Alternative Dietary Approaches Online to Promote Tracking (ADOPT)
Diet Quality, Weight Loss
About this trial
This is an interventional prevention trial for Diet Quality focused on measuring Adherence, diet tracking, diet goals
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria:
- Body Mass Index (BMI) between 25 and 50 kg/m^2
- English-speaking and writing
- Own a smartphone with an active data and text messaging plan
- Own a bathroom scale or willing to purchase a bathroom scale prior to the study start date
- Willing to be randomized to either group
Exclusion Criteria:
- Type I or Type 2 diabetes
- Currently participating in another nutrition or weight loss program
- Lost 10 or more pounds (and kept it off) in the last 6 months
- Currently taking weight loss medications
- Currently pregnant, pregnant within the past 6 months, or planning to become pregnant in the next 6 months
- Serious current physical disease (i.e. heart disease, stroke, cancer, or renal disease) for which physician supervision of diet and exercise prescription is needed
- Physical problems that limit the ability to exercise daily
- History of clinically diagnosed eating disorder
- Report a past diagnosis of or current symptoms of alcohol or substance dependence
- Diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
- Hospitalization for a psychiatric diagnosis within the last year
- Currently living with another study participant
Sites / Locations
- UNC Weight Research Program
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Active Comparator
Experimental
RED FOOD Intervention Group
GREEN FOOD Intervention Group
Participants in the RED FOOD group will be taught a simplified way of identifying high-calorie foods (red foods) and reducing them using the Traffic Light Diet. Limiting the number of red foods consumed is a simple way to reduce calories without having to track calories. Participants in this group will use the study website to track their red foods and will be given a daily red food limit base on their baseline weight and will track their red foods on the study website daily. Participants will be recommended to enter their red foods at least once per day (at which time they would enter all red foods for the day), but ideally multiple times per day to reduce errors associated with recall.
Participants in the GREEN FOOD group will be taught a simplified way of identifying low-calorie foods (green foods) and maximizing them using the Traffic Light Diet. Maximizing the number of green foods consumed is a simple way to reduce dietary energy density while allowing for consumption of a satisfying amount (i.e. weight and volume) of food. Maximizing green food consumption may simultaneously reduce red food consumption, thereby reducing calorie intake and promoting greater diet quality than red food reduction alone. Participants in this group will also use the study website to track their green foods and will be given a daily green food goal based on their baseline weight and will track their green foods on the study website daily. Participants will be recommended to enter their green foods at least once per day (at which time they would enter all green foods for the day), but ideally multiple times per day to reduce errors associated with recall.