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What Monitoring Strategies Are Most Successful For Promoting Weight Loss?
The FASEB Journal
Abstract
Objectives
While tracking progress is one of the strongest predictors of success in healthy eating and physical activity interventions, it is uncertain whether it matters which behavior (diet, activity or weight) is being tracked. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of four different monitoring strategies on weight loss, body composition, blood markers, and psychosocial indices in overweight and obese adults undertaking a 12‐month weight loss program.
Methods
250 overweight or obese adults were randomized to track either a) their weight daily, b) dietary intake using My Fitness Pal, c) hunger (using a novel method called “hunger training”), d) progress via regular face‐to‐face meetings, or a control group for 12 months. All participants received diet and exercise advice and 171 participants completed the study.
Results
All groups lost weight over the course of the intervention (typically 3.9–6.8kg) with no difference between the intervention groups and the control (all p ≥ 0.084). However, participants who tracked hunger lost significantly more weight at 1‐year than those who tracked dietary intake (3.2kg, 0.1–6.4kg, p=0.046), or who met regularly with a support person (2.9kg, 95% CI 0.8–5.1kg, p=0.008). Few significant differences were observed in eating behavior (all p≥0.111), although the face‐to‐face and hunger tracking groups reported more favorable effects on depression and anxiety at 1‐year than control participants. Adherence to the monitoring strategies (% recommended days) ranged from 29.6% for hunger training to 63.6% for attendance at the monthly face‐to‐face sessions.
Conclusions
Daily tracking of weight, food, or hunger, or regular face‐to‐face support did not result in significantly greater weight loss compared with diet and exercise advice alone. However tracking hunger may be a promising approach for encouraging weight loss.
Support or Funding Information
University of Otago Research Grant
... also remain as a limitation in both methods but it would have lessor effect in nutrient balance method. Currently, some popular nutrition software are using the balancing method with the aim of nutritional self-management that could be good evidence that society is ready to replace food groups with nutrients balance (at least macronutrients) [5,6]. The other outcomes of using this software shown not only they are widely accepted tools but also could be effective in the community to control some eating disorders, weight control and depression [5,7,8]. ...
... Currently, some popular nutrition software are using the balancing method with the aim of nutritional self-management that could be good evidence that society is ready to replace food groups with nutrients balance (at least macronutrients) [5,6]. The other outcomes of using this software shown not only they are widely accepted tools but also could be effective in the community to control some eating disorders, weight control and depression [5,7,8]. However, their assessed effect is limited to public health, eating disorders and weight loss studies. ...
One of the first lines in controlling diseases and malnutrition is diet therapy and currently, due to tool limitations, for designing the patients’ diet plan, the food groups and the list of food substitutes are being used while suitable databases of foods composition are available. Methods of designing individuals’ diet and total of 8791 foods are reviewed to calculate the nutrients of mixed foods and design a suitable method of diet therapy with more freedom for the patients in the future. Food groups because of their simplicity are suitable for public health educations but have limitations that could be better covered using nutrient balances. The main cause of developing the list of food substitutes was the limitations in calculating nutrients in a designed diet that currently could be run using applications. Patients also by using self-management nutrition applications that based on the nutrient balancing method shown they are ready to accept this method. A well-designed application can make using nutrient balancing method which is the future of diets possible. However, the main limitation is still the needs for a big, validated, and accurate foods composition database that needs to be developed.
Keywords : Diet, Food Groups, Nutrients, Diet therapy, Nutrition
... Currently, some popular nutrition softwares are using the balancing method with the aim of nutritional self-management that could be good evidence that society is ready to replace food groups with nutrients balance (at least macronutrients) (5,6). The other outcomes of using this softwares shown not only they are widely accepted tool but also could be effective in the community to control some eating disorders, weight control and depression (5,7,8). ...
... Currently, some popular nutrition softwares are using the balancing method with the aim of nutritional self-management that could be good evidence that society is ready to replace food groups with nutrients balance (at least macronutrients) (5,6). The other outcomes of using this softwares shown not only they are widely accepted tool but also could be effective in the community to control some eating disorders, weight control and depression (5,7,8). However, their assessed effect is limited to public health, eating disorders and weight loss studies. ...
Abstract :
One of the first lines in controlling diseases and malnutrition is diet therapy and currently, due to tool limitations, for designing the patients’ diet plan, the food groups and the list of food substitutes are being used while suitable databases of foods composition are available. Methods of designing individuals’ diet and total of 8791 foods are reviewed to calculate the nutrients of mixed foods and design a suitable method of diet therapy with more freedom for the patients in the future. Food groups because of their simplicity are suitable for public health educations but have limitations that could be better covered using nutrient balances. The main cause of developing the list of food substitutes was the limitations in calculating nutrients in a designed diet that currently could be run using applications. Patients also by using self-management nutrition applications that based on the nutrient balancing method shown they are ready to accept this method. A well-designed application can make using nutrient balancing method which is the future of diets possible. However, the main limitation is still the needs for a big, validated, and accurate foods composition database that needs to be developed.
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