Tweaking diet and exercise doesn’t result in weight loss
Randomised controlled trial shows a 100 calorie per day reduction combined with 2000 extra steps is not as effective as pilot studies suggested
Encouraging patients to make small changes to their diet and physical activity will not help them lose weight or waist circumference, a small study suggests.
In a randomised controlled trial (RCT), Canadian researchers set out to determine if a “small changes approach” to food intake and exercise is effective for weight loss after two separate pilot studies showed it prevented weight gain.
They assigned 320 sedentary patients with overweight or obesity (77% women), to be monitored while continuing their usual lifestyle or making small adjustments to their diet and exercise.
The average age and BMI of participants was 53 years and 33kg/m2, respectively, and they all took part in regular group-based and individual counselling.
