The association between meal regularity and weight loss among women in commercial weight loss programs

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVESWhile many obesity studies have pointed out the importance of meal regularity, few have conducted empirical analyses using data from food diaries. We examined the association between meal regularity (i.e., meal time regularity [MTR] and calorie intake regularity [CIR]) and weight loss.SUBJECTS/METHODSWe collected food diary data from 637 women who had participated in commercial weight loss programs for 28–168 days (4–24 weeks). This study defined “meal regularity” in terms of two concepts: MTR and CIR. MTR refers to how regularly people eat their meals (i.e., at certain times each day), whereas CIR refers to how regularly people consume a certain amount of calories at each meal. We conducted multiple regression analyses.RESULTSMTR (model 1: β = −2,576.526, P < 0.001; model 2: β = −1511.447, P < 0.05; model 3: β = −1,721.428, P < 0.05) and CIR (model 1: β = −1,231.551, P < 0.01; model 2: β = −2,082.353, P < 0.001; model 3: β = −1,343.490, P < 0.01) turned out to be significant determinants of the amount of weight loss in breakfast, lunch, and dinner contexts. While meal regularity (i.e., MTR and CIR) was significantly associated with weight loss, daily calorie intake from meals was not significantly associated with the amount of weight loss (model 1: β = 0.13, P > 0.05; model 2: β = 0.11, P > 0.05; model 3: β = 0.14, P > 0.05). Subjects who consumed an equal amount of calories per meal throughout the day lost more weight than those who did not (model 4: β = −3,675.51, P < 0.001).CONCLUSIONSEating each meal (i.e., breakfast, lunch, and dinner) at a certain time every day may increase weight loss success. Also, consuming the same amount of calories at each meal may help weight loss success.     

Smoking status and weight loss in three weight loss programs

The purpose of the study was to examine differences in current, former, and never smokers' weight loss in three comprehensive weight loss programs. Archival data from 389 overweight participants enrolled in three comprehensive weight loss programs were analyzed. The programs differed in length and by type of diet (food-based low calorie diet, partial meal replacement low calorie diet, and supplement-based very low calorie diet). Significant differences in weight loss were found among former, current, and never smokers in one weight loss program (partial meal replacement low calorie diet). Post hoc analyses showed that former smokers lost significantly more weight than current smokers. Results suggest that current smokers are not more successful at behavioral weight loss than former smokers, and if anything, are less successful. Former smokers do not appear to have difficulty losing weight compared to current and never smokers.     

The relationship between prevalence and duration of weight loss strategies and weight loss among overweight managed care organization members enrolled in a weight loss trial

Background  

Many adults in the United States report engaging in weight loss behaviors. The current study examined weight loss strategies among managed care organization members, to determine the prevalence and impact of weight loss behaviors in this population. We hypothesized that greater engagement in weight loss strategies would be associated with greater weight loss success.     

孙悦减肥不成功

当年．歌星孙悦凭借一曲《祝你平安》．从中国流行歌坛94新生代的众多歌手中脱颖而出．一举成为了家喻户晓的歌星。孙悦在成名之后，很快“发福”了，身高1．64米．体重却达到了60公斤．给人的感觉胖胖的．脸圆呼呼的．不上镜了。为了在镜头前保持婀娜的身材和优美的．舞姿，孙悦煞费苦心，除了苦练舞技．还坚持地狱式的减肥。减肥的效果还是显著的，孙悦在短短的2个月当中就瘦掉20多斤。     

The danger of weight loss in the elderly

Aging is generally accompanied by weight loss made up of both fat mass and fat-free mass. As more people, including elderly, are overweight or obese, weight loss is recommended to improve health. Health risks are decreased in overweight children and adults by dieting and exercise, but the health benefits of weight loss in elderly, particularly by calorie restriction, are uncertain. Rapid unintentional weight loss in elderly is usually indicative of underlying disease and accelerates the muscle loss which normally occurs with aging. Intentional weight loss, even when excess fat mass is targeted also includes accelerated muscle loss which has been shown in older persons to correlate negatively with functional capacity for independent living. Sarcopenic obesity, the coexistence of diminished lean mass and increased fat mass, characterizes a population particularly at risk for functional impairment since both sarcopenia (relative deficiency of skeletal muscle mass and strength) and obesity have been shown to predict disability. However, indices of overweight and obesity such as body mass index (BMI) do not correlate as strongly with adverse health outcomes such as cardiovascular disease in elderly as compared to younger individuals. Further, weight loss and low BMI in older persons are associated with mortality in some studies. On the other hand, studies have shown improvement in risk factors after weight loss in overweight/obese elderly. The recent focus on pro-inflammatory factors related to adiposity suggest that fat loss could ameliorate some catabolic conditions of aging since some cytokines may directly impact muscle protein synthesis and breakdown. Simply decreasing weight may also ease mechanical burden on weak joints and muscle, thus improving mobility. However, until a strategy is proven whereby further loss of muscle mass can be prevented, weight loss by caloric restriction in individuals with sarcopenic obesity should likely be avoided.     

The validity of self-reported weight loss and weight gain efforts in adolescents

There has been a proliferation of epidemiological survey studies of weight reducing and eating behaviors in adolescents; however, the validity of these self-report questionnaires has received little attention. The present study was designed to determine whether self-report measures of efforts to lose or gain weight and use of specific weight control methods are consistent with other measures. There were 98 high school volunteers who completed a questionnaire about weight change efforts. Parallel versions of the questionnaire were also returned by a parent and a friend or sibling. There were 165 high school subjects who completed the questionnaire and also recorded food intake, exercise, and various weight control methods for 7 days. External raters agreed with subjects' reports that they were trying to lose weight, and weight losers consumed much less food according to their eating records. Self-reported weight gainers consumed much more food than others, but agreement with external raters was lower. External raters agreed with subjects who reported skipping meals and exercising to lose weight, and the subjects exhibited these behaviors more frequently in their eating records. However, there was low consistency between the self-report questionnaire and external measures of drastic weight control behaviors, such as vomiting and fasting. With the exception of drastic weight control behaviors, the results of this study are generally positive for the validity of self-report questionnaires.     

Human biology of weight maintenance after weight loss

One year after losing weight, most people have regained a significant part of the lost weight. As such, weight regain after weight loss has a negative impact on human health. The risk for weight regain is determined by psychosocial and behavioral factors as well as by various physiological and molecular parameters. Here, the latter intrinsic factors are reviewed and assembled into four functional modules, two related to the energy balance and two related to resistance against weight loss. Reported genetic factors do not reveal additional functional processes. The modules form nodes in a network describing the complex interactions of intrinsically determined weight maintenance. This network indicates that after an initial weight loss persons with a high baseline fat mass will most easily succeed in maintaining weight, because they can lose fat without raising stress in adipocytes and at the same time spare fat-free mass. However, continued weight loss and weight maintenance requires extra measures like increased physical activity, limited energy intake and a fat-free sparing composition of the diet. Eventually, this network may help to design novel therapeutic measures based on preventing the return effect of specific plasma factors or by preventing the accumulation of adipocyte cellular stress.     

Measuring social support for weight loss in an internet weight loss community

Although overweight and obese individuals are turning to Internet communities for social support for weight loss, there is no validated online instrument for measuring the subjective social support experiences of participants in these communities. The authors' objective was to determine whether an online version of a validated paper questionnaire, the Weight Management Support Inventory, is appropriate for measuring social support among members of Internet weight loss communities. The authors administered the paper and online versions of the questionnaire in random, counterbalanced fashion to 199 members of a large Internet weight loss community. Scores for the paper and online versions were comparable in between-subjects and within-subjects comparisons. Convergent validity is suggested by the finding that participants who posted messages on Internet forums several times per day reported more social support than those who posted less frequently. However, the instrumental (tangible) support items did not load significantly on the instrumental support factor, suggesting that instrumental support is not relevant to the social support exchanged among participants in these communities. The authors conclude that the online, modified Weight Management Support Inventory, without items for instrumental support, is an appropriate instrument for measuring social support for weight loss among members of Internet weight loss communities.     

The experience of regaining weight following weight loss surgery: A narrative-phenomenological exploration

Weight loss surgery (WLS) is gaining ground as the most effective treatment against obesity. In the literature, however, we see a divide among individuals who have undergone WLS based on the amount of weight lost and maintained: successful and unsuccessful patients. In this article, we focus on the notion of unsuccessful patients—exploring the accounts of three women who have regained weight following WLS. In doing so, we endeavor to better understand how weight regain has meaning, and its impact and implications for the lives of individuals who undergo WLS. The findings reveal how weight-regain stories are easily silenced, buried beneath social, cultural, and institutional/medical narratives of successful weight loss and transformation. People who have such experiences may feel reticent to reveal them and in doing so increase their own suffering, therefore leaving the popular narratives unchallenged.     

Prizes for weight loss

A programme of weight loss competitions and associated activities in Tonga, intended to combat obesity and the noncommunicable diseases linked to it, has popular support and the potential to effect significant improvements in health.     

Exenatide and weight loss

ObjectiveGlucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is a gastrointestinal hormone mainly released from the distal ileum, jejunum, and colon in response to food ingestion. It is categorized as an incretin due to its activation of GLP-1 receptors in pancreatic β-cells leading to insulin exocytosis in a glucose-dependent manner. Exenatide (synthetic exendin-4) is a subcutaneously injected GLP-1 receptor agonist that shares 50% homology with GLP-1. It is derived from lizard venom and stimulates the GLP-1 receptor for prolonged periods. The present review aims to enumerate exenatide-instigated weight loss, summarize the known mechanisms of exenatide-induced weight loss, and elaborate on its possible application in the pharmacotherapy of obesity.MethodsA search through PubMed was performed using exenatide and weight loss as search terms. A second search was performed using exenatide and mechanisms or actions as search terms.ResultsIn addition to exenatide's action to increase insulin secretion in individuals with elevated levels of plasma glucose, clinical trials have reported consistent weight loss associated with exenatide treatment. Studies have found evidence that exenatide decreases energy intake and increases energy expenditure, but findings on which predominates to cause weight loss are often inconsistent and controversial.ConclusionFurther research on the effects of exenatide treatment on energy intake and expenditure are recommended to better understand the mechanisms through which exenatide causes weight loss.     

The effects of a telephone-based intervention on weight loss

PURPOSE: To evaluate minimal-contact and telephone-assisted weight-loss programs for overweight persons. DESIGN: Participants were randomized to a minimal-contact group or one of two telephone-assisted weight-loss groups. All participants attended two group-based behavioral weight-loss classes and received written educational materials and diaries. For the subsequent 24 weeks, the minimal-contact group received no contact and the telephone-assisted group members received weekly calls to monitor their weight, food intake, and exercise. SETTING: Baseline educational sessions and data collection were conducted at a university site. SUBJECTS: Sixty-four healthy subjects (4 men) who were from 120% to 150% of ideal weight and were 25 to 55 years of age participated in the study. MEASURES: The major outcome of interest was change in measured weight over a 24-week period. Data on calories expended in exercise, dietary intake, and demographics were also gathered at baseline and 24 weeks. RESULTS: Weight loss did not differ significantly by treatment. Unexpectedly, the minimal-contact group lost almost twice as much weight as the telephone-assisted groups (12.7 vs 7.9 lb). CONCLUSIONS: There appears to be an audience for low-contact and telephone-assisted weight-loss programs, and such programs can be delivered easily. However, because the data show only modest weight-loss success, work should continue to identify the optimal content and design of such interventions.