ENCORE: Exercise and Nutritional Interventions for Cardiovascular Health

Participants in the DASH diet condition receive instruction in modifying the content of their diet to meet DASH guidelines. Participants are explicitly asked not to exercise or to attempt weight loss at this time, and to focus their attention on what they eat. Following the 2-week feeding period, participants will receive instruction on the DASH diet and feedback on their adherence to the diet in a series of half-hour, weekly small group sessions (3 to 5 participants).

Participants in the DASH diet plus weight loss condition will receive the DASH dietary intervention as described in the DASH diet intervention and will participate in a program to promote weight loss consisting of 2 components: Supervised Aerobic Exercise and CBWL (Cognitive Behavioral Weight loss). During supervised exercise participants will exercise 3x/week under medical supervision at the Duke Center for Living. A trained exercise physiologist will supervise all exercise sessions, and will obtain exercise BP measurements to make sure that BP is not abnormally elevated. For the CBWL participants will meet in small groups of 3-5 patients for instruction in weight management techniques. CBWL will include Appetite Awareness Training (AAT), a self-monitoring strategy developed to provide more specific guidelines regarding how much to eat. Individuals learn to identify moderate hunger and fullness and use these internal cues to guide their eating.