Outcomes of weight-loss programs

Abstract

We examined the results of a stratified random sample of 50 weight-loss studies conducted in the 1980s for weight change, change in overweight percentage, and improvement in physical health during treatment and follow-up. The typical participant was a White, middle-class woman 48% over her average weight before treatment, who lost 12.8 lb during a 13-week treatment program and then regained 4.3 lb over the next 6.5 months. Treatment efficacy was not improved when only the most successful treatment conditions were examined or when the studies conducted at the end of the decade were compared with earlier studies. Only one study examined change in physical health during weight loss, and only one study showed that participants moved from clinical to nonclinical levels of obesity. In light of these results, we argue that treating obesity through dieting techniques may be a misdirected goal.