Posted ,
Reading 2 mins.
American researchers have developed a new weight loss program. The originality of this method is that it aims to improve the response to internal signals of hunger and the ability to resist food. It’s instinctive eating.
A new weight loss program for obese and overweight people emphasizes instinctual eating. More than a restrictive diet with limited long-term effects, this method aims rather to listen to your body and pay attention to the intrinsic needs of your body. A study, led by the University of California, San Diego, showed the effects of instinctual eating on weight loss. The results were published in the JAMA Network Open May 18.
Transform your relationship with food
For a year, 271 adults aged 18 to 65, divided into several groups, followed different diets, the effects of which the researchers compared. They were all asked to practice at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week.
The program developed by the researchers and titled “Regulation of Cues”, did not prescribe a diet to participants. Instead, patients were trained to use natural cues to know when to eat rather than focusing on calories and building their tolerance for cravings. Researchers have also worked on inhibiting cravings for very appetizing foods (large amounts of sugar or fat, plus salt and flavorings) when individuals are not physically hungry.
This program has been compared to a “behavioral weight loss diet”, which includes calorie counting. The latter limited foods that were too rich and focused on reducing calories.
After 24 months, weight loss was comparable in people who followed the instinctual diet and those who followed the behavioral diet. However, group participants “Regulation of Cues” stabilized and maintained their weight, while participants in the other group regained weight midway through the diet.
A personalized approach more effective than diets?
According to the study, people who followed the instinctual eating program, lost more weight and, above all, were better able to stabilize it.
“Some people are very sensitive to food cues. That is, they can’t resist food and/or can’t stop thinking about it. Behavioral weight loss diets aren’t enough for them, which is why we designed an alternative approach to address this clinical need.”said Kerri N. Boutelle, one of the study’s researchers.
For those who have trouble resisting food, weight loss can be especially difficult. The results of the study thus showed that this method could be effectively used as “a personalized medicine approach” to lose weight.
Slide: The 10 most popular diets: to follow or not?