Long-term weight maintenance after a 17-week weight loss intervention with or without a one-year maintenance program:...

Area of Science:

• Obesity research
• Clinical nutrition
• Behavioral medicine

Background:

• Obesity is a chronic condition with high rates of weight regain after loss.
• Evidence supporting extended maintenance therapy for long-term weight management is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a one-year maintenance therapy program following an intensive weight loss intervention.
• To determine if continued intervention improves long-term weight loss maintenance in severely obese individuals.

Main Methods:

• 201 severely obese patients (BMI 42 kg/m2) were randomized to a weight loss program with or without a one-year maintenance phase.
• Both groups received a very-low-calorie diet and behavior modification during the initial 17-week weight loss phase.
• The maintenance group continued behavior modification for one year.

Main Results:

• At 69 weeks, 52% of patients in the maintenance group and 44% in the control group maintained ≥5% weight loss (P=0.40).
• At 121 weeks, 33% of the maintenance group and 34% of the control group maintained ≥5% weight loss (P=0.77).
• No significant differences in weight-related lifestyle changes or quality of life were observed between groups at 121 weeks.

Conclusions:

• A one-year behavioral maintenance program did not effectively prevent weight regain in severely obese patients after an initial weight loss intervention.
• The findings suggest that extended maintenance therapy, as implemented, may not be sufficient to overcome long-term weight regain challenges in this population.