Effectiveness of losing weight slowly for producing and maintaining weight loss in overweight and obese adults: 24 month results

This study tested the efficacy of losing weight slowly in 1% decrements. Adults desiring to lose weight with a BMI ≥ 27.0kg/m2 that were not diabetic, pregnant, or had an eating disorder volunteered (n = 178) for the study and were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The experimental group self‐weighed daily and logged their weight on a website that presented a graph of their weight with a line that was set initially at 1% lower than their starting weight. Once the participants achieved a stable weight at the 1% level, the line dropped another 1%. This continued until the participants reached a maximum of 10% loss. A significant difference in weight loss was found between the experimental group and the control group after 12 months (mean loss 1.0 ± 9.8 lbs vs 5.7 ± 12.9 lbs; p=0.019). Males showed a greater weight loss than females as indicated by a significant group by gender interaction (p=0.044). The experimental group maintained the lost weight through the next 12 months of the study (mean loss of 1.2 ± 15.0 lbs; p=0.5 versus 0). Future research that identifies individuals that would benefit from this type of self‐directed approach is necessary. Grant Funding Source : Cornell University