title: Dietary self-monitoring and long-term success with weight management.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the contributions of frequency, consistency, and comprehensiveness of dietary self-monitoring to long-term weight change.
  
  
  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 weight 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 of self-monitoring (total number of food records), 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 = 0.004; 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 > 0.05. 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 < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of high frequency plus high consistency of dietary self-monitoring improves long-term success in weight management.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Florida, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Ninoska D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Kathryn R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Middleton
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Nackers
authors.forename: Kristen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Medina
authors.forename: Vanessa A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Milsom
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Perri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods*; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss