Alterations in Food Reward Regarding Bariatric Surgery Type and Weight Loss Outcomes: An Exploratory Study

Changes in food preferences after bariatric surgery may alter its effectiveness as a treatment for obesity. We aimed to compare food reward for a comprehensive variety of food categories between patients who received a sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and to explore whether food reward differs according to weight loss. In this cross-sectional exploratory study, food reward was assessed using the Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire (LFPQ). We assessed liking and wanting of eleven food categories. Comparisons were done regarding type of surgery and Total Weight Loss (TWL; based on tercile distribution). Fifty-six patients (30 SG and 26 RYGB) were included (women: 70%; age: 44.0 (11.1) y). Regarding the type of surgery, scores were not significantly different between SG and RYGB, except for ‘non-dairy products – without color’ explicit liking (p = 0.04). Regarding TWL outcomes, explicit liking, explicit wanting and implicit wanting, scores were significantly higher for Good responders than Low responders for ‘No meat – High fat’ (post-hoc corrected p-value: 0.04, 0.03 and 0.04, respectively). Together, our results failed to identify major differences in liking and wanting regarding the type of surgery and tended to indicate that higher weight loss might be related to a higher reward for high protein-content food. Rather to focus only on palatable foods, future studies should also consider a broader range of food items, including protein reward.

Men’s Weight Loss Outcomes, Behaviors, and Perceptions in a Self-Directed Commercial Mobile Program: Retrospective Analysis

Background There is little understanding of men’s weight loss outcomes and behaviors in self-directed contexts, such as digital commercial mobile weight management programs. This is an especially pressing question given that men often express disinterest in weight management programs and it is unknown how that manifests in self-directed environments. Aims. Two studies fill this gap by retrospectively observing how men lose weight and engage in weight loss behaviors (Study 1) and their perceptions of improvements and gained knowledge (Study 2) when participating in the full length of a commercial mobile behavior change program called Noom. Method In Study 1, repeated-measures linear mixed modeling was used to examine whether weight loss was statistically significant from baseline to 16 weeks and how engagement behaviors predicted weight in a sample of 7,495 male Noom users. In Study 2, 971 male Noom users completed an exploratory survey on the impact of the behavior change education in the program. Results In Study 1, men who remained in the full length of the program lost statistically significant weight from baseline to 16 weeks. 63% achieved clinically meaningful (5% or more) weight loss. Engagement in weight loss behaviors on the program predicted the amount of weight lost. In Study 2, men reported learning most about practical application and psychological aspects relating to food and psychology. Discussion and Conclusion This is the first study to observe men’s weight loss outcomes, behaviors, and perceptions of what they learned in a self-directed behavior change program. Our findings have important implications for more effective health promotion for the many men who choose to self-direct their weight loss.

A systematic review of the use of dietary self-monitoring in behavioral weight-loss interventions: delivery, intensity and effectiveness

Objective: To identify dietary self-monitoring implementation strategies in behavioral weight loss interventions. Design: We conducted a systematic review of eight databases and examined 59 weight loss intervention studies targeting adults with overweight/obesity that used dietary self-monitoring. Setting: NA Participants: NA Results: We identified self-monitoring implementation characteristics, effectiveness of interventions in supporting weight loss, and examined weight loss outcomes among higher and lower intensity dietary self-monitoring protocols. Included studies utilized diverse self-monitoring formats (paper, website, mobile app, phone) and intensity levels (recording all intake or only certain aspects of diet). We found the majority of studies using high and low intensity self-monitoring strategies demonstrated statistically significant weight loss in intervention groups compared to control groups. Conclusions: Based on our findings, lower and higher intensity dietary self-monitoring may support weight loss, but variability in adherence measures and limited analysis of weight loss relative to self-monitoring usage limits our understanding of how these methods compare to each other.