DOC News October 1, 2007
Volume 4 Number 10 p. 15
© 2007 American Diabetes Association
Many Big-Time Weight Losers Report Success a Year Later
Everybody knows it's hard to keep the weight off, and indeed more than a
third of people who experience substantial weight loss—
10% of body
weight—regain it within a year, according to a study by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. What may come as a pleasant surprise is the
study's finding that nearly two-thirds are able to maintain their weight, or
continue losing weight, after that initial substantial weight loss.
Investigators analyzed data from the 1999–2002 National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), focusing on 1,310 adults ages
20–84 years old who were overweight or obese and had lost 10% of
their maximum weight 1 year before the
survey.
The survey 1 year after their weight loss showed that 7.6% of those
individuals had lost 5% more weight, 58.9% had maintained their weight
within 5% and 33.5% had regained 5% of body weight.
Factors associated with weight gain included Mexican-American ethnicity,
losing a greater percentage of maximum weight, having been at their heaviest
more recently, and reporting 4 hours per day watching television or
playing video games. Weight regain was higher in those who were sedentary.
Long-term weight maintenance, which is essential to reducing disease and
disability, may require different skills and knowledge than short-term weight
loss, the authors speculate.
Weiss EC, Galuska DA, Khan LK, et al.: Weight regain in
U.S. adults who experience substantial weight loss, 1999–2002.
Am J Prev Med 33:34–40, 2007.[Medline]
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