Adapting a Database of Text Messages to a Mobile-Based Weight Loss Program: The Case of the Middle East

Table 7

SMS categories and frequency.

Category	Number of messages	Frequency	Typical timings	Sample message
Eating habits: driving change	23	Daily	Breakfast (7:15 am); Lunch (11:30 am); Dinner (8:00 pm)	A calorie is a calorie regardless of its source. Whether you're eating carbohydrates, fats, sugars, or proteins, all of them contain calories [36]
Junk food: alternatives and awareness	22	At least four times a week	Lunch (12:00 pm) on Friday; Evening (6:00 pm) on Saturday; Alternating lunch and evening on weekdays	Fast foods have no nutritional value. “They are very low in vegetables. Most of it is refined products and processed foods” [37]
Restaurants: alternatives and awareness	6	Weekends (Thursday, Friday)	Evening (6:00 pm)	Start your meal with a soup and salad and order vegetables as your side dish [38]
Snacks: good choices	30	Daily	Morning (10:30 am); Afternoon (3:00 pm); Evening (5:30 pm); Night (9:00 pm)	Having snacks in a convenient place to reach is helpful. Try putting fruit in a bowl on the counter, so you can grab an apple or orange when you're hungry [39]
Physical activity:	26	Daily	Morning (9:00 am); Afternoon (4:00 pm)	Hunt for the farthest parking space. If you drive to run errands, purposefully park your car a little farther from your store entrance [40]