Abstract
Dietary interventions are the cornerstone of obesity treatment. The optimal dietary approach to weight loss is a hotly debated topic among health professionals and the lay public alike. An emerging body of evidence suggests that a higher level of adherence to a diet, regardless of the type of diet, is an important factor in weight loss success over the short and long term. Key strategies to improve adherence include designing dietary weight loss interventions (such as ketogenic diets) that help to control the increased drive to eat that accompanies weight loss, tailoring dietary interventions to a person’s dietary preferences (and nutritional requirements), and promoting self-monitoring of food intake. The aim of this paper is to examine these strategies, which can be used to improve adherence and thereby increase the success of dietary weight loss interventions.
Highlights
The obesity epidemic is one of the greatest public health challenges globally
Adherence is an important key to weight loss success, and there are a number of strategies that can be used to improve adherence that are applicable in research or real-world settings
An increased drive to eat is a major contributor to unsuccessful weight loss attempts, and it is a key target in improving adherence
Summary
The obesity epidemic is one of the greatest public health challenges globally. In Australia, obesity has affected every facet of our population, with almost two thirds (63.4%) of adults considered overweight or obese [1]. In order for clinicians to tackle the obesity epidemic, they need evidenced-based treatments that are practical, affordable and feasible to implement in real word settings. This paper will first narratively review the evidence supporting adherence as a key factor in weight loss success. It will narratively review three key strategies that can be used to improve adherence and thereby increase the success of dietary weight loss interventions. These three strategies to be reviewed here are designing dietary weight loss interventions that help to control the increased drive to eat that accompanies weight loss, tailoring weight loss interventions to a person’s dietary preferences (and nutritional requirements), and promoting self-monitoring of food intake. Not the only strategies that can be utilised in practice to promote dietary adherence, we selected these specific strategies because they are practical, feasible, and applicable in both research and real-world settings, in diverse clinical populations
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