Cutting 100 Calories Each Day May Fight Fat

WASHINGTON -- One less cookie a day could keep the fat at bay, according to a new study.

Research published in Friday's issue of the journal Science found that adults could avoid the 1.5 to 2 pounds they gain every year by eating 100 less calories each day -- which works out to about one cookie.

Or, for those who don't eat cookies, it could be three fewer bites of a fast-food hamburger.

Lead researcher James Hill from the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center said that's just his best guess. He said 100 fewer calories a day represents a manageable strategy that people can use to stop the growing obesity trend in the United States.

Obesity is generally defined as having a body mass index -- a measure of body weight based on height and weight -- of 30 or more. Worldwide, more than 300 million are obese, according to the World Health Organization.

"We asked ourselves, 'What's it going to take to start turning the tide?'" Hill said. "The first measure of success is to stop weight gain. That might not be so overwhelming, since we can break it down into concrete steps."

Hill said he doesn't know if Americans would eat one less cookie a day or its equivalent, but he said it's easier to keep the weight from going on than it is to take it off.

"We all know you've got to eat less and exercise more, but, well, how much? That's what we've laid out," Hill said.

He said the other part of slimming down the nation includes closing the "energy gap," which is burning off the calories you consume.

"People just have to add 2,000 extra steps a day into their lives, and we're not saying you have to do that all at once," said study co-author Dr. George Reed, of University of Massachusetts Medical School. "Instead of taking the elevator up, you walk a few steps up. Instead of sending e-mail to the colleague down the hallway, walk down the hallway."

In Colorado, Reed's theory is already being put to the test. The governor has asked people to buy an inexpensive pedometer, count how many steps they take each day and then add more.

"I think most people who are fit are making conscious efforts to be (physically fit). So, we need to do a better job of teaching people those skills," Hill said.