Women who keep a food journal, don't skip meals and don't eat out at lunch very often lose more weight than dieters who don't follow these practices, a new study shows.
Researchers with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center tracked the dieting habits of 123 overweight or obese post-menopausal women who followed a weight-loss program for a year.
At the end, they lost an average of 19 pounds or about 11 percent of their starting weight. Most followed diets of about 1,200 to 2,000 calories a day. They were advised to keep a food journal of everything they ate.
Researchers with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center found:
Women who consistently kept a food diary lost about six pounds more than those who didn't.
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Dieters who skipped meals lost about eight pounds less than women who didn't.
The women who dined out more, lost less. Those who ate lunch out once a week or more lost about five pounds less than those who ate out less frequently. Results were similar for eating dinner out.
There was no difference in the weight loss among those who weighed themselves daily or once a week.
The study appears online in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, formerly the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
