TUESDAY, July 8, (News Locale) - Most of us would be surprised at the amount of food we consume each day if only it were shown on paper. New research is now indicating keeping track of what you eat may help achieve weight loss in an accelerated manner.

Researchers at Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research observed nearly 1,700 participants all of whom were overweight or obese. The average age of the participants was 55 years and a majority were taking medicines for high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

All participants were eating a balanced diet and exercising as part of their weight loss program. However the researchers revealed dieters who kept food diaries lost twice as much weight as those who did not keep track of their food.

The study participants had 20 weekly group sessions where they were encouraged to target losing at least nine pounds in six months. Nutritionists and behavior counselors advised participants to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and get at least 180 minutes of moderate exercise each week.

They were also encouraged to keep food diaries.

The researchers report participants who kept food and exercise records lost at least 18 pounds in six months as compared to 9 pounds in their counterparts who did not maintain any records of meals consumed.

The average participant in the study exercised just 117 minutes per week, while those who did not maintain records exercised as much as 300 minutes per week. However their exercise regiment did not result in concomitant weight loss.

Researchers also revealed 69% of black men and 59% of black women managed to reach the target of losing 9 pounds at the end of six months.

The study appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Researchers said food diaries were powerful motivating tools as they showed obese and overweight individuals exactly how much food they consumed day in and day out. Awareness of eating habits meant they adhered to instructions to eat 500 calories less every day thus accelerating their weight loss.

Obesity is a dangerous condition which is linked to the so-called lifestyle diseases like type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, heart disease, poor self-esteem, and a lower health-related quality of life.

Sedentary lifestyle practices coupled with a shift in diet to junk foods are the main reason behind this explosion of overweight or obese populations. The World Health Organization has declared obesity as a global epidemic having major health implications in 1997. It estimated that some 2 billion people worldwide are obese or overweight.

Americans are among the fattest people in the world and this crisis does not seem to be abating as many states report an increase in obese numbers.

Most people take up crash diets only to regain what they lost very quickly. If the above study is any indication writing down your daily food consumption may help clear the picture and may also help lose weight quickly.

 For those consumers interesting in a food diary, the National Institues of Health has a format at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/diary.htm

Comments (1)

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.4