Food intake and meal patterns of weight-stable and weight-gaining persons.
BACKGROUND
Weight gain is a result of changes in the regulation of short-term meal-to-meal intake. An investigation of the short-term intake and activity levels of weight-gaining persons may provide insight into the nature of the cues signaling weight gain.


OBJECTIVE
The basic hypothesis was that the investigation of energy balance during periods of dynamic weight gain should provide clues to the regulatory differences that result in obesity.


METHODS
The eating behavior and activity levels of 19 weight-gaining men and women and of weight-stable, matched control subjects were compared with the use of 7-d diet diaries. Participants recorded their activity levels, everything that they ate or drank, and the environmental and psychological factors surrounding each eating episode for 7 consecutive days.


RESULTS
The weight-gaining group ingested 1645 kJ/d more than did the weight-stable group because of a greater consumption of carbohydrate and fat and larger meal sizes.


CONCLUSIONS
The greater food intake in the weight-gaining group did not result from environmental, social, or psychological factors, suggesting that the overeating associated with weight gain might be physiologically based.
Pearcey
Sharon M
SM
Department of Psychology, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30152, USA. spearcey@kennesaw.edu
de Castro
John M
JM
D000328:Adult; D001481:Basal Metabolism; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology; D002149:Energy Intake; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015430:Weight Gain
D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats