Here's a way to help yourself — or your teenager — lose weight: Text what you've eaten. Food diaries are a critical part of successful dieting. A University of North Carolina study found that kids aged 5 to 13 were almost twice as likely to text daily records of their food intake, exercise and screen time as those using the old-fashioned kinds of diaries. The research was published in the November/December issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

Previous studies have shown that dieters who keep these types of records are more likely to lose weight and to keep it off, according to study author Jennifer Shapiro, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry. The eight-week study followed 31 families with children aged 5 to 13 and found that those kids who used text messaging were almost twice as likely to comply with the program than kids who used paper and pencil. The popularity of this approach was demonstrated by the fact 100 percent of the participating children and parents initially said they hoped they would be selected for the text-messaging group.

In the study, an immediate text message responded to the children's report on how well they met their goals. Children who used the paper-and-pencil diaries had to wait a week to report to their nutritionist for a response to their progress. The study's goal was to measure adherence to the dieting diary process and did not measure weight loss, Shapiro said. Because it was such a small study, the results did not reach statistical significance, but the researchers hope to repeat the study with a larger population and for a longer time. — HealthDay.com

Q & A

Am I making a healthy choice when I choose a reduced-sugar cheesecake?

A: A serving of regular cheesecake can differ dramatically in calories, from 260 to 1,000 calories per slice, depending on portion size and add-on flavorings. A moderate-sized slice of low sugar cheesecake may reduce that figure anywhere from 100 to 140 calories. However, your choice of flavor matters, too: Plain cheesecake is considerably lower in calories, fat and sugar than cheesecake with nuts, chocolate, caramel sauce, etc. And, while a cheesecake marketed as lower in sugar may cut some calories, over 60 percent of the calories usually come from fat — American Institute for Cancer Research.

EXERCISE UPDATE

If you've lost weight and want to keep the pounds off, exercise for about an hour most days of the week. This advice was recently confirmed by a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which involved 200 sedentary overweight or obese women who went on a calorie-restricted diet and followed various exercise regimens. Those who burned about 1,800 calories a week in physical activity were most likely to maintain a 10 percent weight loss over two years. How much exercise is that? It takes, on average, 275 minutes a week to burn that many calories, the researchers estimated, or just under an hour of exercise five days a week. — UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, November 2008.

RECIPE

With the holidays, an easy, low-fat brunch casserole can be a welcome addition. This recipe for Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole is from Diabetic Cooking magazine's September/October 2008 issue.

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole

3 cups refrigerated or frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) finely chopped extra-lean ham

3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup sliced green onions

1 can (12 ounces) evaporated fat-free (skim) milk

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 cup cholesterol-free egg substitute

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Layer potatoes, ham, cheese and onions in prepared dish. Gradually whisk evaporated milk into flour in medium bowl. Stir in egg substitute and pepper. Pour into prepared baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered, 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 223 calories, 21 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 9 g fat, 19 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 748 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian in Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at charfarg@aol.com. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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