Is Activia Yogurt a Good Weight-Loss Starter?

Packed with nutrients and probiotics, which help regulate your digestive tract, Activia yogurt provides you with numerous health benefits. Furthermore, adding Activia to your meal plan may help you shed pounds if you're overweight. Eating Activity yogurt won't guarantee you'll lose weight, however, because your overall caloric intake and expenditure levels are what ultimately affect weight loss.

Eating Activia yogurt before meals may be an effective weight-loss strategy, according to a study published in 2013 in the "International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition." Researchers who conducted the study found that subjects who consumed yogurt, a vegetable salad and water 15 minutes before mealtime lost more weight and had smaller waist circumferences than those who ate these foods with meals. Subjects who ate yogurt before meals also had lower cholesterol and blood pressure levels.

The number of calories in Activia yogurt is based on which type you choose. For example, a container of vanilla Activia yogurt contains 110 calories, one container of Activity light provides just 60 calories and a container of Activia Greek vanilla yogurt -- though the Greek varieties come in larger containers -- contains 150 calories. Choosing Activity yogurt over higher-calorie added sugars and sweets helps you reduce your overall caloric intake for successful weight loss. A good weight-loss goal is 1 to 2 pound weekly by reducing your intake by 500 to 1,000 calories daily, suggests the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

The protein and calcium found in Activia may often aid in weight loss. Protein, present in high amounts in Greek Activia -- containing 12 grams of protein per container -- helps you feel full and boosts your body's energy expenditure, according to a review published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2008. Another study published in 2013 in the journal "Nutrients" found that study subjects who consumed large amounts of dairy foods had lower body mass indexes, waist circumferences and body fat percentages.

With the exception of Activia Light varieties, Activia yogurts are fairly high in sugar. One container of vanilla Activia yogurt contains 17 grams of sugar, and a container of vanilla Greek Activia yogurt includes 21 grams of sugar. Activia light varieties provide just 6 grams of sugar per container, including Activia Greek Light vanilla yogurt, which is higher in protein -- containing 13 grams -- without the extra added sugar.