Premium
What distinguishes weight loss maintainers of the G erman W eight C ontrol R egistry from the general population?
Author(s) -
Feller Silke,
Müller Astrid,
Mayr Andreas,
Engeli Stefan,
Hilbert Anja,
de Zwaan Martina
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.21054
Subject(s) - weight loss , psychopathology , binge eating , normative , population , medicine , meal , eating disorders , depression (economics) , weight control , obesity , clinical psychology , psychology , demography , gerontology , environmental health , philosophy , epistemology , sociology , economics , macroeconomics
Objective Differences between successful long‐term weight loss maintainers and the general population with regard to eating and weighing habits, non‐normative eating behaviors, and eating‐related and general psychopathological parameters are unknown. Methods Self‐identified weight loss maintainers from the German Weight Control Registry (GWCR, n = 494) were compared with a representative sample of the general German population ( n = 2,129). The samples did not differ in current BMI. Using the same assessment instruments in both cohorts, a variety of eating‐related and psychological variables were determined. Results The GWCR participants reported more self‐weighing and higher eating frequency but less hot meal consumption and more eating‐out‐of‐home. Binge eating, compensatory behaviors, and concerns about shape and weight were reported more often by successful weight loss maintainers. Scores of depression and worrying about health were slightly higher whereas severity of somatic symptoms was less pronounced in the GWCR participants. Conclusions Overall, our data suggest that successful weight loss maintainers are characterized by more concerns about shape and weight, greater binge eating frequency, and higher use of compensatory behaviors. The latter suggests that weight loss maintenance might not only be achieved by healthy strategies but also by non‐normative behaviors which might increase the vulnerability for weight regain.