Team Up for Weight Loss

Tweet more, weigh less? A supportive social network—online or in the office—can help you achieve individual diet goals.

Pig on Plate

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Pig on Plate

A new study reveals dieting in teams for cash rewards produces better results than dieting alone: Employee groups losing weight for money were more successful at dropping pounds than individuals dieting on their own for the same amount. This finding followed on the heels of a Mayo Clinic study that found “compliance and adherence to a sustained weight-loss plan can be achieved by financial incentives,” and that “financial incentives can improve results, and improve compliance and adherence.”

Virtual teamwork can also pay off in weight loss, according to recent from the American Heart Association (AHA) and the University of South Carolina’s Arnold School of Public Health. Social media sites bring instant (and nonstop) accessibility, accountability, and peer support to help people stick to weight-loss goals.

Tweet more, weigh less? In the South Carolina study, participants in a mobile weight-loss program who regularly utilized Twitter, instructional podcasts, and an activity monitoring app lost more than those who viewed podcasts only. The AHA analyzed eight different trials that merged social media with exercise and nutrition programs, and judged the combination effective. Test subjects lost weight, reduced dietary fat, and lowered their body mass index while exercising more.

 

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