If you are focused on using the scale, aim for no more than pounds of weight loss per week. Simply put, calories count. The bottom line: to lose weight you have to use up more calories than you take in.

Studies show that writing down what you eat is an effective method for weight loss. Every bite or sip counts! Tracking is also an effective tool for evaluating your eating habits and patterns. MyFitnessPal, Lose It, and Sparkpeople are top-ranked web-based and phone apps to help you track your daily intake and activity level.

The Healthy Eating Planner is a tool to help you assess your current eating habits, set goals and create a meal plan. Make use of your downtime to develop a basic menu for the upcoming week, go food shopping, and batch cook.

Keep healthful foods on hand so you can toss together a wholesome meal in no time. The Food Personality Quiz. Distribute your calories throughout the day rather than eating most of them after the sun goes down. This helps to keep your metabolism fired up, prevents drastic swings in blood sugar and helps with portion control throughout the day.

The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to evaluate the distributions of the variables. Variables with normally distributed variables were presented as means and standard deviations SDs , and asymmetric variables were presented as medians and interquartile ranges P 25 - P Dieting habits, food intake, anthropometry, and biochemical parameters were not considered primary or secondary outcomes, but were evaluated in an intra-group comparison by the time of the follow-up using paired Student t, Wilcoxon, and McNemar tests.

The test of homogeneity was performed for each of the primary and secondary outcomes. Analysis of covariance ANCOVA was used to assess intervention effectiveness to primary and secondary outcomes, adjusted for age, education, and baseline measurements.

The results of the comparisons were corrected using the Bonferroni method. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed to determine the effectiveness of the intervention and to keep all participants with non-missing baseline outcome measurements.

In the case of missing values at 6-month Statistical significance was attributed when p -values were less than 0.

Analyses were performed using SPSS Statistics for Windows, version Of the 86 eligible women enrolled at the beginning of the study, 58 completed the 6-month intervention: 24 women in the CG The CG participants who completed the trial had a lower per capita income than those that did not complete the trail [ After the intention to treat, an analysis verifies if the estimated data were similar to the collected information.

There were significant inter-group differences in education, self-health perception, and physical activity. Both groups reported low income per capita, low educational attainment, and did not perceive their health as well.

Overall, most women were dissatisfied with their body shapes and had previous weight loss attempts. Most of the participants were classified in the action and maintenance SOC for all four aspects Table 2. Analyses of the intervention effectiveness after adjusting for age, education, and baseline measurements revealed significant differences in body weight, BMI, and resistin between women in the IG and CG Table 5.

However, no difference was found in the secondary outcomes, including WC, energy consumption, and adiponectin. The TTM-based intervention was shown to be an effective strategy for weight reduction in PHC, leading to positive effects concerning nutritional status, dietary behaviors, waist circumference, glucose, and resistin levels.

These findings suggest the promise of the TTM-based intervention approach for weight-loss behaviors while indicating the need for more effective weight maintenance strategies for usual public health care and communities of low socioeconomic status.

To our knowledge, this is the first study in the literature that investigates the impact of an individualized multi-behavioral TTM intervention that addressed multiple behaviors for weight management on PHC, associated with inflammatory and metabolic evaluation.

Furthermore, food and nutrient intake, eating habits, anthropometric characteristics, and biochemical and inflammatory profiles were simultaneously assessed.

The use of multi-behavioral interventions is a promising strategy to control multifactorial morbidities such as overweight and obesity , especially when considering the complexity of behaviors associated with individual lifestyles [ 12 ].

Moreover, it should be considered as a maximized cost-effectiveness intervention, promoting action and paired actions, in which a change of one behavior can help to change another behavior [ 11 ].

To overcome impersonal program interventions, this study used an individualized intervention according to readiness for change that considers the complexity involved with food choices.

Feasible strategies based on the economic, cultural, and social environments of participants, which enabled them to make healthy choices, were developed. At the 3- and 6-month follow-ups, the vast majority of participants reported that they followed guidelines. Adherence to treatment is one of the main determinants of its success and is influenced by multiple factors, such as recognition of risk behaviors and the development of self-care [ 21 ].

Also, participants perceived different health benefits with TTM-based intervention. This finding makes sense because TTM enables differentiated interventions according to individual subjective perception. Despite following the guidelines, participants identified barriers to change that were addressed throughout the intervention.

This demonstrates the need for constant assessment of readiness for change to guide the intervention. In addition to specific guidelines to the SOC, strategies such as Social Cognitive Theory and Motivational Interviewing have proven effective for this type of obstacle [ 14 ].

Hence, while the CG presented unfavorable changes, the relatively high levels of adherence in IG were accompanied by beneficial changes in anthropometric measurements, diet habits, and biochemical parameters. These results suggest that the intervention increased their awareness of diet, but this must be confirmed through other studies.

This probably encouraged participant autonomy and most likely led to changing parameters beyond those specifically addressed by the intervention [ 9 , 22 , 23 ]. Another important improvement presented by IG is the progression from early stages of change to final stages action and maintenance regarding portion control, which suggests increased food selectivity and impulse control, which in turn is an important indicator of the sustainability of behavior change [ 9 , 22 ].

The SOC evolution and the eating habits changes that occurred in the IG might have helped the weight loss to occur. The differences between the IG and CG are relevant, especially considering the obesogenic environment of large cities and the positive effects that modest weight loss might have on reducing metabolic and cardiovascular risks [ 23 ].

Another trial using multi-behavioral TTM intervention also showed significant weight loss [ 13 ]. Some clinical trials that used different approaches, such as online and for telephone, reported weight loss ranging from 0.

Despite being one of the target behaviors of the intervention, it is important to note that participants in both groups were not different in exercise practice throughout the trial data not shown.

The PAS routinely offers regular physical exercise, and all the participants were users of the service prior to the study. Therefore, everyone practiced physical activity, which is valuable for inflammation control, whether resulting from an isolated effect or as a precursor to reduced body weight [ 25 ].

Nevertheless, when comparing CG and IG, reduced levels of resistin were detected in the CG. The resistin is released from infiltrating white blood cells subsequent to subclinical chronic low-grade inflammatory response, accompanying obesity.

Thus, the resistin level might be linked to the control of insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome [ 23 ]. The levels of resistin are related to other biochemical markers and can vary the concentration after intervention for weight loss.

Other studies have reported either a reduction or increase in these concentrations, after intervention for weight loss, according to the characteristics of the participants [ 26 , 27 ].

Some limitations should be highlighted. The high percentage of individuals in the final stages of change at baseline might have limited the effects of the intervention.

Adherence to nutritional guidelines was not evaluated for participants who abandoned treatment. The difference between decisional balance and self-efficacy along the trial was not evaluated, but these constructs were considered for the development of the nutritional intervention.

Since women from the CG and IG participated in the same usual activity, it is possible that some information leaked between the groups. Another limitation of this study was the difference in educational levels between participants in the CG and IG groups.

However, all analyses were adjusted by education to minimize the impact of this variable on the results. Significant results of body weight change were not found in the intra-group analysis. However, although not significant, the results showed a tendency to reduce weight in the IG and gain in the CG, and this difference was significant in the inter-group comparison.

This might also reflect the PHC service, which presents a high turnover of users [ 28 ]. Intention-to-treat techniques were used to minimize the impact of loss.

Also, the methods of this clinical trial did not allow blinding of the participants and professionals involved. Another limitation was that the trial registration was performed after data collection. However, the study was submitted and approved to the Ethics Committee before recruiting participants, following all guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki.

The study was carried out and approved, taking into account the aspects recommended in a clinical trial. In addition, the data collection of this work was carried out in Therefore, differences in the context experienced today and in the time of data collection should be considered when interpreting the results.

The study was conducted in a unit of the first implemented in the municipality. In addition, the high cost of biochemical analysis limited the expansion of the study to other units. However, it is important to note that after the study, PAS was expanded in Brazil and is today considered a useful space for the treatment of obesity and it is part of the network of attention to chronic diseases in the country [ 14 ].

Also, this study was performed in a PHC service in Brazil, and the results should not be generalized to populations with other characteristics. More studies are needed for other populations.

Additionally, this study includes only the results of women. Few men were included in the PAS, which makes it impossible to obtain a sufficient sample to verify the effectiveness of the intervention.

Studies using this population are necessary, considering its high prevalence of obesity and associated factors. Despite the limitations, this study showed that the TTM-based intervention for weight control in this scenario was effective and shows the relevance of these strategies in PHC for weight control.

Individualized TTM-based interventions, when combined with usual care, might offer a viable and effective strategy for weight loss in primary health care and have a positive impact on inflammatory markers. The characteristics of the approaches used are in line with international guidelines aimed to prevent and control NCD by promoting interdisciplinary practices that are indispensable for the successful treatment of obesity and other NCD.

Nevertheless, further research to identify additional strategies is needed to address barriers to weight maintenance among obese low-income women. World Health Organization WHO. Obesity and overweight. Accessed 28 Oct Stenholm S, Head J, Aalto V, Kivimäki M, Kawachi I, Zins M, et al.

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See what you enjoy most and can fit into your life. These activities will be easier to stick with over the long term. Even modest weight loss [PDF This modest weight loss can decrease your risk for chronic diseases related to obesity. Find family members or friends who will support your weight loss efforts.

Coworkers or neighbors with similar goals might share healthy recipes and plan group physical activities. Joining a weight loss group or visiting a health care professional such as a registered dietitian may also help. Revisit the goals you set in Step 3 and evaluate your progress regularly.

Evaluate which parts of your plan are working well and which ones need tweaking. Then rewrite your goals and plan accordingly. If you consistently achieve a particular goal, add a new goal to help you continue your pathway to success.

Reward yourself for your successes! Use non-food rewards, such as a bouquet of fresh flowers, a sports outing with friends, or a relaxing bath. Rewards help keep you motivated on the path to better health. Treatment for overweight and obesity Common treatments for overweight and obesity include losing weight through healthy eating, being more physically active, and making other changes to your usual habits.

Choosing a safe and successful weight-loss program Tips on how to choose a program that may help you lose weight safely and keep it off over time. Prescription medications to treat overweight and obesity If lifestyle changes do not help you lose weight or maintain your weight loss, your health care professional may prescribe medications as part of your weight-control program.

Bariatric surgery Weight-loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery, is an operation that makes changes to the digestive system. Body Image Creating a positive body image through healthy eating habits. Strategies for Success Find resources to help you lose or gain weight safely and effectively.

Weight Management for Youth Address weight issues in children and teens with healthy guidelines, links to interactive and skill-building tools, and more. What you should know about popular diets Learn how to evaluate claims made by weight loss products and diets. Find information to choose weight loss strategies that are healthy, effective, and safe for you.

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