The Effect of a Mindful Restaurant Eating Intervention on Weight Management in Women

Objective: To evaluate the effect of a Mindful Restaurant Eating intervention on weight management. Design: Randomized control trial. Setting: Greater metropolitan area of Austin, Texas. Participants: Women (n = 35) 40-59 years old who eat out at least 3 times per week. Intervention: The intervention, using 6 weekly 2-hour, small group sessions, focused on reducing calorie and fat intake when eating out through education, behavior change strategies, and mindful eating meditations. Main Outcome Measures: Weight, waist circumference, self-reported daily calorie and fat intake, self-reported calories and fat consumed when eating out, emotional eating, diet related self-efficacy, and barriers to weight management when eating out. Analysis: General linear models examined change from baseline to final endpoint to determine differences in outcomes between the intervention and control group. Results: Participants in the intervention group lost significantly more weight (P = .03), had lower average daily caloric (P = .002) and fat intake (P = .001), had increased diet-related self-efficacy (P = .02), and had fewer barriers to weight management when eating out (P = .001). Conclusions and Implications: Mindful Restaurant Eating intervention was effective in promoting weight management in perimenopausal women.