Down on the chow line, there's a sign that's posted near each food item, showing the fat and calorie count for each. Top it off with gravy, and it's an additional 208 calories. 13 grams of fat. Adams is carrying on a research project designed by CAPT Karen Dennis, NC, a Naval Reservist and assistant professor at the University of Maryland at Baltimore. Dennis' research is designed to learn whether Sailors' attitudes and behaviors toward food and exercise at sea could be changed by counseling alone.
Early indications seem to be that they can.
Every week, Adams meets with 21 Sailors on the ship to talk about food choices and exercise. She doesn't require the group to exercise or eat at the salad bar, but she does talk to the group members about portion control and food choices. Adams has sympathy for the Sailors who are struggling to get and keep fit. It's also tough because time often works against Sailors. They frequently don't have time to wait in long food lines, so they skip over to the quicker fast food lines that generally serve foods higher in fat and calories.