Bookstores, magazines and Web sites are full of expert advice on how to lose weight, but what do the real experts -- our friends -- recommend? ThirdAge consulted our community members and found new trends in losing weight, and keeping it off.
To begin with, fads and quick fixes are passe. Our community members indicate that weight loss is an ongoing process that's focused on more than merely losing pounds.
"I believe that diet and exercise go hand in hand toward total fitness," says weight loss forum leader Xwordwonder. "And just because you are exercising doesn't mean that you can eat what you want."
"Going it alone" is also a thing of the past. For lasting weight loss, community members such as baby1955 report that sharing successes and strategies with a ThirdAge Weight Loss Buddy helps dieters stay focused and optimistic.
To team up with a Weight Loss Buddy, go to the Fitness Buddies forum. Log in as a ThirdAge member, then type in a message in which you introduce yourself and ask for someone to be your weight loss buddy.
Among the ThirdAge discussions, circles and chat rooms, we've spotted new strategies for overcoming compulsive eating and keeping motivation strong. Whispering 1229 writes that taking a wellness program at her local Y helped jump-start her weight loss regimen.
"Thinking about eating urges and linking them to other goals in my life helps me quell the impulse to eat," writes MaggieG. She recommends that others "try to think about food and food consumption not in terms of weight but in terms of how eating a particular thing will affect specific areas of your life."
