Texting to track your calories may help peel off pounds.
Students who used cellphones to monitor calories and physical activity, and got personalized feedback, lost significantly more weight than those who didn't, a new study shows.
"Cellphones are a powerful intervention tool for weight loss," says lead researcher Melissa Napolitano of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. She reported findings last week at a meeting of the Obesity Society.
She and colleagues recruited 52 college students, most of them women, average weight 190 pounds. They were assigned to one of three groups. One was a private Facebook group where they got eating and exercise advice and podcasts on topics such as setting goals and portion control. They also got support from other members.
A second group got the same online advice, plus a book of calorie counts. They also got a text message three days a week reminding them to send in calorie intake and exercise information, and they got feedback. The other four days, they got personalized tips and reminders via texts. A third group was put on a waiting list and got no extra help.
Group 1 lost an average 1.4 pounds, Group 2 lost 5.3, and Group 3 lost half a pound.
Group 2's loss "was relatively modest, but without any face-to-face contact," she says. The key is personalized feedback: "We really wanted to mimic a face-to-face treatment with text messaging."
Gary Foster, director of Temple's obesity research center, says dieters often say they need to be held accountable. Text messaging "tries to replicate the interaction with a health professional. There is someone on the other end."
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