Table 3.
Weight outcomes of suggestions with high adherence.
| Tip | n of cases | Mean weight change, lbs (SD) |
t test (P value) |
Mean adherence (SD) | Mean effectiveness (SD) | Mean ease (SD) |
| Put down your utensils between bites. (This will allow you to slow down the pace of your eating.) | 23 | -2.48 (3.85) | -3.089 (.005) | 24.96 (4.14) | 7.70 (1.64) | 6.48 (2.09) |
| Allow yourself an afternoon snack only if you’ve first eaten a piece of fruit. | 24 | -1.88 (4.46) | -2.062 (.051) | 24.42 (4.02) | 7.00 (1.96) | 6.86 (1.93) |
| Any time you think you might eat when you’re not hungry, go ahead and do so, but only if you first say (out loud): “I’m not hungry, but I’m going to eat this anyway”. | 20 | -1.58 (2.94) | -2.400 (.027) | 22.90 (2.90) | 6.05 (2.09) | 6.00 (2.08) |
| Drink 8 cups of water a day (that’s only two full 32-oz glasses). | 39 | -1.29 (5.33) | -1.509 (.140) | 24.32 (3.74) | 6.20 (2.39) | 7.10 (1.93) |
| Have a glass of water with every meal and snack. | 30 | -1.23 (5.75) | -1.173 (.250) | 25.47 (4.13) | 7.57 (1.83) | 7.52 (1.68) |
| Use the Half-plate Rule: at dinner, load up the right side of your plate with salad, fruit, or vegetables. The other side can be starches and meat. | 20 | -1.05 (3.46) | -1.359 (.190) | 24.05 (3.68) | 7.20 (1.51) | 7.10 (1.37) |
| Restrict your eating to the kitchen or dining room. (Doing this will make it more inconvenient to mindlessly eat between meals.) | 24 | -0.91 (4.02) | -1.107 (.280) | 24.33 (3.97) | 6.21 (2.59) | 6.50 (2.23) |
| Eat something hot for breakfast at home within the first hour of waking up. | 25 | -0.79 (3.03) | -1.306 (.204) | 26.16 (3.34) | 6.92 (2.58) | 7.42 (2.15) |
| Avoid going more than 3-4 hours without have something small to eat. (That way, you will be less likely to overdo it at meals.) | 43 | -0.75 (6.87) | -0.711 (.481) | 25.51 (4.01) | 6.69 (2.02) | 6.93 (2.00) |
| Avoid eating anything directly from its bag, container, etc. | 27 | -0.66 (4.34) | -0.790 (.437) | 24.67 (4.19) | 6.89 (2.17) | 6.30 (2.30) |
| Use smaller plates on meals. | 21 | -0.35 (2.98) | -0.542 (.594) | 24.41 (3.91) | 7.73 (1.16) | 7.36 (1.99) |
| Never eat directly from a package − always portion food out into a dish so you need to face exactly what you will eat. | 21 | 0.27 (4.81) | 0.257 (.800) | 23.71 (3.64) | 7.19 (1.81) | 6.86 (2.33) |
| Pack a baggie of precut veggies and fruit for at least one snack per day. | 22 | 0.46 (3.69) | 0.590 (.561) | 23.87 (3.76) | 7.17 (1.95) | 7.17 (1.72) |
| Keep counters clear of all foods but the healthy ones. | 21 | 0.86 (5.17) | 0.760 (.456) | 27.00 (3.46) | 6.86 (2.24) | 8.29 (1.49) |