The study was conducted at Duke University Medical Center and is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The main outcome the study reveals is how hard it is for people to maintain weight loss.
There were two phases to the study. In the first phase, 1,685 overweight or obese adults participated. They weighed an average of 96.6 kilos and were able to lose about 8.5 kilos after six months of dieting. The second phase of the study involved about 1,000 people who had lost 4 or more kilos, either using an Internet-based weight loss counselling program or telephone conversations with a weight loss counsellor. An additional group tried to keep the weight off on their own, while receiving basic information about weight loss maintenance.
People in the telephone counselling group spoke with a counsellor for 5 to 15 minutes per month and had a personal meeting every fourth month. The Internet-based program was designed to help participants set goals and track their progress, as well as develop action plans for each week.
Almost everyone had gained back some weight after two years. Those who fared the worst were the ones who tried to maintain their weight loss on their own. They gained back an average of 5.5 kilos. Those who fared the best had personal contact with a weight loss counsellor, gaining back just 4 kilos.
The researchers note that even though the weight loss counselling group only had an additional benefit of about 1.5 kilos, even small amounts of permanent weight loss are beneficial to health. Each kilogram lost results in a measurable reduction in blood pressure and diabetes risk. The good news from the study is that over 45 percent of the people who received counselling managed to maintain a loss of at least 4 kilos, which offers substantial health benefits.
