The relative success of official and informal weight reduction techniques: Retrospective correlational evidence

Abstract

Questionnaire responses from a convenience sample were used to test for relationships between professed uses of and beliefs about dieting strategies and reported body weight before and after going on a diet. The respondents were 117 female and 33 male English adults, with estimated Body Mass Indices distributed approximately as in the general population (mean=25.2, s.d.=5.6). The professed frequencies of use of strategies of increasing exercise, avoiding alcohol and cutting down on high-fat snackfoods such as nuts and crisps were positively correlated with estimated success in reducing weight during intensive attempts to control weight. The general avoidance of calories between meals was positively correlated to estimated success in maintaining weight loss. Among the strategies whose professed use was uncorrelated with weight loss were conventional slimming behaviour such as fasting, missing out meals completely, using dimmers' meal replacements and attending a slimming club. In addition, irrespective of strategy used, high weight-control self-efficacy was positively correlated to estimated success in attempts to reduce weight and to maintain weight loss. Adjustments may therefore be called for in the content of educational messages and clinical therapy for the overweight.

Key Words:

• Weight-loss maintenance
• weight reduction
• dieting behaviour
• self-efficacy
• exercise
• snackfood avoidance