Diet and Physical Activity Behaviors in Primary Care Patients with Recent Intentional Weight Loss.

purposeLifestyle habits of primary care patients with recent, intentional weight loss are unclear and need to be better understood to aid in translational health promotion efforts. We aimed to characterize diet and exercise habits in primary care patients with recent, intentional weight loss, comparing those with greater (≥10%) vs. lesser (5 to <10%) weight loss.

methodsThis was a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a randomized trial comparing weight loss maintenance interventions. The study included primary care patients, 18-75 years old, with ≥5% intentional weight loss via lifestyle change in the past 2 years. Participants (74% female, 87% white) had mean age 53 (12) years, body mass index 30.4 (5.9) kg/m

resultsOn average, participants reported high fruits and vegetables intake (5 servings/day), and low intake of fried foods (1 serving/week), desserts (1 serving/week) and sugar-sweetened beverages (0 servings/week). Those with greater vs. lesser weight loss had higher intake of fruits and vegetables (p=0.037) and low fat foods or recipes (p=0.019). Average self-reported moderate-vigorous physical activity was 319 (281) minutes/week, with significant differences between greater (374 (328) minutes/week) vs. lesser (276 (230) minutes/week) weight loss groups (p=0.017). By pedometer, 30% had ≥7,500 steps/day; the proportion was higher in greater (43%) vs. lesser (19%) weight loss groups (p=0.005).

conclusionsFor weight loss, clinical patients typically employ simple strategies such as 5+ fruits and vegetables per day, fried foods and desserts ≤1 per week, elimination of sugary drinks, choosing low fat foods/recipes, and physical activity 45-60 min/day.