Adherence
Internet-delivered weight loss interventions providing personalized feedback result in significantly greater short-term weight loss (3-6 months) compared to control groups without such feedback, but this advantage disappears in interventions lasting 12 months or longer.
Use internet-based weight loss programs that offer personalized feedback (whether from a coach or algorithm) if you are in the first 6 months of your journey; they offer a measurable advantage (approx. 2kg more loss) over generic programs. However, do not expect this advantage to persist beyond a year. You must actively maintain your habits after the initial feedback phase, as the digital support alone does not sustain long-term weight loss differences compared to controls.
Meta-analysis identified participants receiving personalized feedback via internet-delivered interventions, had 2.13 kg mean difference (SMD) greater weight loss... in comparison with control groups providing no personalized feedback. This was also true for results at 3 and 6-month time points but not for studies where interventions lasted ≥12 months.
Why this rating
Systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 RCTs, though with high heterogeneity (I2=99%).
Source
Systematic review and meta‐analysis of internet‐delivered interventions providing personalized feedback for weight loss in overweight and obese adults
Anna Maria Sherrington et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2016
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