Dietary Self-Monitoring and Long-Term Success with Weight Management

OBJECTIVE: To examine the contributions of frequency, consistency, and comprehensiveness of dietary self-monitoring to long-term weight change. DESIGN AND METHODS: Participants included 220 obese women (mean±SD, age=59.3±6.1 years; BMI=36.8±4.9 kg/m(2)) who achieved a mean loss of -10.39±5.28% from baseline during 6 months of behavioral treatment and regained 2.30±7.28% during a 12-month extended-care period. The contributions of cumulative frequency (total number of food records) of self-monitoring, consistency across time (number of weeks with ≥3 records), and comprehensiveness of information recorded were examined as predictors of weight regain in a hierarchical linear regression analysis The mediating role of adherence to daily caloric intake goals was tested using a bootstrapping analysis. RESULTS: The association between high total frequency of self-monitoring and reduced weight regain was moderated by weekly consistency of self-monitoring, p=.004; increased frequency produced beneficial effects on weight change only when coupled with high consistency (>3 days/week). There was no impact of comprehensiveness on weight change, p>.05. The favorable effect of high frequency/high consistency self-monitoring on weight change was partially mediated by participants’ success in meeting daily caloric intake goals (p< .001). CONCLUSION: The combination of high frequency plus high consistency of dietary self-monitoring improves long-term success in weight management.