New England Journal of Medicine, June 23, 2011