Beagle Obesity The Benefits of Cognitive Games for Weight Loss

Benefits of moderate weight loss in people with obesity

Benefits of moderate weight loss in people with obesity

At a Glance

• People with obesity who reduced their weight by 5% had improvements in metabolic function in many tissues, including fat, liver, and muscle.
• Further weight loss of 10 to 15% resulted in some additional improvements.

More than 1 in 3 Americans is obese. Obesity is a risk factor for many diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease. These health issues stem from a range of underlying metabolic abnormalities that affect the liver, pancreas, muscle, fat, and other tissues.

Most treatment guidelines recommend that people who are overweight or obese aim to lose 5% to 10% of their weight to achieve improvements in health. A team led by Dr. Samuel Klein at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis set out to characterize the metabolic benefits when people with obesity lose 5% and more of their weight. The study was supported in part by NIHs National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and other NIH components.

The scientists randomly assigned 40 sedentary people with obesity to maintain their body weight or to go on a diet to lose 5% of their body weight, followed by targets of 10% and 15%. Participants averaged 44 years of age with a body mass index (BMI) of 38 (average weight of about 235 pounds). The participants didnt smoke or have diabetes. The findings appeared online on February 22, 2016, in Cell Metabolism.

People in the weight loss group consumed a low-calorie diet with 50-55% of energy as carbohydrate, 30% as fat, and 15-20% as protein. They were provided with weekly diet and behavioral education sessions.

Nineteen participants achieved the initial target of 5% weight loss (average of 12 pounds) after about 3.5 months. The researchers found that these people had significantly decreased body fat, including abdominal fat and fat in the liver. They had decreased plasma levels of glucose, insulin, triglycerides, and leptin, which are risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. They also showed improved function of insulin-secreting cells, as well as the ability of fat, liver, and muscle tissue to respond to insulin.

Markers of inflammation are elevated in people with obesity. The researchers, however, found no changes in systemic or fat tissue markers of inflammation with 5% weight loss.

Nine of the participants reached the subsequent targets, achieving about 11% weight loss (at about 7 months) and 16% loss (at about 10 months). The decreases in fat mass, plasma insulin, leptin, and triglyceride concentrations continued in tandem with the weight loss. These participants showed continued improvements in cell functionand in insulin sensitivity in muscle. Insulin sensitivity in liver and fat tissue, however, didnt improve further with weight loss beyond 5%.

Our findings demonstrate that you get the biggest bang for your buck with 5% weight loss, Klein says. If you weigh 200 pounds, you will be doing yourself a favor if you can lose 10 pounds and keep it off. You dont have to lose 50 pounds to get important health benefits.

The study wasnt designed to determine whether these effects are sustained for longer periods of time. Further research will also be needed to determine whether people with diabetes have the same types and patterns of metabolic adaptations following progressive weight loss.

by Carol Torgan, Ph.D.

Expected benefits and motivation to weight loss in relation to treatment outcomes in group-based cognitive-behavior therapy of obesity

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Weight-Loss Games for Groups

**Nearly 34 percent of adults age 20 and up, and nearly 17 percent of children ages 2 to 19 are obese, with a body mass index greater than 30, according to the 2007-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

** More than 34 percent of adults are overweight with a BMI of 25 to 29.9.

Movement burns calories, which aids weight loss. Physical games can help make fitness fun.

Family Weight-Loss Game

Chart your family's eating habits for eight to 12 weeks.

Each person gets points for healthy food selections and loses points for bad choices. You can also earn points for the number of pounds lost and exercising. One cheat day per week for each person is allowed. Weigh-ins occur weekly.

Each person makes a coupon book of 10 things he likes. For example, movie night or an afternoon of fishing.

Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins the coupon book. Other individual prizes may be awarded as well.

• Chart your family's eating habits for eight to 12 weeks.
• One cheat day per week for each person is allowed.

Neighborhood Food Pyramid Game

Team Weight-Loss Challenge Ideas

Divide participating neighborhood children into teams, each with an adult leader. **Each team gets a different list of items representing groups in the food pyramid.

** They have a set time to go to participating neighbors' houses to find the items.

Rather than actual items, neighbors give food names or picture cards worth points. The team with the most points wins. In a tie, the team that finishes first wins. The kids may gather afterward with their parents to discuss meal plans using the food cards collected.

• Divide participating neighborhood children into teams, each with an adult leader.
• Rather than actual items, neighbors give food names or picture cards worth points.

Treasure Hunt

Divide participants into teams, each with a leader. Write down clues and hide them throughout a given location, such as a house or hiking trail. One clue leads to the next.

Each team searches for a different treasure, so use a different paper color for each team's clues. The first team to find its treasure before time runs out wins 3. This makes a festive holiday party game. For example, parents can hide Christmas gifts around the house and give children clues to find them.

• Divide participants into teams, each with a leader.
• Each team searches for a different treasure, so use a different paper color for each team's clues.

Olympic Games

Contest Ideas for a Weight-Loss Group

This game is appropriate for groups such as civic organizations, neighborhoods and students.

Divide participants into teams that compete in a variety of events such as volleyball, track, obstacle course, rock-wall climbing and tug-of-war. Award prizes to the top three finishers in each event. This game can be a fundraiser as well. Invite the public, provide refreshments and have fun.

• This game is appropriate for groups such as civic organizations, neighborhoods and students.

Considerations

**Children and teens should get 60 minutes of exercise on most days.

Adults should get 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise most days to lose weight, and 60 to 90 minutes to help keep the weight off. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and low in fat and salt, is also important for weight loss. ** Design games for all ages and include seated play and smooth playing surfaces to accommodate participants with mobility issues.

• Children and teens should get 60 minutes of exercise on most days.
• Adults should get 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise most days to lose weight, and 60 to 90 minutes to help keep the weight off.