Objectives: To explore for the presence of behavioral compensation for weight loss in successful and unsuccessful dieters.
Methods: Successful dieters (women maintaining a weight loss ≥ 10% body weight for ≥ 1 year) and unsuccessful dieters (women who had lost and regained ≥ 10% body weight) were compared to age- and BMI-matched controls for measures obtained from self-report surveys, an online dietary recall, indirect calorimetry, a submaximal treadmill test, and accelerometry.
Results: Compared to their controls, successful dieters reported lower carbohydrate intake, greater protein intake, greater eating restraint, and more vigorous intensity physical activity. Accelerometry data reflected more moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity, but more energy expenditure over-report in successful dieters than their comparators. Unsuccessful dieters were indistinguishable from their controls.
Conclusions: Successful dieters show behavioral vigilance but over-report total daily energy expenditure, whereas unsuccessful dieters do not demonstrate measurable compensations in health behavior.