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Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Published on Tuesday, Jul 15, 2008
Trying to lose weight?
Try writing about it.
Dieters who track their food consumption in a diary — along with exercising and eating right — can double their weight loss, according to a study published last week in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine by researchers with Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research.
''The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost,'' lead author Jack Hollis, a researcher at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., said in a prepared statement.
''Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records,'' he said. ''It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories.''
The 30-month study tracked nearly 1,700 people from four centers who were overweight or obese and on medications for high blood pressure or high cholesterol or triglyceride levels.
In addition to keeping food journals to turn in at weekly support group meetings, participants were asked to follow the heart-healthy Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH diet, which includes lots of fruits and vegetables and low-fat or nonfat diary.
Study participants also attended weekly group sessions and exercised at moderate intensive levels at least 30 minutes daily.
After six months, the study found, the average weight loss was about 13 pounds.
Dr. Keith Bachman, an internist with Kaiser Permanente's Weight Management Initiative, recently shared these tips for people who are trying to lose weight:
• Keep notes daily on what — and how much — you eat. Be creative: the notes can be kept in a diary, stuck on a Post-It note or sent to yourself through e-mails or text messages.
• Reduce calorie intake and embrace a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat or nonfat dairy.
• Focus on reasonable lifestyle changes that you can sustain.
• Be realistic. Set specific goals that you can meet.
• Seek encouragement
from family, friends and co-workers to support healthy choices.
• Don't lose your focus. Remember your original motivation and the health benefits of weight loss.
• Consider joining a support group.
Chronic fatigue support
A national group is trying to raise awareness and provide local support for patients with a little-understood condition called chronic fatigue syndrome.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates between 1 million and 4 million Americans have chronic fatigue syndrome, but less than 20 percent have been diagnosed with the condition.
According to the CDC, chronic fatigue syndrome is ''a debilitating and complex disorder characterized by profound fatigue that is not improved by bed rest and that might be worsened by physical or mental activity.'' The condition is often extremely difficult to diagnose, and no cause has been identified.
Patients with the condition have four or more of these symptoms: substantial impairment in short-term memory or concentration; sore throat; tender lymph nodes; muscle pain; multi-joint pain without swelling or redness; headaches that are different in type, pattern or severity than past headaches; unrefreshing sleep; and malaise lasting more than 24 hours after exertion.
To raise awareness, the CDC is teaming up with the CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome) Association of America to offer a traveling photo exhibit and national health education initiative.
''The Faces of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome'' will be displayed Thursday through Monday in the main concourse in front of JC Penney at Great Lakes Mall, 7850 Mentor Ave., Mentor. The free event is open to the public during regular mall hours (10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Sunday, when hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
The nonprofit association also offers a self-help group in the Akron area.
The group's next meeting will be 1-3 p.m. Aug. 17 at Oak Hill Presbyterian Church, 2406 Ardwell Ave., Akron.
For more information about the local support group, call 330-784-2432 or e-mail smidcap@neo.rr.com.
For more information about chronic fatigue syndrome, visit http://www.cfids.org or http://www.cdc.gov/cfs.
Compiled by Akron Beacon Journal medical writer Cheryl Powell. She can be reached at 330-996-3902 or at chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com via e-mail.
Trying to lose weight?
Get the full article here.
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