Having trouble losing weight? Using a fitness tracker could make it easier to shed those stubborn pounds, according to researchers from Wake Forest University.
Reporting in the journal Obesity, researchers say that older obese adults who used a fitness tracker while on a diet lost 50 percent more weight than those who did not use it.
As for the reasons why, researchers believe the additional attention they received helped them make serious changes that made it easier to lose weight.
“What this study shows is that this self-regulatory intervention appeared to improve weight loss and weight-loss maintenance,” says Corby Martin, a spokesman for the Obesity Society and director of behavioral science and epidemiology at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. “However, the findings require a lot of context for people who want to use a fitness tracker to help lose weight.”
Details of the Study
Recruiting 48 obese adults between the ages of 65 to 79, researchers randomly assigned participants to one of two groups: A group which learned about dieting and aerobic exercise or a group that learned about dieting and aerobic exercise while using a fitness tracker. Researchers instructed them to focus on losing weight for five months.
By the end of the study, all of the participants had lost weight, not surprisingly–but not all lost weight at the same pace. While those in the first group lost a modest amount of weight–around 5 percent–those who used fitness trackers lost around 10 percent, about a 50 percent increase. This meant that using these devices doubled their weight efforts–leading researchers to believe these devices could be effective to help people sustain weight loss.
“The key to their weight loss was what researchers call spontaneous physical activity, which involves daily activity that uses energy but is not inherently part of an exercise program,” says Martin. “That likely influenced their overall energy balance and helped them lose more weight.”
While fitness trackers aren’t designed to track or count calories, they may also encourage people to continue exercising or stay active–two important factors that can make it easier to lose weight. For instance, regular strength training helps people retain more muscle mass, preventing their metabolism from decreasing. Regular exercise has also been shown to reduce a person’s appetite, making it even easier to stick to a low calorie plan.
Bottom line? If you’re trying to lose weight, counting calories isn’t the only thing that matters–how active you are is just as important.
“People should look to the tracker’s numbers, rather than those on the scale, because while weight loss may be a goal for many, it isn’t necessarily the most important one,” says Martin. “That likely influenced their overall energy balance and helped them lose more weight.”
What You Should Do
If you’re having trouble losing weight, using a fitness tracker may help enhance, but not replace, the how fast you lose weight on a diet, say researchers. It won’t overcome poor eating habits, however, so make sure to clean up your diet before committing to using a fitness tracker.
Readers: Have you ever used a fitness tracker before? If so, what have you used?
Sources:
Fitness Trackers May Help Older Folks Lose Weight – WashingtonPost.com
Basis Fitness Tracker – What it is and How to Use – MyBasis.com
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