Studies: Small diet & exercise changes can make a big difference

The results of several new studies show that even small changes in diet and slight increases in activity/exercise can have a big effect in terms of weight control and cardiovascular fitness.

From AZCentral.com:

Slight diet, exercise changes found to control weight

LAS VEGAS - 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.

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.