Online sites
43 Things http://www.43things.com/
Joe's Free Online Tracking Tool http://joesgoals.com
8Goals: http://www.8goals.com
Life Tango: http://www.lifetango.com
Super Viva: http://superviva.com
LifeTick http://lifetick.com/
Software
Goal Pro 2008 http://www.goalpro.com/
GoalMaker http://www.goalmaker.com/
Friday, July 11, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Weight loss after gastric bypass controls diabetes
Weight loss after gastric bypass controls diabetes
By Karla GaleFri Jun 20, 2:38 PM ET
Obesity surgery can cause type 2 diabetes to go into remission, but much depends on how much weight the patient loses within the first few months, a new study suggests.
Gastric bypass surgery for severe obesity has been shown to control type 2 diabetes, a disorder that commonly goes hand-in-hand with obesity. The procedure involves sectioning off a small portion of the stomach, creating a pouch that limits the amount of food a person can eat in one sitting.
The surgeon also adds a bypass that reroutes food past the rest of the stomach and part of the small intestine to limit calorie and nutrient absorption.
It's thought that the surgery creates hormonal changes that, in turn, improve diabetes control.
However, the new study, by surgeons at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, shows that hormones are not the whole story. The amount of weight patients shed in the first six months after surgery appears key to diabetes remission.
"Gastric bypass surgery appears to cause important metabolic effects that rapidly improve type 2 diabetes, but weight loss itself is also extremely important," Dr. Eric DeMaria said in an interview with Reuters Health.
DeMaria presented his group's research this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in Washington, DC.
He and his team followed 71 morbidly obese patients with severe diabetes requiring high doses of insulin and oral medications to control their blood sugar levels. The researchers' goal was to identify factors that differentiate patients who go into remission from those who do not.
"We found that the most important factor was the amount of weight loss by the patient," DeMaria said.
Diabetes control was improved in all patients as evidenced by better long-term blood sugar levels and reductions in the amount of medication they needed. Still, only 48 percent went into complete remission.
The researchers found that weight loss in the first three weeks to six months after surgery was a critical factor in diabetes remission.
The hormonal effects of gastric bypass surgery are still important.
"Morbidly obese patients usually lose about 10 percent of their body weight within three weeks of surgery," DeMaria said, "but that does not explain why they can cut back on their medications within the first day or two."
That benefit, he explained, "appears to be an effect on gut hormones, with dramatic improvement in insulin resistance."
"But," DeMaria added, "it is interesting to recognize that faster weight loss and greater amount lost improves the chance that patients will remain in remission."
The findings, he said, suggest that "if we can enhance the weight-loss effect of surgery -- by adding medications or rigorous behavior modification -- we may do better than a 50 percent remission rate."
By Karla GaleFri Jun 20, 2:38 PM ET
Obesity surgery can cause type 2 diabetes to go into remission, but much depends on how much weight the patient loses within the first few months, a new study suggests.
Gastric bypass surgery for severe obesity has been shown to control type 2 diabetes, a disorder that commonly goes hand-in-hand with obesity. The procedure involves sectioning off a small portion of the stomach, creating a pouch that limits the amount of food a person can eat in one sitting.
The surgeon also adds a bypass that reroutes food past the rest of the stomach and part of the small intestine to limit calorie and nutrient absorption.
It's thought that the surgery creates hormonal changes that, in turn, improve diabetes control.
However, the new study, by surgeons at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, shows that hormones are not the whole story. The amount of weight patients shed in the first six months after surgery appears key to diabetes remission.
"Gastric bypass surgery appears to cause important metabolic effects that rapidly improve type 2 diabetes, but weight loss itself is also extremely important," Dr. Eric DeMaria said in an interview with Reuters Health.
DeMaria presented his group's research this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in Washington, DC.
He and his team followed 71 morbidly obese patients with severe diabetes requiring high doses of insulin and oral medications to control their blood sugar levels. The researchers' goal was to identify factors that differentiate patients who go into remission from those who do not.
"We found that the most important factor was the amount of weight loss by the patient," DeMaria said.
Diabetes control was improved in all patients as evidenced by better long-term blood sugar levels and reductions in the amount of medication they needed. Still, only 48 percent went into complete remission.
The researchers found that weight loss in the first three weeks to six months after surgery was a critical factor in diabetes remission.
The hormonal effects of gastric bypass surgery are still important.
"Morbidly obese patients usually lose about 10 percent of their body weight within three weeks of surgery," DeMaria said, "but that does not explain why they can cut back on their medications within the first day or two."
That benefit, he explained, "appears to be an effect on gut hormones, with dramatic improvement in insulin resistance."
"But," DeMaria added, "it is interesting to recognize that faster weight loss and greater amount lost improves the chance that patients will remain in remission."
The findings, he said, suggest that "if we can enhance the weight-loss effect of surgery -- by adding medications or rigorous behavior modification -- we may do better than a 50 percent remission rate."
Study shows value of food diary in losing weight
Study shows value of food diary in losing weight
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080708/hl_nm/diet_diary_dc
By Will Dunham Tue Jul 8, 3:25 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Keeping a food diary -- a detailed account of what you eat and drink and the calories it packs -- is a powerful tool in helping people lose weight, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
The study involving 1,685 middle-aged men and women over six months found those who kept such a diary just about every day lost about twice as much weight as those who did not.
The findings buttressed earlier research that endorsed the value of food diaries in helping people lose weight. Companies including Weight Watchers International Inc use food diaries in their weight-loss programs.
"For those who are working on weight loss, just writing down everything you eat is a pretty powerful technique," Victor Stevens of Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland said in a telephone interview.
"It helps the participants see where the extra calories are coming from, and then develop more specific plans to deal with those situations," said Stevens, who helped lead the study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The technique also helps hold dieters accountable for what they are eating, Stevens said.
The study involved people from four U.S. cities: Portland, Oregon; Baltimore, Maryland; Durham, North Carolina; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their average weight loss was about 13 pounds (6 kg). But those keeping food diaries six or seven days a week lost about 18 pounds (8 kg) compared to 9 pounds (4 kg) for those not regularly keeping a food diary.
The average age of people in the study was 55.
They were asked to eat less fat, more vegetables, fruit and whole grains, exercise 180 minutes a week mostly by walking, attend group meetings, and keep a detailed food diary.
Blacks made up 44 percent of the people in the study. The researchers noted that blacks Americans have a higher risk than whites for conditions linked to obesity including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
"Keeping a food diary doesn't have to be a formal thing. Just the act of scribbling down what you eat on a Post-It note, sending yourself e-mails tallying each meal or sending yourself a text message will suffice," Dr. Keith Bachman, another Kaiser Permanente expert, said in a statement.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080708/hl_nm/diet_diary_dc
By Will Dunham Tue Jul 8, 3:25 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Keeping a food diary -- a detailed account of what you eat and drink and the calories it packs -- is a powerful tool in helping people lose weight, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
The study involving 1,685 middle-aged men and women over six months found those who kept such a diary just about every day lost about twice as much weight as those who did not.
The findings buttressed earlier research that endorsed the value of food diaries in helping people lose weight. Companies including Weight Watchers International Inc use food diaries in their weight-loss programs.
"For those who are working on weight loss, just writing down everything you eat is a pretty powerful technique," Victor Stevens of Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland said in a telephone interview.
"It helps the participants see where the extra calories are coming from, and then develop more specific plans to deal with those situations," said Stevens, who helped lead the study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The technique also helps hold dieters accountable for what they are eating, Stevens said.
The study involved people from four U.S. cities: Portland, Oregon; Baltimore, Maryland; Durham, North Carolina; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Their average weight loss was about 13 pounds (6 kg). But those keeping food diaries six or seven days a week lost about 18 pounds (8 kg) compared to 9 pounds (4 kg) for those not regularly keeping a food diary.
The average age of people in the study was 55.
They were asked to eat less fat, more vegetables, fruit and whole grains, exercise 180 minutes a week mostly by walking, attend group meetings, and keep a detailed food diary.
Blacks made up 44 percent of the people in the study. The researchers noted that blacks Americans have a higher risk than whites for conditions linked to obesity including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
"Keeping a food diary doesn't have to be a formal thing. Just the act of scribbling down what you eat on a Post-It note, sending yourself e-mails tallying each meal or sending yourself a text message will suffice," Dr. Keith Bachman, another Kaiser Permanente expert, said in a statement.
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