Predictors of long-term weight reduction in obese patients after initial very-low-calorie diet

This prospective interventional study assessed possible predictors of long-term weight loss and compared them with factors previously identified as predicting short-term variations in weight reduction after initial treatment with a very-low-calorie diet (VLCD). Eighty-two overweight patients with a body mass index of at least 27 kg/m2 were recruited from primary health-care settings into a structured weight-reduction and maintenance program. All patients used the VLCD for 8 weeks and were followed up 13.2 months later. Mean body weight decreased an average of 13.3 kg during the 8-week treatment and was still 8.6 kg below pretreatment levels after 13.2 months. Triglyceride levels were also significantly reduced. Sex, baseline weight, baseline body mass index, and age predicted 37% of the variation in short-term weight loss but had no long-term predictive value.