An 8-Month Follow Up of the Mindless to Mindful (M2M) Self-Regulation Intervention on Fat Mass Loss

PurposeTo assess the maintenance of fat mass loss and increases in exercise self-control and self-compassion at 8-months follow-up to the Mindless to Mindful (M2M) program.DesignThis was a single-group follow-up case study.SampleFor the analysis, 79 of the original 195 M2M participants (n = 40.51%) participated.InterventionThe eight-week M2M program provided goal-setting, group exercise, and goal monitoring to promote fat mass loss.MeasuresParticipants completed measures of body fat, the brief self-control scale, and the self-compassion scale-short form.AnalysisPaired sample t-tests were used to determine differences within and between groups (P-value < .05).ResultsThere was a significant increase in fat mass from post-test to follow-up (t(78) = 3.105, P = .001, d = .349), but participants did not revert to baseline. There was a significant decrease in self-control (t(78) = -3.381, P < .001, d = -.380) and self-compassion (t(78) = -2.670, P = .005, d = -.300). Further, team participants gained significantly more fat mass (M = 3.46, SD = 7.41), had diminished self-control (M= -2.87, SD =5.83), and decreased self-compassion (M= 0.16, SD= 0.38) when compared to individual participants.ConclusionParticipants maintained some fat mass loss at eight-month follow-up.