Slight diet, exercise changes found to control
weight
November 30, 2004
By Nanci Hellmich
Obesity researchers from around the world went home last weekend
with new data to chew on.
Several studies, released last week at the annual meeting of the
North American Association for the Study of Obesity, offered practical
suggestions on how to lose weight and keep it off.
One researcher found that by adding fiber-rich vegetables to pizza,
pasta and other dishes and cutting back on portions a little, dieters
can trim as much as 800 calories a day without even noticing. advertisement
This means, for example, adding foods such as tomatoes, green peppers
and onions to pizza, and baking with applesauce instead of oil.
Other research has shown that over the course of a day or two,
a person eats the same weight of food each day. So experts believe
that increasing the fruits and vegetables in dishes so they are
higher in fiber and water will help people cut calories without
feeling deprived.
Another study looked at how to keep many Americans from continuing
to gain a pound or more a year.
To figure out what exercise prescriptions will help, University
of Pittsburgh researchers followed 114 overweight men and women
who exercised regularly for 12 months.
Participants were divided into three groups: a moderate-exercise
group that worked out 20 to 30 minutes five days a week; a high-dose
exercise group that worked out 20 to 60 minutes five days a week;
and an information-only group that had an initial session of exercise
instruction and received a book and newsletter on how to increase
physical activity.
All three groups were told to eat healthfully without cutting calories.
On average, people in all three groups lost a modest amount of
weight. And the more people exercised, the more they improved their
cardiovascular fitness.
"We need to help people make small lifestyle changes to prevent
that weight gain," says James Hill, director of the Center
for Human Nutrition at the University of Colorado Health Sciences
Center and co-founder of America on the Move, which encourages people
to take 2,000 more steps a day and eat 100 fewer calories.
Source:www.azcentral.com
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