Fractional diet and physical activity help to keep weight in the norm, the study says
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Adult people with excessive body weight eat less often than people who have a normal body weight, but still consume more calories and are less active during the day, according to an American study.
People with normal weight, including those who lost weight and managed to keep weight, eat more often, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.
"A large number of studies show that people who eat more often have a lower weight, but no one knows why," says lead researcher Jessica Bachmann, assistant professor of nutrition and nutrition at Marywood University in Scranton, USA. "More than 60% of US residents are obese or overweight, but the relationship between the amount of meals and the ability to keep weight in the norm remains unclear." In particular, what do people who lose a significant amount of weight do to save it. "
Bachmann and her colleagues observed 250 people during the year, analyzing the data collected in two large studies sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
In the first study, scientists observed the eating habits of people with a body mass index of 25 to 47, which is considered excess weight.
In the second study, the researchers observed adult men and women who had a normal weight with a BMI of 19-24.9, about half, of which 13 kg lost weight and maintained it for more than five years.
It turned out that people with normal weight ate three times a day with two snacks, while a group of people with excess weight ate three times a day with one snack.
People with normal weight consumed the least amount of calories, about 1800 per day, compared to overweight people who consumed more than 2000 calories a day.
Bachmann reported that eating a small amount of food in between main meals can help prevent weight gain, preventing an intense feeling of hunger.
"If you eat more often, it prevents you from getting hungry." If you do not eat for 10 hours, in the end everything ends up because you will eat a lot more food, "she added.
She noted that people trying to lose weight were most physically active, burning around 3000 calories per week through exercise and other activities, compared to 2000 calories per week among people with a normal weight of up to 800 calories per week in the overweight group .
It seems that, people who have already lost weight, keep weight in the norm with the help of physical activity and fractional nutrition.
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