Is weight loss ?contagious?? According to a new study published online in the journal Obesity, teammates in a team-based weight loss competition significantly influenced each other?s weight loss, suggesting that shedding pounds can have a ripple effect.

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital?s Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University found that team members not only achieved similar weight loss outcomes, but participants who said their teammates played a large role in their weight loss actually lost the most weight.

?We know that obesity can be socially contagious, but now we know that social networks play a significant role in weight loss as well, particularly team-based weight loss competitions,? said lead author Tricia Leahey, Ph.D., of The Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School. ?In our study, weight loss clearly clustered within teams, which suggests that teammates influenced each other, perhaps by providing accountability, setting expectations of weight loss, and providing encouragement and support.?

Obesity remains a common, serious and costly disease in the United States. About one-third of American adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and no state has met the nation?s Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15 percent. Obesity and its associated health problems, including heart disease and diabetes, continue to have a significant economic impact on the U.S. health care system, costing the nation hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

To promote cost-effective weight loss initiatives, online team-based weight loss interventions are increasing in popularity as a way to encourage weight loss in large groups of people. The current study is the first to examine the effects of teammates and social influence on individual weight loss during one of these weight loss competitions.

The findings are based on the results of the 2009 Shape Up Rhode Island (SURI) campaign, a 12-week statewide online weight loss competition designed by study co-author Rajiv Kumar, M.D. Participants joined with a team and could compete against other teams in three divisions: weight loss, physical activity and pedometer steps. The weight loss competition included 3,330 overweight or obese individuals (BMI of 31.2 or greater), representing 987 teams averaging between 5 and 11 members each. The majority of these individuals enrolled in all three divisions.

Weight loss outcomes were clearly determined by which team an individual was on. Participants who lost clinically significant amounts of weight (at least 5 percent of their initial body weight) tended to be on the same teams, and being on a team with more teammates in the weight loss division was also associated with a greater weight loss. Individuals who reported higher levels of teammate social influence increased their odds of achieving a clinically significant weight loss by 20 percent. This effect was stronger than any other team characteristic, Leahey said.

?This is the first study to show that in these team-based campaigns, who?s on your team really matters,? she added. ?Being surrounded by others with similar health goals all working to achieve the same thing may have really helped people with their weight loss efforts.?

However, Leahey noted that individual characteristics were also associated with weight outcomes. Obese individuals had a greater percentage of weight loss than overweight participants. Team captains also lost more weight than team members, possibly due to their increased motivation and engagement in the campaign. Leahey says that future weight loss team competitions may consider requiring team members to share the leadership role.

?We?re all influenced by the people around us, so if we can harness this positive peer pressure and these positive social influences, we can create a social environment to help encourage additional weight loss,? she said.

More here:
Weight loss, like weight gain, is contagious

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- People who drank water or diet beverages instead of calorie-laden drinks lost 4 to 5 pounds over half a year, according to new research.

The study included 318 overweight or obese people divided into three groups: those who switched to water from high-calorie beverages; those who switched to diet soft drinks; and those who weren't advised to change beverages but were given general information about healthy choices that could help them lose weight (the control group).

Over the six-month study, all three groups had small reductions in weight and waist circumference. But those who switched to calorie-free beverages were twice as likely to lose 5 percent or more of their body weight than those in the control group.

In addition, the investigators found that people who drank mostly water had lower fasting glucose levels and better hydration levels than those in the control group.

Percentage of weight loss and lower blood-sugar levels are important because they're associated with improvements in risk factors for obesity-related chronic diseases, according to study author Deborah Tate, an associate professor of nutrition and of health behavior at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health and member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

"Substituting noncaloric beverages -- whether it's water, diet soft drinks or something else -- can be a clear and simple change for people who want to lose or maintain weight," she said in a university news release. "If this were done on a large scale, it could significantly reduce the increasing public health problem of obesity."

The study appears online and in the March print issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Weight loss among the participants in this study was less than that seen in more intensive, clinic-based behavioral lifestyle modification programs, the researchers said. However, they noted that asking people to change just one part of their diet (in this case, beverages) is consistent with previous findings recommending small but potentially more sustainable lifestyle changes to improve health.

"Substituting specific foods or beverages that provide a substantial portion of daily calories may be a useful strategy for modest weight loss or weight gain prevention," Tate said. "Beverages may be ideal targets, but keep in mind, the strategy will only work if the person doesn't make up for the lost calories some other way."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases explains how to choose a safe and successful weight-loss program.

See more here:
Switching to Water, Diet Drinks Linked to Modest Weight Loss

Weight loss experts have often advised people looking to shed a few pounds to replace their sugary sodas with water—or at least a diet soda—but hard evidence hasn’t existed to back up their claims .Now new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that simply changing your drinking habits may be enough to see a difference in weight loss.

According to Fox News, researchers randomly assigned more than 300 overweight adults into one of three groups. The first group replaced sugary drinks with water, the second drank diet sodas and the third was given weight loss advice, and then left to choose their own beverages.

At the end of six months, all three groups had lost an average of four or five pounds. However, the two groups that stopped drinking sugary drinks were more likely to lose at least five percent of their starting weight—20 percent of these two groups lost weigh, while only 11 percent of the comparison group did.

That kind of weight loss is considered “clinically meaningful,” Fox said. Participants experienced a drop in blood pressure and saw other health benefits from their actions.

And according to study leader Deborah Tate, the best part of the group’s findings is that they’re applicable to nearly everyone looking to drop a few pounds and improve their health.

“This is a simple thing you can do consistently each day,” Tate told Fox, adding dieters often find an entire lifestyle change too daunting. “It’s a good first step.”

On average, study participants lost about two percent of their body weight, Fox said.

More here:
Weight Loss is Easier When Switching Sugary Drinks for Water

TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Oragenics, Inc. (OTCBB:ORNI.OB - News) announced that a recently completed randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, human clinical study with 32 enrolled subjects resulted in a statistically and clinically significant reduction in body weight when healthy, overweight and mildly obese adult volunteers were given daily supplementation of Oragenics’ Weight Loss Agent LPT3-04 over a twelve-week period. This study, sponsored by Oragenics, was conducted at the Miami Research Associates (MRA) clinical research facilities in Miami, Florida. MRA investigators also confirmed that there were no safety concerns with daily supplementation of LPT3-04 over the 12-week duration of the trial, and that no reports of serious adverse events, including depression, occurred during this trial. This human study result confirms the extensive results obtained from animal safety and efficacy studies completed to date by Oragenics, and suggests that LPT3-04, a natural occurring dietary substance with an excellent safety and tolerance profile, can support weight loss in overweight men and women.

The World Health Organization estimated that by 2015, there will be more than 1.5 billion overweight consumers. Further, according to a 2012 healthcare market research report published by Markets and Markets, the total global weight loss market is expected to be worth US$586.3 billion by 2014, with a compound annual growth rate of 10.9% from 2009 to 2014. These reports suggest that the opportunities for a scientifically-substantiated weight management product are impressive.

“We are delighted with the results of this well-designed human study. The reported weight loss appears to relate to LPT3-04’s ability to increase programmed cell death (apoptosis) of white fat cells. The Company is currently seeking partners to further develop this technology and commercialize food and beverage products that encourage the weight management of both humans and companion pets,” stated John N. Bonfiglio, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Oragenics.

About Oragenics, Inc.

Oragenics is a leading nutraceutical company focused on oral care probiotics for humans and companion pets. The Company’s proprietary products Evora and ProBiora3® are currently sold in the United States and international markets. In addition, Oragenics has an exciting pipeline of therapeutic products targeting infectious diseases.

About Miami Research Associates

Miami Research Associates (MRA) is a multi-specialty clinical research facility in operation since 1996. Our expert staff consists of more than 16 board-certified physician investigators and more than 38 ACRP certified clinical research coordinators. We are industry leaders at the execution of Phase I-IV clinical trials and pride ourselves on accuracy, integrity and quality data.

Safe Harbor Statement: Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s current views with respect to future events and financial performance. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and information currently available. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project” and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters identify forward-looking statements. Investors should be cautious in relying on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to our ability to raise additional capital to sustain our operations beyond March 31, 2012 and those set forth in our most recently filed annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly report on Form 10-Q, and other factors detailed from time to time in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We expressly disclaim any responsibility to update forward-looking statements.

Read more:
Oragenics Announces Positive Clinical Results for its Proprietary Weight Loss Agent, LPT3-04

Researchers from The Miriam Hospital's Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University found that team members not only achieved similar weight loss outcomes, but participants who said their teammates played a large role in their weight loss actually lost the most weight.

"We know that obesity can be socially contagious, but now we know that social networks play a significant role in weight loss as well, particularly team-based weight loss competitions," said lead author Tricia Leahey, Ph.D., of The Miriam Hospital and Alpert Medical School. "In our study, weight loss clearly clustered within teams, which suggests that teammates influenced each other, perhaps by providing accountability, setting expectations of weight loss, and providing encouragement and support."

Obesity remains a common, serious and costly disease in the United States. About one-third of American adults are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and no state has met the nation's Healthy People 2010 goal to lower obesity prevalence to 15 percent. Obesity and its associated health problems, including heart disease and diabetes, continue to have a significant economic impact on the U.S. health care system, costing the nation hundreds of billions of dollars each year.

To promote cost-effective weight loss initiatives, online team-based weight loss interventions are increasing in popularity as a way to encourage weight loss in large groups of people. The current study is the first to examine the effects of teammates and social influence on individual weight loss during one of these weight loss competitions.

The findings are based on the results of the 2009 Shape Up Rhode Island (SURI) campaign, a 12-week statewide online weight loss competition designed by study co-author Rajiv Kumar, M.D. Participants joined with a team and could compete against other teams in three divisions: weight loss, physical activity and pedometer steps. The weight loss competition included 3,330 overweight or obese individuals (BMI of 31.2 or greater), representing 987 teams averaging between 5 and 11 members each. The majority of these individuals enrolled in all three divisions.

Weight loss outcomes were clearly determined by which team an individual was on. Participants who lost clinically significant amounts of weight (at least 5 percent of their initial body weight) tended to be on the same teams, and being on a team with more teammates in the weight loss division was also associated with a greater weight loss. Individuals who reported higher levels of teammate social influence increased their odds of achieving a clinically significant weight loss by 20 percent. This effect was stronger than any other team characteristic, Leahey said.

"This is the first study to show that in these team-based campaigns, who's on your team really matters," she added. "Being surrounded by others with similar health goals all working to achieve the same thing may have really helped people with their weight loss efforts."

However, Leahey noted that individual characteristics were also associated with weight outcomes. Obese individuals had a greater percentage of weight loss than overweight participants. Team captains also lost more weight than team members, possibly due to their increased motivation and engagement in the campaign. Leahey says that future weight loss team competitions may consider requiring team members to share the leadership role.

"We're all influenced by the people around us, so if we can harness this positive peer pressure and these positive social influences, we can create a social environment to help encourage additional weight loss," she said.

Provided by Lifespan (news : web)

View original post here:
Weight loss can be contagious, study suggests

Longstanding weight loss provider Slimming.com announces the arrival of their online fitness community Slimming+. A unique platform dedicated to providing slimmer’s with the tools, the training and the motivational resources to lose weight and transform their life and body.

Nottingham, England (PRWEB) February 14, 2012

Slimming.com has been helping slimmers for years to overcome current dietary trends and lose weight with the support of clinically tested slimming products, so the introduction of Slimming+ was a natural step in their commitment to combating the growing obesity problem.

Recognising that successful weight loss cannot be dependent on slimming aids alone; Slimming+ provides slimmers with the platform to lose weight, tone up and get fit whilst taking into consideration their personal needs and requirements.

“The most successful diets come from surrounding yourself with a strong support network and Slimming+ can offer this kind of support. In one portal, slimmer’s can benefit from a personalised diet program, fitness program, tracker, coach and motivator - all rolled into one – plus can freely chat to other members from anywhere in the world.” comments Managing Director Rob Wass.

And given the initial results of their pre-launch (pre-registration over 2,500) Slimming+ has the potential to be up there with some of the biggest players in the diet and fitness industry.

Originally brought for $185,000, Slimming.com is a valuable domain name within this expansive industry as it is short and targeted. Yet thanks to the introduction of Slimming+, the company now has high hopes that it can now reach its full potential.

Offering what few other weight loss sites have managed to achieve: personalised diet and recipe suggestions; nutritional information; step by step fitness programs and exercises; an online community and food diary. Slimming+ will help pave the way for slimmers to safely manage their weight loss and overcome common weight loss barriers without having to resort to dangerous dietary habits.

As Slimming+ member Joanne Clark quickly found when she took part in the trial period:

“I’ve always found dieting to be so time consuming. Checking food labels, going to the gym, searching for low fat food recipes… I just never had the time to do it properly, but this time I am feeling pretty confident. Slimming+ has taken out all the hassle. If I want to exercise I can just pop on the computer and watch an exercise video. If I fancy eating something different, I can look at their recipe list and quickly compare their nutritional values. With Slimming+ I know exactly where I am with my diet and for once in my life I feel in control.” – Joanne Clarke, 31, Legal Secretary.

And this is great news for slimmers whose hectic work and social schedules leave them with little time to eat properly.

By combining Slimming.com with this unique online fitness community, slimmers will easily be able to achieve their goals and be a part of a real slimming group.

“Slimming groups such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World are successful because they allow slimmers to come together, share their experiences and encourage each other to keep striving forward. Slimming+ encourages this on a much larger scale, by allowing slimmers to communicate with members across Facebook and twitter so no matter where they are, they will never be alone.” – Rob Wass, Managing Director

And the features available on Slimming+ are certainly incentive enough to provide slimmers with the support system they need to lose weight. Offering their first 1,000 members a lifetime’s free subscription, this is sure to encourage slimmer’s to experiment with this platform and begin their path to a healthier lifestyle.

For more information on Slimming+ visit http://plus.slimming.com

###

Robert Wass
Slimming.com
(+44)0115 9338339
Email Information

See the rest here:
Slimming.com Launches Unique Diet and Fitness Platform Slimming+

Article updated: 2/14/2012 5:20 AM

Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia demonstrates healthful cooking earlier this month at the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva. Lamplough will be featured on the new Food Network show “Fat Chef” on March 1, which follows overweight chefs as they work to lose weight.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia cooks chicken for gyros while demonstrating healthful cooking Feb. 1 at the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

This chocolate mousse by chef Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia is low in fat, sugar and calories.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

Phyllis Kmetz of Downers Grove, right, smiles as she finds out she won a cookbook by chef Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia during a cooking demonstration by Lamplough at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. Kmetz is a volunteer at the food bank.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

Staff member Maeven Sipes hands out samples of chicken gyros and a cucumber, tomato and feta salad while Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia demonstrates healthful cooking earlier this month at the Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva.

 

Laura Stoecker | Staff Photographer

Five months ago, Jen Bucko Lamplough of Batavia fit the bill for the new Food Network television show “Fat Chef.” The co-author of two cookbooks on healthful eating for diabetics wasn't practicing what the books preached.

The 37-year-old was 100 pounds overweight. And not just because of what she tasted as a chef instructor at Robert Morris University in Chicago. There were also the meals at home and the passes through fast-food drive-throughs. The pounds had piled up since her freshman year in college.

She knew that if she wanted to become pregnant, have a healthy pregnancy and be physically fit to raise children, something had to change. Now.

So when a chef friend mentioned on Facebook that the Food Network was looking for subjects for its new show, Lamplough jumped at the chance.

“I was at a point in my life where I was ready to ask for some help,” she said.

And after four months of intense exercise, meal revisions and therapy, she jokes the TV show should be called “Not-So-Fat-Chef.”

The show

The show, which premiered Jan. 26, features two chefs per episode. Lamplough's episode is scheduled to be broadcast March 1.

Filming started Oct. 6. Lamplough was assigned to health consultant Robert Brace, who evaluated her fitness and what she was eating, then designed a plan. Then, Lamplough started working out, two hours a day, six days a week. She joined River West Family Fitness Center in downtown Batavia, where owner Chris Hylton became her local personal trainer, with visits from New York-based Brace. “They had fun taking turns killing me in the gym,” Lamplough said.

Particularly rough was Hylton's daily “Boot Camp” class. “I have never been in such good shape in my life. My butt shrunk so much, so I call it booty camp,” she said.

Fitting that exercise in around her full-time job meant going to the gym at 5 a.m. before work, or sometimes working out at RMU's fitness center on her lunch hour.

What to eat

Learning what to eat wasn't an issue. “I'm actually an expert at it,” Lamplough said. Her problem was eating too much. “I just love food. I am a foodie,” she said. Her parents owned a Dairy Queen. Family gatherings involve meals. “We needed to change our ways a little bit,” she said.

“We needed to change our ways a LOT.”

During her weight-loss journey, Lamplough made recipes out of her own cookbook. And she started therapy to deal with emotional issues she believes led her to overeat, including the death of her father when she was a freshman in college.

And did it all in front of TV cameras.

“It (losing weight) is such a hard, private thing, and you are putting it out for the world,” she said.

Lamplough will be live tweeting during the broadcasts at 9 p.m. Thursdays at fitfoodiechef, and she has a Facebook page, Facebook.com@fitfoodiechef. She plans to start a website soon.

Lamplough raves about the show being a positive experience. Unlike other reality TV shows, this wasn't a contest. There was no snakiness or backstabbing. And it shows people that you can focus on weight loss and good health, even while leading your everyday life. “We weren't shipped off to a ranch somewhere,” Lamplough said.

Today

So far, Lamplough has lost 52 pounds. She shared that fact with a crowd of about 40 who attended a recent presentation she made in the demonstration kitchen at Northern Illinois Food Bank in Geneva. The food bank, which supplies food to charity pantries and other nutrition programs, wants to also educate people about good nutrition.

Lamplough's stepmother-in-law, a volunteer there, immediately thought of Lamplough.

She made a tomato-cucumber-and-feta salad, low in fat and only 75 calories per cup.

Excerpt from:
Batavia chef shares weight-loss struggle on national TV

Everwood has released a provocative new weight loss book, set to turn the health and fitness world upside-down.

(PRWEB) February 14, 2012

Everwood Presents: - America remains heralded as one of the most overweight countries in the world and despite a growing awareness, it seems losing weight remains for many people as confusing and as elusive as ever. Society is bombarded constantly by a marketing onslaught of diets, fads, exercise machines, home delivered meals, supplements, pills and other weight loss schemes and services. Unfortunately, the industry is infamous for its often suspicious and questionable methods, all promising quick and easy solutions to an already despairing population. To add to the confusion, the modern era is one where information surrounding nutrition and exercise is exhaustive and often at times contradictory, so it’s no wonder that people looking to lose weight can often feel skeptical, overwhelmed and discouraged.

While health and fitness professionals will generally agree that losing weight is best achieved through dieting and exercise, an innovative new method from Australia is well on its way to revolutionize this perception. According to weight loss specialist Azrael, mainstream advice surrounding weight loss is frequently impractical, incorrect or short-sighted. “While I believe the majority of health and fitness professionals across the world do have the best of intentions, many are unfortunately providing the public and their governments with misleading or wrong information.” Azrael continues by stating that popular industry maxims such as "weight loss is all about calories in versus calories out," "dieting and exercise," "write a weight loss goal," "eat a balanced diet," and "breakfast is the most important meal of the day," are all examples of what he calls junk information.

Azrael has personally battled against obesity twice in his life. “When I first lost weight, I succeeded by following the advice of experts at the time. I was eating a very low-fat diet in combination with plenty of exercise. But years later, my priorities in life changed and before I knew it, I was more overweight than ever.” Realizing that the initial advice he had followed was ultimately unhealthy and unrealistic for the long term, Azrael lost trust with the experts and was in turn inspired to find his own solution. Azrael succeeded and developed a weight loss method without dieting or exercise, without using willpower or supplements and without undergoing hypnotherapy or surgery and has effortlessly kept the weight off now for many years. He clearly articulates that there are no secrets to losing weight and that essentially, permanent weight loss is based on common sense and living a healthy lifestyle. The difficulty he claims is that common sense and healthy lifestyle are not terms agreed to universally. “Leading a healthy lifestyle is not a new idea, however people may be surprised and shocked to learn of what actually constitutes a healthy lifestyle. Eating five to eight small meals a day for example, is not healthy living in my opinion, yet this directly opposes mainstream health and fitness advice. The public needs to remember that ‘what works’ and ‘what is healthy’ are not always one and the same.”

After first helping friends and family to lose weight, Azrael has gone on to assist countless others with his new book: Odysi Zero | Lose Weight: Say No to Dieting and Exercise. He actively warns that some people make take offence from the book’s content, yet he expresses his opinions without apology. Azrael and his supporters remain steadfast and resolute in spreading his message. “I strongly feel some things must be said and so I have said them.”

Odysi Zero | Lose Weight: Say No to Dieting and Exercise is available for $25.00 in most bookstores or online at http://www.OdysiZero.com.

Original Edition. ISBN: 9780646546872 (pbk), 100 pages, 6 x 8, eBook also available.

###

Neofitos Pertsinidis
Everwood Pty Ltd
0466 806 539 +61
Email Information

See the article here:
New Book Reveals How to Lose Weight by Saying No to Dieting and Exercise.

Are you being served?

Weight Watchers overhauled its weight-loss plan just over a year ago and is getting mixed reviews. For a story, we'd like to talk with members about their experience, and what they think about the changes. Have they helped you lose weight? Or have you struggled under the new system?

Please email correspondent Joe Miller at joe@getgoingnc .com about your experience, and include your name and daytime phone number.

Lessons from Lolita

Reporter Rebecca Putterman of our Clayton News-Star writes: I've always been amazed that my 94-year-old Great-Aunt Lolita can walk the 10-plus blocks from her apartment on Park Avenue in New York City to MoMa, browse a couple of floors, and walk home after a light lunch without breaking out in more than a light summer glisten. This, she manages to do, mind you, after 20 minutes of yoga in her pajamas first thing in the morning. Her head curves and stretches forward to touch her knees.

I grew up hearing her operatic, German/Spanish/French/Queens/Upper East Side-accented voice trilling, "everything in moderation!," as the motto of her long, healthy (and happy) life. It drives my cousins who live near her relatively crazy, but to me, it's just a simple, easily remembered tip from a woman whose advice I can try my best not to take for granted.

Last November when she visited Raleigh, I was two months into my first job out of college. When she asked me if I was doing any yoga, I admitted I hadn't really developed a regular exercising habit since I started working, even though I had a membership to a gym.

As expected, Aunt Lolita scolded me. I smiled and nodded. I took it.

When I would visit her during summer breaks in high school, I took careful note of what she fed me. A normal dinner at her home is often pan-seared, fresh-caught Atlantic salmon alongside steamed vegetables drizzled with the slightest bit of balsamic vinaigrette - her dressing always made from fresh olive oil and a separate bottle of balsamic vinegar, with a pinch of salt and pepper.

But that would be boring to have every night. That's why the last time I saw Aunt Lolita, we dined out. While I salivated over all the cheesy dishes, settling on mushroom sauce gnocchi, she ordered a steak. With frites.

But she didn't eat all of it. She even asked that the bits of cheese described in the menu as delectably melted upon the salty, perfectly fried potatoes be left off. It wasn't necessary, she said. And portions today, she emphasizes every time we go out to eat, are too big. And she's right.

Which brings us to the present moment. At 5 feet 5 inches, I'm trying to maintain 130 pounds amid discovering craft brews on my 21st birthday, a year and a half ago, and my current love affair with Chenin Blancs, Malbecs and brie cheeses encrusted in ... hush, Putterman. I started college at about 115 pounds, and went up to 139 when I was eating badly, drinking a wee bit too much, and not exercising. Don't judge; it's called senior year of college.

Anyway, my partner, who discovered beer one year earlier than I and, well, gained a few pounds, is looking to go from 205 pounds to 185 pounds. The plan is to work together to lose weight and stay healthy, but also to enjoy life. So far, so good. He's at around 200 and I'm hovering at 130.

Neither of us is willing to give up craft brews and Southern cuisine to lose weight. We're both working on being Flexitarians - eating less meat than self-described carnivores, more poultry than red meat, and more locally raised, organically raised meat than otherwise.

We're also looking to exercise in ways we actually enjoy, and to find incentives to want to grab an orange or a handful of spinach in season rather than melt some four-cheese Mexican blend on a flour tortilla and sit back down in front of the computer.

All in all, we've chosen a diet plan - or should I say lifestyle - that I like to attribute to that of my Aunt Lolita: "Everything in moderation!"

Continue reading here:
Tell us about Weight Watchers

Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the study is the first to report long-term results from a weight management program designed specifically for teenage girls. Most other programs have included younger children and interventions focused on the entire family. This program included separate meetings for parents with the rationale that teens are motivated more by peer acceptance than parental influence. Unlike previous programs, this one was conducted in a primary-care setting, rather than an academic or specialty-care environment.

"Nearly one-third of teenage girls are overweight or obese, and many of them are likely to become obese adults," said Lynn DeBar, PhD, MPH, lead author and senior investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. "Our study shows that intervention programs can help these girls achieve long-term success managing their weight and also learning new habits that will hopefully carry over into their adult life."

"Many teenage girls are still growing taller, so for them, maintaining weight or slowing weight gain is an acceptable goal," said Phil Wu, MD, a pediatrician who leads Kaiser Permanente's effort to prevent and treat childhood obesity and is also a co-author of the study. "Girls in the program gained less weight than those who weren't in the program, and they reduced their overall body mass index, improved their self-image and developed healthy lifestyle habits, so all of these are successes."

The study included 208 girls, ages 12-17, in Oregon and Washington during 2005-2009. All of the girls were classified as overweight or obese, according to standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention standards. Half of the girls were assigned to the intervention group and half to usual care.

Girls in the intervention group met weekly with their peers and a behavioral counselor during the first three months, and then every other week during months four and six. The girls were weighed and asked to keep a food and activity diary, which they discussed during each meeting. The program focused on decreasing portion size, limiting consumption of energy-rich foods, establishing regular meal patterns, substituting water for sugar-sweetened beverages, reducing fast food, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, and having more family meals.

The girls were encouraged to exercise at least 5 days a week for 30-60 minutes, and to limit screen time to 2 hours a day. They also received yoga instruction, and a physical-activity video game to use at home. Discussion topics included ways to avoid disordered eating, coping with family and peer teasing and developing strategies to combat negative self-talk.

Parents attended separate weekly meetings to learn how to support their daughters. The girls' health care providers received summaries of the girls' current health habits, including meal and physical activity patterns. After receiving training in motivational techniques, the providers met with the girls at the beginning of the study to help them choose one or two behaviors to work on. The providers had a second visit with the girls at the end of the six-month intervention to check their progress.

Girls assigned to the usual-care group received a packet of materials that included a list of online reading about lifestyle changes. They also met with their primary care provider at the beginning of the study, but the providers were not given health habit summaries for these girls.

Both groups had health assessments and lab tests at the beginning of the study, at six months, and then again at 12 months. The girls started out with an average weight in the 190 lb. range, and an average body mass index in the 97th percentile, which by CDC standards is considered to be obese. At the end of the study, girls who participated in the program were in the 95th percentile, while girls in the usual-care group were in the 96th percentile.

Authors say the weight changes were statistically significant but modest compared to some other weight loss interventions. They point out that the girls were severely obese to begin with and possibly treatment-resistant due to previous involvement in other weight loss programs. The program purposely de-emphasized calorie counting, focusing instead on lifestyle changes, and the authors acknowledge that this approach may have produced more modest weight changes than they had expected.

This study is part of ongoing Kaiser Permanente research into weight loss. Previous studies include:

-- A Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study published in the International Journal of Obesity last year found that people trying to lose at least 10 pounds were more likely to reach that goal if they had lower stress levels and slept more than six hours, but not more than eight hours, a night.

-- Another Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study published in 2010 found that the more people logged on to an interactive weight management website, the more weight they kept off.

-- Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research also reported in a 2008 study that keeping a food diary can double a person's weight loss and that both personal contact and Web-based support can help with long-term weight management.

Provided by Kaiser Permanente (news : web)

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Primary care program helps obese teen girls manage weight, improve body image and behavior