Regular Twitter Use May Help You Lose Excess Pounds

Dieting is one of the most common New Year?s resolutions. However, many immediately fall short of their plans after one or two weeks. Twitter intends to help people maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle by offering social media support. According to recent research, 96 of the obese and overweight individuals who participated in the poll were shown to benefit from Twitter use, as far as losing unwanted fat and weight is concerned. Brie Turner-McGrievy (@briemcgrievy) who led the study said that regular Twitter users actually shed off pounds successfully when they joined a mobile weight-loss activity. The pioneering study showcased the relationship between a social media platform, particularly Twitter, and behavioral weight-loss. During the research, the 96 individuals were provided with mobile devices with internet connection and then split into two groups. They regularly received a couple of podcasts throughout the course of six months, which gave them vital information about dieting, exercise and setting weight loss objectives. The study concluded that Twitter use actually helped people get rid of excess weight and increased their chances of success. Before, people actually benefited by getting personal encouragement from peers and colleagues. The approach was useful, although there were hindrances such as the availability of a consistent and solid support group and huge expenses. Today, mobile devices and the internet, particularly social media, make it very easy for people to get the needed information to set their nutritional and physical activity goals straight. The study resulted in 2,630 posts on Twitter. Out of these tweets, 75 percent gave important information, such as specific tips on how to keep shedding off the pounds and living a healthier lifestyle. Other tweets focused more on providing emotional support. All participants in the end lost about 2.7 percent of their total excess weight. Correlating pounds with Twitter use, 10 posts on the average resulted to 0.5 percent weight loss. The study was presented in the current issue of Translational Behavioral Medicine.