Ep. 130: Prevent Weight Gain with the Small Change Approach
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Adults tend to gain weight as they age — about one to two pounds a year, research shows. A recent study indicates that small changes to one’s diet and/or exercise routine can prevent that incremental accumulation. In this episode, our Eat host, Leslie Beck, interviews the study’s lead researcher, Dr. Robert Ross of Queen’s University, (pictured above) a global expert on sustainable positive lifestyle change for weight loss and better health. He shares the study’s findings, and discusses tips on how to halt age-related weight gain.
LINKS
Read Leslie Beck’s Globe and Mail article on Dr. Robert Ross’s study here.
Find Dr. Robert Ross’s study here in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Check out the SNAP randomized clinical trial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, mentioned by Dr. Ross at [22:24].
Dr. Robert Ross is the principal investigator at Queen’s Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Research Unit. Here’s their Twitter feed.
Here are the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, for which Dr. Ross was the lead author. Check out the guidelines’ public-facing site.
INSIGHTS
Dr. Robert Ross was the lead author of the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology’s 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, published in 2020. [3:00]
“What does the science say about people's tendency to gain weight during adulthood?” asks Leslie Beck. [4:22]
Dr. Ross says our “obesogenic environment” is partly to blame for the way incremental weight gain sneaks up on us. “Today, by default, the unhealthy choice—it is the easy choice,” he explains. [6:30]
When we notice weight gain, we often make drastic lifestyle changes. What does the research say about the long-term success of going on a permanent diet, or deciding to begin a rigorous fitness program? [7:58]
What exactly is the “small change approach”? [10:30]
The trial split participants into two groups: one group was told to adhere to the small change approach, while the other group was told to continue with their normal routine. [14:47]
Dr Ross considers that participants’ regular weight monitoring could have influenced their behaviour—whether or not they were in the small change approach group. [17:16]
Dr. Ross’s team also observed that the small change approach might be more effective in overweight people than in people with obesity. [19:39]
What are the advantages of the small change approach? [23:17]
Leslie Beck and Dr. Robert Ross feature their tips on possible small changes designed to prevent weight gain, which you can incorporate into your lifestyle. [25:07]
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This podcast episode is intended to provide general information about health and wellness only and is not designed, or intended to constitute, or be used as a substitute for, medical advice, treatment or diagnosis. You should always talk to your Medcan health care provider for individual medical advice, diagnosis and treatment, including your specific health and wellness needs.
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