A balanced lifestyle and nutritious diet are the key to healthful living and better weight control. Some tips for weight loss include exercising regularly, seeking social support, and keeping a food and weight diary.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 93.3 million adultsTrusted Source in the United States had obesity in 2015–2016. This number is equivalent to 39.8 percent of the population.
Carrying excess body weight can increase the risk of serious health problems, including heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.
Crash diets are not a sustainable solution, whatever perks their proponents might claim them to have. To both lose weight safely and sustain that weight loss over time, it is essential to make gradual, permanent, and beneficial lifestyle changes.
In this article, we provide 10 tips for weight control.
10 tips for successful weight loss
People can lose weight and maintain this loss by taking several achievable steps. These include the following:
1. Eat varied, colorful, nutritionally dense foods
Healthful meals and snacks should form the foundation of the human diet. A simple way to create a meal plan is to make sure that each meal consists of 50 percent fruit and vegetables, 25 percent whole grains, and 25 percent protein. Total fiber intake should be 25–30 gramsTrusted Source (g) daily.
Eliminate trans fats from the diet, and minimize the intake of saturated fats, which has a strong link with the incidence of coronary heart disease.
Instead, people can consume monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) or polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which are types of unsaturated fat.
The following foods are healthful and often rich in nutrients:
- fresh fruits and vegetables
- fish
- legumes
- nuts
- seeds
- whole grains, such as brown rice and oatmeal
Foods to avoid eating include:
- foods with added oils, butter, and sugar
- fatty red or processed meats
- baked goods
- bagels
- white bread
- processed foods
In some cases, removing certain foods from the diet might cause a person to become deficient in some necessary vitamins and minerals. A nutritionist, dietitian, or another healthcare professional can advise a person how to get enough nutrients while they are following a weight loss program.
2. Keep a food and weight diary
Self-monitoring is a critical factor in successfully losing weight. People can use a paper diary, mobile app, or dedicated website to record every item of food that they consume each day. They can also measure their progress by recording their weight on a weekly basis.
Those who can track their success in small increments and identify physical changes are much more likely to stick to a weight loss regimen.
People can also keep track of their body mass index (BMI) using a BMI calculator.
3. Engage in regular physical activity and exercise
Regular exercise is vital for both physical and mental health. Increasing the frequency of physical activity in a disciplined and purposeful way is often crucial for successful weight loss.
One hour of moderate-intensity activity per day, such as brisk walking, is ideal. If one hour per day is not possible, the Mayo Clinic suggests that a person should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes every week.
People who are not usually physically active should slowly increase the amount of exercise that they do and gradually increase its intensity. This approach is the most sustainable way to ensure that regular exercise becomes a part of their lifestyle.
In the same way that recording meals can psychologically help with weight loss, people may also benefit from keeping track of their physical activity. Many free mobile apps are available that track a person’s calorie balance after they log their food intake and exercise.
If the thought of a full workout seems intimidating to someone who is new to exercise, they can begin by doing the following activities to increase their exercise levels:
- taking the stairs
- raking leaves
- walking a dog
- gardening
- dancing
- playing outdoor games
- parking farther away from a building entrance
Individuals who have a low risk of coronary heart disease are unlikely to require medical assessment ahead of starting an exercise regimen.
However, prior medical evaluation may be advisable for some people, including those with diabetes. Anyone who is unsure about safe levels of exercise should speak to a healthcare professional.
4. Eliminate liquid calories
It is possible to consume hundreds of calories a day by drinking sugar-sweetened soda, tea, juice, or alcohol. These are known as “empty calories” because they provide extra energy content without offering any nutritional benefits.
Unless a person is consuming a smoothie to replace a meal, they should aim to stick to water or unsweetened tea and coffee. Adding a splash of fresh lemon or orange to water can provide flavor.
Avoid mistaking dehydration for hunger. An individual can often satisfy feelings of hunger between scheduled meal times with a drink of water.
5. Measure servings and control portions
Eating too much of any food, even low-calorie vegetables, can result in weight gain.
Therefore, people should avoid estimating a serving size or eating food directly from the packet. It is better to use measuring cups and serving size guides. Guessing leads to overestimating and the likelihood of eating a larger-than-necessary portion.
The following size comparisons can be useful for monitoring food intake when dining out:
- quarter of a cup is a golf ball
- one-half of a cup is a tennis ball
- 1 cup is a baseball
- 1 ounce (oz) of nuts is a loose handful
- 1 teaspoon is 1 playing die
- 1 tablespoon is a thumb tip
- 3 oz of meat is a deck of cards
- 1 slice is a DVD
These sizes are not exact, but they can help a person moderate their food intake when the correct tools are not available.
6. Eat mindfully
Many people benefit from mindful eating, which involves being fully aware of why, how, when, where, and what they eat.
Making more healthful food choices is a direct outcome of becoming more in tune with the body.
People who practice mindful eating also try to eat more slowly and savor their food, concentrating on the taste. Making a meal last for 20 minutes allows the body to register all of the signals for satiety.
It is important to focus on being satisfied after a meal rather than full and to bear in mind that many “all natural” or low-fat foods are not necessarily a healthful choice.
People can also consider the following questions regarding their meal choice:
- Is it good “value” for the calorie cost?
- Will it provide satiety?
- Are the ingredients healthful?
- If it has a label, how much fat and sodium does it contain?
7. Stimulus and cue control
Many social and environmental cues might encourage unnecessary eating. For example, some people are more likely to overeat while watching television. Others have trouble passing a bowl of candy to someone else without taking a piece.
By being aware of what may trigger the desire to snack on empty calories, people can think of ways to adjust their routine to limit these triggers.
8. Plan ahead
Stocking a kitchen with diet-friendly foods and creating structured meal plans will result in more significant weight loss.
People looking to lose weight or keep it off should clear their kitchen of processed or junk foods and ensure that they have the ingredients on hand to make simple, healthful meals. Doing this can prevent quick, unplanned, and careless eating.
Planning food choices before getting to social events or restaurants might also make the process easier.
9. Seek social support
Embracing the support of loved ones is an integral part of a successful weight loss journey.
Some people may wish to invite friends or family members to join them, while others might prefer to use social media to share their progress.
Other avenues of support may include:
- a positive social network
- group or individual counseling
- exercise clubs or partners
- employee-assistance programs at work
10. Stay positive
Weight loss is a gradual process, and a person may feel discouraged if the pounds do not drop off at quite the rate that they had anticipated.
Some days will be harder than others when sticking to a weight loss or maintenance program. A successful weight-loss program requires the individual to persevere and not give up when self-change seems too difficult.
Some people might need to reset their goals, potentially by adjusting the total number of calories they are aiming to eat or changing their exercise patterns.
The important thing is to keep a positive outlook and be persistent in working toward overcoming the barriers to successful weight loss.
Losing weight
Successful weight loss does not require people to follow a specific diet plan, such as Slimming World or Atkins. Instead, they should focus on eating fewer calories and moving more to achieve a negative energy balance.
Weight loss is primarily dependent on reducing the total intake of calories, not adjusting the proportions of carbohydrate, fat, and protein in the diet.
A reasonable weight loss goal to start seeing health benefits is a 5–10 percent reduction in body weight over a 6-month time frame.
Most people can achieve this goal by reducing their total calorie intake to somewhere in the range of 1,000–1,600 calories per day.
A diet of fewer than 1,000 calories per day will not provide sufficient daily nutrition.
After 6 months of dieting, the rate of weight loss usually declines, and body weight tends to plateau because people use less energy at a lower body weight. Following a weight maintenance program of healthful eating habits and regular physical activity is the best way to avoid regaining lost weight.
People who have a BMI equal to or higher than 30 with no obesity-related health problems may benefit from taking prescription weight-loss medications. These might also be suitable for people with a BMI equal to or higher than 27 with obesity-related diseases.
However, a person should only use medications to support the above lifestyle modifications. If attempts to lose weight are unsuccessful and a person’s BMI reaches 40 or over, surgical therapy is an option.
Overview
Maintaining weight loss involves a commitment to a healthful lifestyle, from which there is no “vacation.” Although people should feel free to enjoy a special meal out, a birthday celebration, or a joyful holiday feast without feeling guilty, they should try not to stray too far from the path of healthful eating and frequent physical activity.
Those who do may find that they lose focus. Gaining back lost weight is easier than losing it.
Achieving and maintaining weight loss is possible when people adopt lifestyle changes in the long term.
Regardless of any specific methods that help a person lose weight, individuals who are conscious of how and what they eat and engage in daily physical activity or regular exercise will be successful both in losing and keeping off excess weight.
Q:
I have an injury that is keeping me from physical exercise. Is there any way to continue keeping the weight off?
A:
If your injury allows, you can do some simple exercises while sitting in a chair, such as lifting light weights. You can also use resistance bands while sitting or lying down.
Some other ways to keep the weight off include counting calories and sticking to a healthful diet that includes fruits, vegetables, lean meat and fish, and whole grains.
Ensure that you include plenty of nutrient-dense foods in your diet, take the time to plan meals, use portion control, drink plenty of water, and maintain a positive attitude.
Trusted Source Answers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.
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Last medically reviewed on January 15, 2019
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Medically reviewed by Gerhard Whitworth, R.N. — By Kathleen Davis, FNP — Updated on January 22, 2024
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Eating less not the best way to lose weight, study shows
New research, published in the journal Appetite, suggests that, when it comes to dieting, it’s not how much you eat — but rather, what you eat — that influences calorie intake the most.
Faris Zuraikat, a graduate student in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, led the new study, which follows up from a previous 1-year randomized controlled trial that investigated how different food portions influenced weight loss.
The former trial aimed to explore the so-called “portion size effect,” which occurs when people are served bigger portions than what they originally wanted but end up eating more nonetheless.
To this end, the previous trial trained the participants to gain more control over their portions, presenting them with useful strategies for portion size management.
In this new trial study, the researchers wanted to see if people who had been previously trained to manage their portions would respond differently to increasing portion sizes by comparison with untrained people.
As the study’s first author explains, the researchers “[w]ere also interested in whether those untrained individuals with overweight and obesity or normal weight differed in their response.”
Calorie intake vs. portion size effect
To find out, the researchers gathered three groups of women: 34 women who were overweight and had not participated in the previous trial, 29 healthy “control” women who had a regular weight and who had also not participated in the trial, and finally, 39 women with overweight and obesity who had taken part in the portion-controlling trial.
During the study, all women were served the same foods once a week for 4 weeks, but the size of their food increased in a random order.
Additionally — and significantly — the calorie content of the food served also varied. The foods ranged from high-calorie ones, such as garlic bread, to low-calorie foods, such as salads.
The study revealed that when given bigger portions, the women across all three groups consumed more food.
However, the participants who had been trained in portion control in the previous trial consumed fewer calories than the untrained participants.
“The lower energy intake of trained participants was attributable to consuming meals with a greater proportion of lower-[energy density] foods than controls,” write the authors.
“All the groups were served the same meals, but their food choices differed,” explains the study’s lead author. “The participants who went through the training consumed more of the lower calorie-dense foods and less of the higher calorie-dense foods than the untrained controls.”
“Consequently, trained participants’ calorie intake was less than that of the control groups, whose intake didn’t differ by weight status.”
Why choosing low-calorie food is important
The study’s lead researcher explains the significance of the findings, saying, “The results show that choosing healthy, lower-calorie-dense foods was more effective and more sustainable than just trying to resist large portions of higher calorie options.”
“If you choose high-calorie-dense foods but restrict the amount that you’re eating, portions will be too small, and you’re likely to get hungry,” Zuraikat goes on.
Barbara Rolls, a professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State and a co-author on the study, also chimes in.
“The study supports the idea that eating less of the higher-calorie-dense foods and more of the nutritious, lower-calorie-dense foods can help to manage hunger while consuming fewer calories.”
Barbara Rolls
“You still have a full plate,” she adds, “but you’re changing the proportions of the different types of foods.”
The findings are particularly significant given that people who want to lose weight are often told that eating “a bit of everything” helps, as long as the food is consumed in moderation.
On the contrary, the new research seems to suggest that opting for more nutritious, low-calorie foods is far more important than trying to eat less.
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By Ana Sandoiu on January 26, 2018 — Fact checked by Honor Whiteman
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Are our weight loss efforts doomed to fail?
Many of us strive to stick to a healthful diet in January while we attempt to shed those extra pounds we gained in December. We’ll probably even succeed in reaching a more satisfying weight — but can we keep this up?
Strict calorie counting, giving up alcohol for the whole of January, and eating more fruit and veg — we put ourselves through this ordeal for the sake of feeling fitter, more attractive, and in better health.
When we reach our weight goals, we celebrate our success and mark the date in our calendar — but is this achievement doomed to being short-lived?
Researchers from the University of Florida in Gainesville have recently set out to learn just how long we can maintain weight loss for, and their findings aren’t very optimistic.
Kathryn Ross — who is an assistant professor at the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions — and her team hypothesized that following conventional assumptions, after a person experiences significant weight loss, there is a “limbo” period of weight loss maintenance before that person starts to put on weight again.
However, their working hypothesis was not verified.
“We had expected to see some sort of overall maintenance phase and while there is a lot of individual variability — there were participants who were able to maintain their weight and even some who were able to keep losing — on average, that wasn’t the case. They started regaining weight right away.”
Kathryn Ross
The study findingsTrusted Source were published in the journal Obesity.
Many of us cannot maintain weight loss
Existing studiesTrusted Source cited by Ross and colleagues had already shown that individuals who experience significant weight loss tend to put on between one third and one half of the pounds they shed within a year of their initial success.
The question that the researchers were interested in addressing, however, was how long it took for people to start regaining weight. Although they first believed in a “period of grace” in which people maintained their new weight before relapsing, the current study proved the researchers wrong.
The team worked with 75 participants who all completed a 12-week, Internet-based weight loss programme. Through this programme, the participants managed to shed 12.7 pounds (which is around 5.7 kilograms), or a pound (0.4 kilograms) per week, on average.
Following this weight loss achievement, Ross and her colleagues asked the study participants to continue to weigh themselves every day over a period of 9 months. They were able to do so from the comfort of their own homes with the help of “smart scales,” which were capable of relaying the data remotely “to research servers via wireless or cellular networks.”
The scientists note that, approximately 77 days from the beginning of the study, the participants started to experience weight regain, putting on approximately 0.15 pounds (or 0.07 kilograms) per week.
After approximately 222 days from the start of the programme, weight regain rate slowed down somewhat, with participants only putting on about 0.13 pounds (0.06 kilograms) each week.
Of the initial 75 participants, the researchers based their final analysis on the data sourced from 70 of them. The data from the other 5 participants were disregarded, as they were incomplete.
Why do we rebound, how can we avoid it?
Now, the researchers are dedicated to pinpointing what the riskiest periods for weight regain are, so that they can build strategies for prevention and weight loss maintenance.
From this study, it is unclear why the participants started to regain weight so soon after the weight loss programme. Nevertheless, Ross and her team speculate that their social environment — with so many temptations and encouraging people to indulge in unhealthful eating habits — may have something to do with it.
“We’re surrounded by easy opportunities to get high-calorie, high-fat foods and it is hard for a lot of folks to build activity into their day,” she warns.
In other words, once we achieve our weight loss goals, we’re satisfied enough with our progress to cave in to the same temptations that led to being an unhealthy weight in the first place.
She does offer some encouragement, noting that weight regain is not a hard and fast rule. She says that some dieters remain successful and do not put the extra weight back on after the initial weight loss achievement.
For those of us interested in keeping up our progress, Ross has a few tips meant to help us stay on track.
First, she “encourage[s] folks to weigh themselves daily. This allows you to see how the changes you’re making in your eating and activity are impacting your weight,” she adds.
She also “urge[s] people to look at the trends [in their weight maintenance journey] and not so much the day-to-day variation.”
When it comes to adjusting back to a higher caloric intake after a weight loss diet, Ross advises that we only add an extra 100 calories per day. Then, we should continue to keep tabs on our weight and modify our caloric intake accordingly.
“There is not a huge difference between the number of calories people are eating when they hit their goal weight versus what they need to maintain,” Ross says.
We should also remember that maintaining a healthy weight isn’t all about dieting. Exercise is just as important to keeping our body in shape, so we shouldn’t forget to incorporate that into our regime — and keep at it.
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By Maria Cohut, Ph.D. on January 18, 2018 — Fact checked by Jasmin Collier
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Exercise alone does not achieve weight loss
If you think that a couple of sessions at the gym will help to work off those Thanksgiving pounds, think again. A new study shows that when it comes to losing weight, exercise alone is unlikely to do the trick — for women, at least.
Researchers at Bangor University in the United Kingdom found that women who engaged in exercise classes three times per week for 4 or 8 weeks — but who did not change their diets — failed to lose any weight.
Study co-author Dr. Hans-Peter Kubis, of the School of Sport, Health & Exercise Sciences at Bangor University, and colleagues recently reported their findings in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism.
The study involved two experiments. For the first experiment, 34 women aged 18 to 32 years took part in a circuit exercise training session three times per week for a total of 4 weeks.
The second experiment included 36 women of the same age group, all of whom took part in the same training sessions, but for a total of 8 weeks.
At the beginning and end of each experiment, the weight, muscle, and fat mass of each woman were measured.
Blood samples were also taken from the participants, which allowed the team to measure levels of appetite hormones, including insulin, leptin, amylin, ghrelin, and peptide YY. Such hormones can influence feelings of hunger and food intake.
Appetite hormones may play a role
The aim of this study was to determine whether or not exercise alone would lead to weight loss in the women, but the subjects were not informed of this. Instead, they were told that the study would assess the effects of exercise on cognition and cardiorespiratory fitness. Dr. Kubis says that this was to avoid potential bias.
“When people take up exercise, they often restrict their diet — consciously or unconsciously — and this can mask the effects of the exercise,” he explains.
At the end of the 4- and 8-week programs, the researchers found that none of the women had lost weight, regardless of whether they were lean, overweight, or obese prior to the intervention.
Lean women, however, did see an increase in muscle mass after the exercise training.
The researchers also found that women who were overweight or obese experienced changes to appetite hormones that were associated with increased hunger. The team says that this may partly explain why exercise alone may not lead to weight loss.
“Our body system is so well regulated, that it always finds a way to compensate for a loss in energy after exercise,” says Dr. Kubis.
“Whether they are aware of it or not, someone undertaking more physical activity or exercise may experience increased appetite as a result, and this makes it difficult for people to achieve their goals.”
Exercise isn’t just about weight loss
The team stresses that they are not saying that exercise has no benefits — far from it. For weight loss, however, physical activity alone is unlikely to be enough.
“To be effective, exercise training for weight loss needs to be integrated into a lifestyle approach to weight loss, including exercise combined with diet.”
Dr. Hans-Peter Kubis
That said, Dr. Kubis notes that when it comes to the benefits of exercise, weigh loss should not be the main focus.
“Knowing how much fat and muscle we have in our body is much more important than knowing how much we weigh,” he says. “When we focus on weight alone, we miss the improvements achieved via exercise training.”
“Seeing no change on [the] scales may be enough to make people give up on their exercise training, not realizing that they have actually improved their body by gaining muscle mass.”
He adds that gyms and other exercise facilities should incorporate more equipment that focuses on improving body composition.
- Nutrition / Diet
- Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
- Sports Medicine / Fitness
- Women’s Health / Gynecology
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By Honor Whiteman on November 25, 2017 — Fact checked by Jasmin Collier
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How weight loss makes us hungrier
A Norwegian study of individuals with severe obesity has found that although hormones that control both fullness and hunger increase after weight loss, it seems that hunger wins.
The implication, the researchers conclude, is that overweight individuals who lose weight may have to learn to live with feeling hungry.
They suggest that their recent findings, which have now been published in the American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism, support the idea that obesity should be treated as a long-term illness.
Type 2 diabetes is treated in a similar way, and individuals with the condition are monitored closely to help them hold onto their gains.
“We have to stop treating [obesity] as a short-term illness,” explains lead study author Catia Martins, an associate professor in the Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, “by giving patients some support and help, and then just letting them fend for themselves.”
‘Gold standard in obesity treatment’
In the United States, obesity is common and affects 36.5 percentTrusted Source of the adult population. It costs more than $147 billion per year to treat.
Obesity is linked toTrusted Source a number of serious health problems that are leading causes of death both in the U.S. and worldwide, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers.
Prof. Martins and colleagues studied morbidly obese adults who took part in a 2-year weight loss program during which they attended five 3-week residential sessions.
Morbidly obese is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) that is greater than 40.
At each residential session, the participants received advice and therapy and learned about weight loss and how to achieve it through diet and exercise.
“We gave 34 patients with morbid obesity the gold standard in obesity treatment over a period of 2 years,” Prof. Martins notes.
Between the residential sessions, the participants were all urged to continue with what they had learned about maintaining a healthful diet and getting some exercise every day.
Hunger ‘seems to override’ satiety
All of the participants gave blood samples and completed questionnaires about their feelings of hunger and fullness 4 weeks, 1 year, and 2 years after the start of the program. From the blood samples, the team was able to assess levels of hormones that control hunger and fullness, or satiety.
The participants did not report a change in their feelings of fullness at the 4-week assessment but did report a reduction after 1 and 2 years of sustained weight loss. In contrast, they reported a significant increase in hunger at the 1- and 2-year assessments.
The blood tests showed higher levels of both satiety and hunger hormones after 1 and 2 years of sustained weight loss.
The study’s authors suggest that the increase in the hunger hormone ghrelin “seems to have overridden” the rise in satiety hormones.
“This means,” they write, “that patients with severe obesity who have lost significant amounts of weight with lifestyle interventions, combining diet and exercise, will have to deal with increased hunger in the long-term.”
Overall, the participants lost an average of 11 kilograms (around 24 pounds) over the 2 years, with around half of that being shed in the first 3 weeks.
After the program, only 20 percent of the participants sustained their weight loss. Prof. Martins says that this is roughly in line with established research: most people with obesity can achieve weight loss — even by themselves — but 80 percent of them put it back on again later.
“Obesity is a daily struggle for the rest of one’s life.”
Prof. Catia Martins
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By Catharine Paddock, Ph.D. on February 12, 2018 — Fact checked by Jasmin Collier
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A big breakfast could aid weight loss, glucose control
You may have heard that breakfast is “the most important meal of the day,” and a new study helps to support this. It found that eating a big breakfast and reducing lunch and dinner size may be key for people looking to lose weight and improve their blood glucose levels.
Led by researchers from Tel Aviv University in Israel, the study found that adults who were obese and had type 2 diabetes lost more weight and had better blood glucose levels after 3 months when they had a high-energy breakfast every day.
Lead study author Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, who is a professor of medicine at Tel Aviv University, and colleagues recently presented their results at ENDO 2018, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held in Chicago, IL.
Obesity is a leading risk factor for type 2 diabetesTrusted Source; excess weight makes it more difficult for the body to use insulin — the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels — effectively.
According to the Obesity Society, it is estimated that around 90 percent of adults who have type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese.
In terms of treating obesity and type 2 diabetes, switching to a more healthful diet is often the first port of call. But, as Dr. Jakubowicz notes, it’s not always what and how much we eat that might cause problems; it’s also the time of day at which we eat.
“Our body metabolism changes throughout the day,” as Dr. Jakubowicz explains. “A slice of bread consumed at breakfast leads to a lower glucose response and is less fattening than an identical slice of bread consumed in the evening.”
With this in mind, Dr. Jakubowicz and colleagues sought to find out more about how the timing of food intake influences weight loss and blood glucose levels.
Bdiet led to weight loss, reduced hunger
The scientists enrolled 29 adults, of whom 18 were male and 11 were female, to their study. Subjects were aged 69, on average, and all of them had obesity and type 2 diabetes.
The team randomly assigned each of the adults to two different diet groups for a total of 3 months.
One group followed the “Bdiet,” and this consisted of three meals per day: a large breakfast; a medium-sized lunch; and a small evening meal. The other group followed the “6Mdiet,” which consisted of six small meals spaced throughout the day, plus three snacks.
The researchers tested the subjects’ blood glucose levels every 2 weeks during the study. They also used continuous glucose monitoring to measure overall glucose levels, as well as spikes in blood glucose throughout the study.
The researchers found that subjects in the Bdiet group lost an average of 5 kilograms after 3 months, while those who followed the 6Mdiet gained an average of 1.4 kilograms.
Hunger and cravings for carbohydrates also increased among subjects in the 6Mdiet group, but these reduced significantly for subjects who followed the Bdiet.
The effects on blood glucose levels
The scientists found that the fasting glucose levels of subjects in the Bdiet group fell by an average of 54 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dl) — from 161 mg/dl to 107 mg/dl — after 3 months, while fasting glucose levels of the 6Mdiet diet group fell by just 23 mg/dl, from 164 mg/dl to 141 mg/dl.
Upon looking at overall mean glucose levels, the team found that these dropped by 29 mg/dl in the first 14 days — from 167 mg/dl to 138 mg/dl — for subjects who followed the Bdiet, while they fell just 9 mg/dl among the 6Mdiet diet group, from 171 mg/dl to 162 mg/dl.
At 3 months, overall mean glucose levels decreased by 38 mg/dl in the Bdiet group — from 167 mg/dl to 129 mg/dl — compared with a reduction of 17 mg/dl in the 6Mdiet diet group, from 171 mg/dl to 154 mg/dl.
Mean glucose levels during sleep did not reduce at all for those subjects who followed the 6Mdiet diet, but subjects in the Bdiet group experienced a reduction of 24 mg/dl — from 131 mg/dl to 107 mg/dl — at 3 months.
Those who adhered to the Bdiet also required less insulin during the study period, with a reduction in 20.5 units each day. Subjects who followed the 6Mdiet diet, however, needed more insulin, with an increase of 2.2 units every day.
Meal timing offers benefits in itself
Notably, the study also revealed that participants adhering to the Bdiet experienced a significant decrease in overall blood sugar levels in as little as 14 days, even when the subjects themselves showed no weight loss.
According to the researchers, this finding indicates that the timing of meals itself can help with blood glucose management, though weight loss can help to enhance the benefits.
Overall, the team concludes that three meals each day — with breakfast being the biggest — may be of great benefit to people with obesity and type 2 diabetes.
“This study shows,” says Dr. Jakubowicz, “that, in obese, insulin-treated type 2 diabetes patients, a diet with three meals per day, consisting of a big breakfast, average lunch, and small dinner, had many rapid and positive effects compared to the traditional diet with six small meals evenly distributed throughout the day.”
These “positive effects” included “better weight loss, less hunger, and better diabetes control while using less insulin.”
“A diet with adequate meal timing and frequency has a pivotal role in glucose control and weight loss.”
Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz