Resistance to change of adulthood body mass index

Numerous weight loss trials show that maintenance of weight loss is extremely difficult to sustain over time in adulthood. Using general population sample of adults whose weights were longitudinally tracked across several decades, we quantified resistance of weight to change by means of body mass index autocorrelation across a series of paired time points. Equations for age-adjusted sex-specific body mass index autocorrelation were developed. We found that body weight is quite resistant to change over years and decades. This finding partially de-mystifies the weight regain observed following intervention that last weeks or months.