title: Eating frequency, energy intake and body weight during a successful weight loss trial in overweight and obese postpartum women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine associations among eating frequency, energy intake and body weight at baseline, as well as associations among change in eating frequency and change in energy intake and weight during a 12-week successful weight loss intervention in overweight and obese postpartum women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one Swedish women with pre-pregnancy body mass index of 25-35 kg/m(2) completed a 4-day diet record at 10-14 weeks postpartum (baseline) and 12 weeks later (post-intervention), which were used to calculate energy intake and eating frequency, that is, the mean number of intake occasions per day.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The women had a mean eating frequency of 5.9 ± 1.2 intake occasions at baseline. A positive association was found between eating frequency and energy intake at baseline (β: 307 ± 46 kcal, P<0.001), whereas no significant association between eating frequency and weight was observed (β: 2.3 ± 1.2 kg, P=0.063). During the intervention period, reduced eating frequency was positively associated with energy intake reduction (β: 169 ± 69 kcal, P=0.017) whereas no significant association was found with weight loss (β: 0.9 ± 0.7 kg, P=0.179). Women receiving dietary intervention reduced their eating frequency more during the intervention period than did women not receiving dietary intervention (-1.0 ± 0.7 vs -0.5 ± 1.1, P=0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A positive association was found between eating frequency and energy intake at baseline and between reduced eating frequency and reduced energy intake during a 12-week weight loss intervention in overweight and obese postpartum women. Intervention studies on eating frequency are warranted to elucidate its effect on energy intake and weight among postpartum women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Huseinovic
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Winkvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bertz
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bertéus Forslund
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: H K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Brekke
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015930:Diet Records; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy*; D050177:Overweight / Q000178:diet therapy*; D049590:Postpartum Period / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015431:Weight Loss