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Director's Message

Fall 2016


 

Season’s Greetings! We hope you are well during this busy fall. As we enter the holidays, I was inspired to look up the latest research on holiday weight gain and obesity. Some good news is that we think we gain more than we actually do. People’s perceived holiday weight gain averages three and a half pounds, but their actual weight gain is just one pound. Some bad news is that the seemingly modest one-pound holiday gain increases blood pressure and sticks around after the holiday season, adding to lifetime risk of obesity. We did a study to identify the factors that helped prevent holiday weight gain. What mattered most was paying attention. People who keep track of their weight, eating and activity were most successful at holiday weight control. Awareness is a critical ingredient of health. 

We are grateful this holiday season for some recent successes of our affiliated faculty, students and community partners highlighted in this issue of our newsletter. Our affiliated faculty have received distinguished awards, presented and published findings in obesity research in high impact journals, and spearheaded innovative studies and initiatives. We have much to celebrate! 

Best wishes for a healthy, active, and mindful holiday and 2017.

 

Suzanne Phelan, Director

Casey Heaney, Project Coordinator & Newsletter Editor, heaney@calpoly.edu

 

 

References:

 

  1. Boutelle KN, Kirschenbaum DS, Baker RC, Mitchell ME. How can obese weight controllers minimize weight gain during the high risk holiday season? By self-monitoring very consistently. Health Psychol. 1999 Jul; 18(4): 364-8.
  2. Yanovski JA, Yanovski SZ, Sovik KN, Nguyen TT, O'Neil PM, Sebring NG. A prospective study of holiday weight gain. N Engl J Med. 2000 Mar 23; 342(12): 861-7.
  3. Phelan S, Wing RR, Raynor HA, Dibello J, Nedeau K, Peng W. Holiday weight management by successful weight losers and normal weight individuals. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2008 Jun; 76(3): 442-8. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.76.3.442.
  4. Schoeller DA. The effect of holiday weight gain on body weight. Physiol Behav. 2014 Jul;134:66-9

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