Dietary Self-Monitoring Less Disagreeable Than Perceived

If you are trying to lose weight to fit back into your old jeans or dress, or just to have a healthier lifestyle, then you may achieve your goals if you follow a right diet and exercise daily. We all know that one of the best ways of measuring our weight loss success is by watching the calorie and fat intake throughout the day. However, the only problem with dietary self-monitoring is that it can be difficult and time-consuming to keep a close track of whatever we eat; hence, many would-be weight-losers are not able to follow it for a longer run.

As per a new study, to be published in the March issue of Obesity, the reality of dietary self-monitoring may be far less disagreeable than the perception. The researchers found that the most successful participants, after six months of monitoring their dietary intake, spent an average of just 14.6 minutes per day on the activity. 

All the participants were asked to note calories and fat of all foods and drinks they consumed, including the portion sizes and the preparation methods. The aim of the study, conducted by researchers at the University of Vermont and the University of South Carolina, was to measure the amount of time that dietary self-monitoring actually takes for the ones who have successfully lost weight. 

Lead author of the study Jean Harvey said, "People hate it; they think it's onerous and awful, but the question we had was: How much time does dietary self-monitoring really take?" adding, "The answer is, not very much."

Harvey and her fellow researchers critically examined the dietary self-monitoring habits of total 142 participants in an online behavioural weight control intervention. The participants met for 24 weeks for their online group session, led by a trained dietitian. Moreover, they logged their daily food intake online, in the process without mentioning the time they have spent on the activity and how often they logged in.

Participants who lost 10 per cent of their body weight - the most successful members of the cohort - spent an average of 23.2 minutes per day on self-monitoring in the first month of the programme. By the sixth month, the time had dropped to 14.6 minutes.

Notably, what predicted the most weight-loss success was not the time spent monitoring but the frequency of log-ins, confirming the conclusions of earlier studies.

Harvey said, "Those who self-monitored three or more time per day, and were consistent day after day, were the most successful."

Harvey points out the decrease in time needed for self-monitoring to participants' increasing efficiency in recording data and to the web program's progressive ability to complete words and phrases automatically after just a few letters were entered.

The study's most important contribution, Harvey said, may be in helping prospective weight-losers set behavioural targets.