Trying to lose weight? Try mindfulness training, says study

(Representational image)

New Delhi: If you're someone who has tried losing weight via numerous diets and workout regimens but are facing difficulties sticking to it, try mindfulness training.

A study has found that mindfulness training may help people be consistent in their weight loss program.

Researchers at the McGill University in Canada examined 19 studies conducted over the past decade.

Mindfulness interventions in these studies involved either formal meditation, informal mindfulness strategies that focused on eating activity, or some combination of these two approaches.

They found that interventions based on mindfulness proved "moderately effective for weight loss" and "largely effective in reducing obesity-related eating behaviours."

Initially, when compared to participants treated with diet and exercise-based "lifestyle-change" interventions, those who received mindfulness training lost less weight by the end of the programme, according to the study.

The researchers found that mindfulness participants had continued to lose weight, bringing their average weight loss to 3.5 percent of their initial body weight, while those in the "lifestyle-change" programs regained some weight.

The findings are "encouraging" and "highlight the potential of using mindfulness training to support weight loss," said Kimberly Carriere, from the McGill University.

The study was published in the journal Obesity Reviews.

(With PTI inputs)