Food Cravings Strategies During Dietary Weight Loss

February 26, 2024 updated by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Comparison of Coping Strategies to Reduce Food Cravings During Dietary Weight Loss

The purpose is to optimize the EMPOWER program by integrating strategies to reduce food cravings, a critical yet often overlooked factor for long-term success in weight management.

The objective of this study is to determine the efficacy of craving coping strategies on weight loss outcomes by conducting a randomized controlled trial. Participants will be randomized to receive one of the two strategies to manage food cravings.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Obesity is a major contributor to developing chronic diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and diabetes, and 41.9% of adults were obese in 2020 in the United States. Although weight loss can reduce or remit these comorbidities , it is challenging for most individuals with obesity to achieve clinically significant weight loss and sustain healthy weight through dietary/lifestyle modifications. Achieving sustainable weight loss must be accompanied by dietary/lifestyle modifications that can be sustained comfortably for a lifetime. Currently, there is no dietary weight loss program that can reliably induce sustainable weight loss.

To address this deficiency, our lab has been developing a novel dietary weight loss program that can achieve a lifetime healthy weight. In our three weight loss trials, we observed that the reduction of food cravings is associated with successful weight loss and subsequent weight maintenance. Food cravings have been suggested to predict food intake and weight gain, lack of success in weight loss, and early drop-out from weight management programs, supporting our observation. Food cravings are defined as strong or intense desires for a particular type of food and have been reported to occur in approximately 58% of adults. Individuals with overweight or obesity report more frequent and intense cravings for energy-dense food, such as high-fat and sweet foods, relative to normal-weight people.

Specific food craving coping strategies are developed to reduce the frequency and intensity of cravings to minimize the risk of excessive food intake. These strategies involve cognitive-behavioral principles, including controlled-based strategies such as avoidance, resistance, and inclusion. The avoidance strategy uses behavior-oriented techniques to modify the immediate environment, teaching individuals to encourage healthy eating and avoid unhealthy eating by controlling the stimuli that trigger their behaviors. The resistance strategies focus on cognitive regulation and enhancing self-regulatory control, which teaches individuals how to cognitively restructure urges related to craved food and mentally distract themselves from cravings. The inclusion strategies focus on self-regulation and planning and aim to satisfy food cravings by strategically incorporating craved foods into balanced meals.

Despite the existence of coping strategies, very few studies evaluate the efficacy of these strategies during weight loss trials. Thus, we evaluated the relationship between weight loss outcomes and the degree of cravings using intra-cohort analysis in our two weight loss trials. Our preliminary findings suggested that effective management of food cravings appears to be a key to successful weight loss and weight maintenance. Study 1 found that better control over food cravings during weight loss and maintenance was associated with long-term success in weight loss outcomes. Study 2 demonstrated that participants who achieved clinically significant or greater weight loss (5% weight loss) had significantly lower food cravings.

Building on the findings from our preliminary studies, a specific aim of this research proposal is to determine the efficacy of craving coping strategies (and a combination of strategies) on weight loss outcomes by conducting a randomized controlled trial.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

100

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Illinois
      • Urbana, Illinois, United States, 61801
        • Recruiting
        • Bevier HAll UIUC
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Manabu Nakamura

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Adult between the ages of 18 and 75
  2. BMI of at least 28 and above

4- Have access to the internet 3- Report experiencing at least a moderate amount of food cravings, and they consume the craved food at least a few times per week.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Participation in a formal weight management program within the preceding three months.
  2. Usage of medications impacting weight.
  3. Being pregnant or breastfeeding.
  4. Having a history of bariatric surgeries.
  5. Diagnosed with DM type 1 or/and Use insulin injection

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Avoidance group
Avoidance Strategy: This strategy focuses on teaching individuals how to modify their immediate environments to make it easier to control food cravings. Examples include redesigning your home to remove tempting foods or limiting access to craved foods. It also covers tips on making grocery lists and communicating health goals within your social circle. Additionally, it includes a toolkit for situations where controlling the immediate environment may be challenging, such as at parties or social gatherings Both strategies include educational materials explaining the definition of food cravings, factors that contribute to food cravings, and the distinction between hunger and cravings.
Behavioral: Test two food cravings strategies during dietary weight loss
The intervention includes 12 online nutrition education sessions using the MealPlot App to track food intake and view the daily weight charts. Participants need to weigh themselves daily using a Wi-Fi scale. Participants will complete 12 asynchronous online diet improvement sessions (eText) lasting 45 minutes each. The 12 sessions will be conducted weekly for the intervention period (12 weeks). The following four sessions will be focused on creating consistent eating and sleeping patterns related to timing, frequency, and portion, as well as daily self-monitoring of weight. After that, participants will continue to complete the rest of asynchronous online diet improvement sessions, including personalized weight loss diets from their kitchen based on their diet practice and food preference, safe and efficient weight loss, weight maintenance and healthy eating, skills to select foods and create meals that prevent overeating, all to be completed by the end of 12 weeks.
Behavioral: Dietary weight loss program +Food cravings strategies
The intervention includes 12 online nutrition education sessions using the MealPlot App to track food intake and view the daily weight charts. Participants need to weigh themselves daily using a Wi-Fi scale. Participants will complete 12 asynchronous online diet improvement sessions (eText) lasting 45 minutes each. The 12 sessions will be conducted weekly for the intervention period (12 weeks). The following four sessions will be focused on creating consistent eating and sleeping patterns related to timing, frequency, and portion, as well as daily self-monitoring of weight. After that, participants will continue to complete the rest of asynchronous online diet improvement sessions, including personalized weight loss diets from their kitchen based on their diet practice and food preference, safe and efficient weight loss, weight maintenance and healthy eating, skills to select foods and create meals that prevent overeating, all to be completed by the end of 12 weeks.
Experimental: Inclusion group

Inclusion Strategy: This strategy teaches individuals how to modify their eating habits by paying attention to the portion size of craved foods and incorporating them into well-balanced meals, avoiding eating between meals. It also includes a toolkit for situations where individuals may struggle to include craved foods in their balanced meals.

Both strategies include educational materials explaining the definition of food cravings, factors that contribute to food cravings, and the distinction between hunger and cravings.
Behavioral: Test two food cravings strategies during dietary weight loss
The intervention includes 12 online nutrition education sessions using the MealPlot App to track food intake and view the daily weight charts. Participants need to weigh themselves daily using a Wi-Fi scale. Participants will complete 12 asynchronous online diet improvement sessions (eText) lasting 45 minutes each. The 12 sessions will be conducted weekly for the intervention period (12 weeks). The following four sessions will be focused on creating consistent eating and sleeping patterns related to timing, frequency, and portion, as well as daily self-monitoring of weight. After that, participants will continue to complete the rest of asynchronous online diet improvement sessions, including personalized weight loss diets from their kitchen based on their diet practice and food preference, safe and efficient weight loss, weight maintenance and healthy eating, skills to select foods and create meals that prevent overeating, all to be completed by the end of 12 weeks.
Behavioral: Dietary weight loss program +Food cravings strategies
The intervention includes 12 online nutrition education sessions using the MealPlot App to track food intake and view the daily weight charts. Participants need to weigh themselves daily using a Wi-Fi scale. Participants will complete 12 asynchronous online diet improvement sessions (eText) lasting 45 minutes each. The 12 sessions will be conducted weekly for the intervention period (12 weeks). The following four sessions will be focused on creating consistent eating and sleeping patterns related to timing, frequency, and portion, as well as daily self-monitoring of weight. After that, participants will continue to complete the rest of asynchronous online diet improvement sessions, including personalized weight loss diets from their kitchen based on their diet practice and food preference, safe and efficient weight loss, weight maintenance and healthy eating, skills to select foods and create meals that prevent overeating, all to be completed by the end of 12 weeks.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Body weight
Time Frame: Change from baseline (0 month) to 3 month
Body weight in kilograms measured on a standard scale
Change from baseline (0 month) to 3 month
Food Craving Strategies Compliance
Time Frame: Change from baseline 0 week to 12 week runs-bi-weekly

Bi-weekly questionnaires will be utilized to assess adherence to the strategies and the state of food cravings.

The state of food cravings will be measured using a visual analog scale.

Adherence to the strategies will be assessed using a Likert scale based on three areas:

  1. Difficulty of implementing the strategies, ranging from '1=Very difficult' to '5=Not difficult'.
  2. The frequency of using the strategies ranges from '1=Never' to '5=Every day'.
  3. Effectiveness of the strategies in managing food cravings, ranging from '1=Not helpful' to '5=Very helpful'.
Change from baseline 0 week to 12 week runs-bi-weekly
Food Cravings
Time Frame: Change from baseline 0 week to 6 week and week 12
The Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait (FCQ-T) evaluates craving traits through 39 statements. Respondents use a Likert scale ranging from 1, "Never" or "Not Applicable" (NA), to 6, "Always" or "Almost every day".
Change from baseline 0 week to 6 week and week 12
Food Cravings
Time Frame: Change from baseline 0 week to 6 week and week 12
The Food Craving Inventory (FCI) assesses the frequency of food cravings based on 28 food items. Participants rate the frequency of their cravings using a Likert scale ranging from 1, "Never", to 5, "Always" or "Almost every day".
Change from baseline 0 week to 6 week and week 12

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dietary intake
Time Frame: Baseline. month 1, month 3
The Automated Self-Administered 24-hour (ASA24®) is an online tool to assess 24-hour dietary intake.
Baseline. month 1, month 3

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 29, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 1, 2024

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 16, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 26, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

February 28, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

February 28, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 26, 2024

Last Verified

February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IRB23-0190

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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