Food Cravings Strategies During Dietary Weight Loss
- Conditions
- ObesityWeight LossFood Cravings
- Interventions
- Behavioral: Test two food cravings strategies during dietary weight lossBehavioral: Dietary weight loss program +Food cravings strategies
- Registration Number
- NCT06280339
- Lead Sponsor
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Brief Summary
The purpose is to optimize the EMPOWER program by integrating strategies to reduce food cravings, a critical yet often overlooked factor for long-term success in weight management.
The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of craving coping strategies on weight loss outcomes by conducting a randomized controlled trial. Participants will be randomized to receive one of the two strategies to manage food cravings.
- Detailed Description
Obesity is a major contributor to developing chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and 41.9% of adults were obese in 2020 in the United States. Although weight loss can reduce or remit these comorbidities , it is challenging for most individuals with obesity to achieve clinically significant weight loss and sustain healthy weight through dietary/lifestyle modifications. Achieving sustainable weight loss must be accompanied by dietary/lifestyle modifications that can be sustained comfortably for a lifetime. Currently, there is no dietary weight loss program that can reliably induce sustainable weight loss.
To address this deficiency, our lab has been developing a novel dietary weight loss program that can achieve a lifetime healthy weight. In our three weight loss trials, we observed that the reduction of food cravings is associated with successful weight loss and subsequent weight maintenance. Food cravings have been suggested to predict food intake and weight gain, lack of success in weight loss, and early drop-out from weight management programs, supporting our observation. Food cravings are defined as strong or intense desires for a particular type of food and have been reported to occur in approximately 58% of adults. Individuals with overweight or obesity report more frequent and intense cravings for energy-dense food, such as high-fat and sweet foods, relative to normal-weight people.
Specific food craving coping strategies are developed to reduce the frequency and intensity of cravings to minimize the risk of excessive food intake. These strategies involve cognitive-behavioral principles, including controlled-based strategies such as avoidance, resistance, and inclusion. The avoidance strategy uses behavior-oriented techniques to modify the immediate environment, teaching individuals to encourage healthy eating and avoid unhealthy eating by controlling the stimuli that trigger their behaviors. The resistance strategies focus on cognitive regulation and enhancing self-regulatory control, which teaches individuals how to cognitively restructure urges related to craved food and mentally distract themselves from cravings. The inclusion strategies focus on self-regulation and planning and aim to satisfy food cravings by strategically incorporating craved foods into balanced meals.
Despite the existence of coping strategies, very few studies evaluate the efficacy of these strategies during weight loss trials. Thus, we evaluated the relationship between weight loss outcomes and the degree of cravings using intra-cohort analysis in our two weight loss trials. Our preliminary findings suggested that effective management of food cravings appears to be a key to successful weight loss and weight maintenance. Study 1 found that better control over food cravings during weight loss and maintenance was associated with long-term success in weight loss outcomes. Study 2 demonstrated that participants who achieved clinically significant or greater weight loss (5% weight loss) had significantly lower food cravings.
Building on the findings from our preliminary studies, a specific aim of this research proposal is to determine the efficacy of craving coping strategies (and a combination of strategies) on weight loss outcomes by conducting a randomized controlled trial.
Recruitment & Eligibility
- Status
- RECRUITING
- Sex
- All
- Target Recruitment
- 100
- Adult between the ages of 18 and 75
- BMI of at least 28 and above
4- Have access to the internet 3- Report experiencing at least a moderate amount of food cravings, and they consume the craved food at least a few times per week.
- Participation in a formal weight management program within the preceding three months.
- Usage of medications impacting weight.
- Being pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Having a history of bariatric surgeries.
- Diagnosed with DM type 1 or/and Use insulin injection
Study & Design
- Study Type
- INTERVENTIONAL
- Study Design
- PARALLEL
- Arm && Interventions
Group Intervention Description Inclusion group Test two food cravings strategies during dietary weight loss Inclusion Strategy: This strategy teaches individuals how to modify their eating habits by paying attention to the portion size of craved foods and incorporating them into well-balanced meals, avoiding eating between meals. It also includes a toolkit for situations where individuals may struggle to include craved foods in their balanced meals. Both strategies include educational materials explaining the definition of food cravings, factors that contribute to food cravings, and the distinction between hunger and cravings. Avoidance group Test two food cravings strategies during dietary weight loss Avoidance Strategy: This strategy focuses on teaching individuals how to modify their immediate environments to make it easier to control food cravings. Examples include redesigning your home to remove tempting foods or limiting access to craved foods. It also covers tips on making grocery lists and communicating health goals within your social circle. Additionally, it includes a toolkit for situations where controlling the immediate environment may be challenging, such as at parties or social gatherings Both strategies include educational materials explaining the definition of food cravings, factors that contribute to food cravings, and the distinction between hunger and cravings. Avoidance group Dietary weight loss program +Food cravings strategies Avoidance Strategy: This strategy focuses on teaching individuals how to modify their immediate environments to make it easier to control food cravings. Examples include redesigning your home to remove tempting foods or limiting access to craved foods. It also covers tips on making grocery lists and communicating health goals within your social circle. Additionally, it includes a toolkit for situations where controlling the immediate environment may be challenging, such as at parties or social gatherings Both strategies include educational materials explaining the definition of food cravings, factors that contribute to food cravings, and the distinction between hunger and cravings. Inclusion group Dietary weight loss program +Food cravings strategies Inclusion Strategy: This strategy teaches individuals how to modify their eating habits by paying attention to the portion size of craved foods and incorporating them into well-balanced meals, avoiding eating between meals. It also includes a toolkit for situations where individuals may struggle to include craved foods in their balanced meals. Both strategies include educational materials explaining the definition of food cravings, factors that contribute to food cravings, and the distinction between hunger and cravings.
- Primary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Body weight Change from baseline (0 month) to 3 month Body weight in kilograms measured on a standard scale
Food Craving Strategies Compliance Change from baseline 0 week to 12 week runs-bi-weekly Bi-weekly questionnaires will be utilized to assess adherence to the strategies and the state of food cravings.
The state of food cravings will be measured using a visual analog scale.
Adherence to the strategies will be assessed using a Likert scale based on three areas:
1. Difficulty of implementing the strategies, ranging from '1=Very difficult' to '5=Not difficult'.
2. The frequency of using the strategies ranges from '1=Never' to '5=Every day'.
3. Effectiveness of the strategies in managing food cravings, ranging from '1=Not helpful' to '5=Very helpful'.Food Cravings Change from baseline 0 week to 6 week and week 12 The Food Craving Inventory (FCI) assesses the frequency of food cravings based on 28 food items. Participants rate the frequency of their cravings using a Likert scale ranging from 1, "Never", to 5, "Always" or "Almost every day".
- Secondary Outcome Measures
Name Time Method Dietary intake Baseline. month 1, month 3 The Automated Self-Administered 24-hour (ASA24®) is an online tool to assess 24-hour dietary intake.
Trial Locations
- Locations (1)
Bevier HAll UIUC
🇺🇸Urbana, Illinois, United States