If you want to lose weight you need to eat less.

 

Because I have managed to keep my weight in check despite Covid, people ask me - "What's your secret?"

I tell them the truth. 

I hardly eat anything at all. 

In fact, I have been astonished by how little I need to eat to keep from gaining weight now that I am over 60.

But research tells us that at age 50, assuming that you have the same activity level as you did at 20 (fat chance) you still need to eat 200 fewer calories a day in order to prevent weight gain.

After age 60, it's 400-500 calories less.  (Weiss, 2018)

Despite what you might have heard, exercise while good for you in so many ways, doesn't really help with weight loss.  It takes two hours of exercise to burn off a hamburger.  And in many cases exercise will stimulate hunger.

So, as Weight Watchers has taught for years, the secret to weight loss is portion control and behavior modification.

Recently I lunched with a friend, who asked that half her lunch be boxed, and then turned to me and said: "See I eat small portions."

She's missing the point.  Portion size is not an absolute. 

If you want to lose weight and you aren't, you need to eat less than you are currently eating.   Even if like me, you end up eating almost nothing at all.

 

Weiss, S. (2018, December 18)  Why is it so hard for women over 50 to lose weight?  nch.org Retrieved July 28, 2021, from  https://www.nch.org/news/why-is-it-so-hard-for-women-over-50-to-lose-weight/

Why are researchers asking the wrong question?

 

Words matter.  Just changing one word in a research question can vastly impact the results. 

A definitive study from Loftus & Palmer in 1974 demonstrated that changing the descriptor of an accident from "bumped" to "smashed" changes the testimony from eyewitnesses.  (McLeod, 2014)

 

You can check out a recreation of the experiment from Brain Games here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQ-96BLaKYQ

 

I recently had the opportunity to interact with a customer service person at an organization I do business with.  The interaction which was above and beyond the typical contact went well, so I was prepared to provide feedback to the company.

 

When I opened the email the company sent, I expected to see the question: "How satisfied were you with the customer service that you received?"  I would have responded with a 10 out of 10. 

 

But the email they sent me asked - "Based on your recent call with Company X customer service, how likely are you to recommend Company X to a friend or colleague?"  My answer to that question is 0 out of 10.  

 

Why?  Because you don't pay me to market your services and I don't work for free.

 

I am not sure why companies don't get that. 

Because I didn't want my answer to reflect poorly upon the person that I spoke with, I chose not to answer at all.

This is not an isolated incidence.  I am not sure when companies decided that if they only have one question to ask this would be the one.  

But I am sure it's not providing them with any meaningful feedback.

 

McLeod, S. (2014)  Loftus & Palmer. simplypsychology.org.  Retrieved July 6, 2021, from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/loftus-palmer.html