Self-weighing in excess weight prevention and weight loss trials.

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Self-weighing in excess weight prevention and weight loss trials.
BACKGROUND:

Although self-monitoring is actually a central tenet of behavioral strategies to changing health behavior, public and clinical health strategies for better controlling weight tend not to emphasize weight self-monitoring.

PURPOSE:

The objective would be to see whether more frequent self-weighing exerts a good effect on weight-loss or excess weight prevention.

METHODS:

This study examined cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between self-weighing frequency and weight by two distinct groups: 1,226 adults who have been enrolled in a excess weight prevention trial, and 1,800 adults who have been enrolled in a diet trial.

RESULTS:

Even though samples differed significantly in weight and baseline demographic characteristics, the distribution of baseline weighing frequencies did not differ by study. Within both groups, more frequent self-weighing at baseline was connected with greater age, lower fat intake, White ethnicity, current nonsmoking status, a better past of dieting to shed pounds, and reduce current body mass index. Despite similar weighing instructions, differential patterns of weighing frequency as time passes were observed: Weight-loss dieters increased weighing as time passes no matter treatment group (control or intervention), whereas excess weight preventers decreased weighing as time passes inside the control group and increased weighing as time passes in intervention groups. Most essential, higher weighing frequency was connected with greater 24-month weight-loss or less excess weight.

CONCLUSIONS:

Results support the notion that daily weighing is valuable to the people trying to lose weight or prevent excess weight. Daily self-weighing needs to be emphasized in clinical and public health messages about weight loss. Experimental studies in the outcomes of weighing frequency within these contexts are recommended.