Newstream.com
2/8/2002

Regular cereal-eating contributed to more maintained weight loss

A recent study published in the journal Obesity Research shows that eating breakfast every single day is a key behavior among people who average a 60-pound weight loss and have kept it off for six years.

The study cites cereal as a favorite choice for breakfast.

Researchers who monitor the 3,000 participants of the National Weight Control Registry — an ongoing study of successful maintainers of significant weight loss in the United States — have discovered that nearly 80 percent of them eat breakfast everyday as part of their routine to stay slender.

Of the study participants who eat breakfast, 60 percent said they "always" or "usually" eat a bowl of cereal.

"It is striking, not just that breakfast eating is a frequent behavior among individuals within this group, but that such a high proportion report eating breakfast every day of the week," said the study's lead researcher, Dr. Jim Hill of the University of Colorado, who is co-director of the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR).

"I'm not surprised that starting the day with a bowl of cereal for breakfast has proven to be one of the key components in successful weight loss and maintenance: it worked for me," said study participant Jani Bielenberg of Denver, who lost 50 pounds and has kept it off since 1985.

The study involved researchers from the University of Colorado, University of Pittsburgh and Brown University and was made possible by grants from the National Institutes of Health and General Mills, maker of Cheerios, Wheaties and Total. To qualify for the National Weight Control Registry, a person must have lost at least 30 pounds and maintained that weight loss for more than one year; however, the 3,000 registry participants average a 60-pound weight loss and have kept it off for an average of six years.

In fact, a growing body of evidence indicates that a simple bowl of cereal may be a key component for getting and staying slender. For instance, data from Nielsen's National Eating Trends Survey, which was presented at the annual conference of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, show that women who are frequent cereal eaters (those who eat cereal more than seven times in a two-week period) weigh about 8 pounds less on average than women who eat cereal infrequently or not at all.

The data also indicate that those who do not eat cereal frequently are more likely to be overweight or obese. Among women, infrequent cereal eaters are 16 percent more likely to be overweight than frequent cereal eaters, and male infrequent cereal eaters are 12 percent more likely to be overweight or obese.

Researchers involved with the NWCR study say the possible reasons that regular breakfast eating may be an essential behavior for weight loss maintenance are: 1) eating breakfast may reduce hunger later in the day that leads to overeating; 2) breakfast eaters are able to better resist fatty and high-caloric foods throughout the day; 3) nutrients consumed at breakfast may give people a "better ability" to be more physically active, according to the study.

A typical strategy for people who want to lose weight is to skip breakfast, which, along with obesity, is significantly increasing as a trend in the United States, according to the study. Twenty-five percent of Americans now skip breakfast, and overweight and obesity rates have nearly doubled over the past decade.

"When I skip breakfast, I get so hungry that by lunch time I've either eaten junk food or I overeat," said Janet Wilson of Fort Myers, Fla., who says she is a typical "yo-yo" dieter.

On the other hand, Bonnie Chapman, a NWCR participant who has lost 50 pounds and has kept it off for six years, said, "Eating cereal for breakfast helps me not only lose weight, but helps me maintain my weight by keeping me full and preventing cravings."

With the publication of today's study, the NWCR researchers have now added "eating breakfast on a regular basis" as the fourth "common behavior" among those who are successful at losing weight and maintaining that weight loss. The other defined behavior are: 1) eating a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet; 2) regular self-monitoring of body weight and food intake; and 3) high levels of physical activity.

The National Weight Control Registry was established in 1994 by Drs. James Hill and Rena Wing to investigate the characteristics and behaviors of individuals who have been successful at achieving their goal of losing weight and keeping it off long-term. The NWCR is the largest ongoing study of individual successful weight-loss maintainers.

The scientific journal Obesity Research is the official journal of the North American Association for the study of Obesity.

The study falls on the heels of Surgeon General David Satcher's "call to action" to prevent and decrease the overweight and obesity epidemic in the United States. More than 61 percent of adults are overweight or obese.

"We're not talking about quick-fix diets," Satcher said at a news conference in December 2001. "We're talking about lifestyles."

A bowl of cereal rates well on a calorie, cost and nutritional basis:

General Mills is the country's largest cereal maker and also makes the largest volume of whole-grain cereals in the country. Whole-grain oat Cheerios is the No. 1 cereal in the country, and Wheaties and Total are the most popular whole-grain cereals in their respective categories.

Qualified individuals who would like to participate in the ongoing NWCR study should call (800) 606-NWCR or check out www.nwcr.ws.

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How to lose a beer gut without giving up beer

Valerie Green
U-WIRE

Brian Bahr/Allsport
Incorporating a few simple lifestyle changes like taking the stairs can have positive results.

MEDFORD, Mass.—To get rid of excess body fat, be it in the form of a "beer gut," "love handles," or "cottage-cheese thighs," you've got to burn it off. And there simply is no good way to "spot reduce."

Just like crunches on their own won't make your waistline any smaller, leg-lifts aren't going to get rid of cellulite. If you're serious about trimming up any part of your body and keeping it that way, you've got to burn more energy than what you take in as calories in food.

Weight-loss doesn't always mean giving up your favorite foods or alcoholic beverages. Rather than decreasing your caloric intake through dieting, why not increase your caloric output by boosting your metabolism?

Going on a diet may actually be counterproductive to long-term weight control because your body reacts to a decrease in caloric intake by slowing down your metabolic rate. Extra fat in your trouble spots will cling to your body even more stubbornly in the face of a slowed metabolism.

The key to getting rid of excess fat without having to eat like a bird or to swear off beer is to become a lean, mean, fat-burning machine. Here's how:

Pump iron

Strengthening muscles by lifting weights is the number one way to boost metabolism. Muscles burn more calories than fat whether they're being used or not.

A study at Tufts University compared women on identical diets. The women who trained with weights lost 44 percent more fat than women who only dieted. Another Tufts study showed that after 12 weeks of weight training, resting metabolic rates increased by 15 percent. This means that if you increase muscle tone, you will burn more calories all day.

Even avid fitness enthusiasts often make the critical mistake of focusing on aerobic activities such as running when their goal is fat loss. When stretched for time, many of us have to choose between aerobic exercise and lifting weights—what we often don't realize is that better results would be achieved if we didn't skip the weight lifting.

To get the most bang for your buck from lifting weights, you should focus on legs, which represent 60 percent of total muscle mass. Don't be discouraged if the number on the scale doesn't automatically go down when you start a strength routine; you'll be losing fat and replacing it with lean, sleek muscles that weigh more.

Women who lift weights will not bulk up like men. Many people, men and women alike, shy away from lifting weights, thinking they need to lose weight before they build muscle. But, unless you use steroids, you're not going to end up looking like one of those models you see in muscle magazines. And weight training is the best opportunity for revving your metabolism—the best way to keep trim long-term.

Eat Breakfast

Another study at Tufts showed that kids who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight than kids who don't (the same may be true for adults). Although you may think you're saving your calories for later on, you're not. When you eat breakfast, it signals your metabolism to keep running. But when you don't eat breakfast, your metabolism drops, and the calories you eat later are now more difficult to burn.

Take the Stairs

Rather than take the time to exercise or overhaul your lifestyle, you can incorporate metabolism-chargers into your everyday routine. Something as simple as swearing off elevators or escalators can add up to significant calorie-burn over the course of a year. Some estimate that if all you did was take the stairs, instead of the escalator, you could lose up to 6 pounds in a year. Ride your bike to work or class. Walk rather than taking the shuttle. Take a walk around the block when you need a quick break.

Keep Drinking Beer

Controlling stress is a surprisingly important factor in optimizing metabolism. When we're stressed out, over-worked, and under-slept, we will have hormonal imbalances that increase the production of cortisol—a powerful appetite stimulant that will cause us to overeat and store fat. There is a lot of evidence to support the notion that people should continue to do the things they enjoy and eat the foods they love (in moderation of course), without getting all stressed out about it.

And you just might do your heart a favor and stave off a heart attack later on if you have one or two drinks now.

In Germany, researchers have shown that beer drinking is associated with a decreased risk for heart disease. But according to Tufts researcher, Dr. Jose Ordovas, this is most likely due to the "celebratory effect." That is to say, because Germans tend to drink beer socially and have a good time, they experience health benefits from the reduced stress that accompanies such activities.

Get Your Good Fats

Essential fatty acids are fats considered essential to life because the body can't produce them on its own. These fats—sometimes referred to as omega 3s—are essential to producing many hormones, some of which work to maintain the body's metabolic rate.

Most typical diets fall short of adequate essential fatty acids. A deficiency, in theory, is likely to increase cravings for high-fat foods while simultaneously slowing down your metabolism—a bad combination.

Good sources of essential fatty acids include nuts, canola oil, and fish, especially cold water fish such as salmon. Go for salad dressings in a canola oil base to get your omega 3s and just enough fat to turn off hunger cues.