[yeahright]

Eat Yogurt. Lose 14 Pounds in 12 Weeks?

It's easy. It's simple. And it tastes good. Eat light yogurt daily as part of your weight loss plan, and you could lose an average of 14 pounds in just 12 weeks.

That's the word from researchers at the University of Tennessee who have found that people who included Yoplait Light as part of their weight loss plan lost significantly more weight compared to others who simply reduced the number of calories.

Specifically, this is what the yogurt eaters lost during the 12-week study:

* 22 percent more weight for an average weight loss of 14 pounds.
* 66 percent more body fat.
* 81 percent more trunkal (or stomach) fat.

How does yogurt do this? It appears to fuel the body's fat-burning ability, which in turn makes it easier to lose fat and maintain lean muscle.

The study: Led by Michael Zemel, a professor of nutrition, the research team studied the impact of adding yogurt to a reduced-calorie diet among 34 healthy, but obese, adults. They were randomly assigned to one of two diet groups. The first group consumed about 1,100 mg of calcium each day, including three servings of Yoplait Light yogurt, while the other group ate a low-calcium diet with only one serving of dairy a day. The second group is a reflection of the typical American diet, which is low in calcium. Participants were given individualized diet plans that were about 500 less calories fewer than they typically ate. Weekly measurements of body weight and blood pressure were taken.

The results: "Not only did yogurt help the study participants lose more weight--the average weight loss was 14 pounds--they were about twice as effective at maintaining lean muscle mass," Zemel said in a news release announcing the findings. "This is a critical issue when dieting. You want to lose fat, not muscle. Muscle helps burn calories, but it is often compromised during weight loss." The calcium helped the dieters lose more than an inch around their waist.

More important, they lost weight were it counts the most--in their tummies. Stomach fat is the most dangerous kind of fat, creating a higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some types of cancer.

"The moral of the calcium story is to not dump dairy when you're dieting," Zemel explained in the news release. "Not only is it critical to keep your calcium levels high so you won't lose bone density, but also it will help you maintain your muscle mass and increase your fat loss. A diet rich in low-fat dairy foods, like yogurt, can help make your weight loss efforts easier."

How much dairy should you eat each day? Zemel recommends three servings of fat-free and low-fat foods.

The study findings were published in the International Journal of Obesity.

[Brent]

I have been staying away from yogurt because of the sugars and aspartame. Thoughts?

[yeahright]

Originally Posted by Brent

I have been staying away from yogurt because of the sugars and aspartame. Thoughts?

Looks like the yogurt they studied here was "light" yogurt. I myself only have yogurt once a week or so and then it's just eating one of the ones we have around for the kids (regular fruit containing stuff). I should probably eat it more given this and the related study I posted.

[bioman]

I like yoghurt..but I don't think it does anything for weightloss. The mere fact that obese people were put on a diet and actually ate one healthy item per day seems to be of greater signifcance than pimping yoghurt and calcium's fatloss role. A cup of yoplait is like a thimble.

[Brent]

The part I didn't like about that article was the fact they lost weight on Yoplait Light. Fake marketing study?

[yeahright]

There are a number of studies which gesture at dairy foods leading to weight loss (all other things being equal)....but yeah, there are deficiencies in the study.

[moklepaul]

Different brands of yogurt have different types of cultures in them, Brent, perhaps that affected the research?

[Nitrox]

Like most of these studies, too many variables unaccounted for...

[FitnFirm]

I ate yogurt pretty much daily the last 12 weeks on a professional training plan I lost 12 pounds of fat, if this were true, that means I could of lost this 12 pounds sitting on my ass and not eating a clean diet. BULL HOCKEY!!!!!!!! I busted my rear end weight training and eating a clean diet to lose that 12 pounds of fat, yogurt is healthy but it is not magic.

[jjohn]

Dairy as part of a healthy diet will help in weight loss, it must be still in a calorie deficit though. Not a miracle product.

[yeahright]

Originally Posted by FitnFirm

I ate yogurt pretty much daily the last 12 weeks on a professional training plan I lost 12 pounds of fat, if this were true, that means I could of lost this 12 pounds sitting on my ass and not eating a clean diet. BULL HOCKEY!!!!!!!! I busted my rear end weight training and eating a clean diet to lose that 12 pounds of fat, yogurt is healthy but it is not magic.

I think you have to take into account the relative starting points. It take smuch more effort for someone who starts in great shape (such as yourself) to lose 12 pounds then it does for someone who could stand to lose 50.

[jjohn]

I guess so, but there are a lot of studies coming up on this subject.

[Kam]

it doesn't matter, i'm going to make my own fruit yogurt as it will help with breaking food down. Thanks for the post. I'm not looking for miracle foods but any little thing will help. As i just started taking green tea pills. And maybe a couple other things will help me get below 10% BF. Just like doing weight reduction on a car something here and there doesn't seem like much but when it's all added up it makes a good difference.