Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2015 Jul;23(7):1353-6.
doi: 10.1002/oby.21112.

Weight change in the first 2 months of a lifestyle intervention predicts weight changes 8 years later

Jessica L Unick  1 , Rebecca H Neiberg  2 , Patricia E Hogan  2 , Lawrence J Cheskin  3 , Gareth R Dutton  4 , Robert Jeffery  5 , Julie A Nelson  6 , Xavier Pi-Sunyer  7 , Delia Smith West  8 , Rena R Wing  1 ; Look AHEAD Research Group
Collaborators, Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Weight change in the first 2 months of a lifestyle intervention predicts weight changes 8 years later

Jessica L Unick et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: Examine the relationship between 1- and 2-month weight loss (WL) and 8-year WL among participants enrolled in a lifestyle intervention.

Methods: 2,290 Look AHEAD participants (BMI: 35.65 ± 5.93 kg/m(2) ) with type 2 diabetes received an intensive behavioral WL intervention.

Results: 1- and 2-month WL were associated with yearly WL through Year 8 (P's < 0.0001). At Month 1, participants losing 2-4% and >4% had 1.62 (95% CI: 1.32, 1.98) and 2.79 (95% CI: 2.21, 3.52) times higher odds of achieving ≥5% WL at Year 4 and 1.28 (95% CI: 1.05,1.58) and 1.77 (95% CI: 1.40, 2.24) times higher odds of achieving ≥5% WL at Year 8, compared to those losing <2% initially. At Month 2, 3-6% WL resulted in greater odds of achieving ≥5% WL at Year 4 (OR = 1.85; CI: 1.48, 2.32), and >6% WL resulted in the greatest odds of achieving ≥5% WL at Year 4 (OR = 3.85; CI: 3.05, 4.88) and Year 8 (OR = 2.28; CI: 1.81, 2.89), compared to those losing <3%. Differences in adherence between WL categories were observed as early as Month 2.

Conclusions: 1- and 2-month WL was associated with 8-year WL. Future studies should examine whether alternative treatment strategies can be employed to improve treatment outcomes among those with low initial WL.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Title: Weight change trajectories over an 8-year period, based upon 1-month (a) and 2-month (b) weight change
Figure 1
Figure 1
Title: Weight change trajectories over an 8-year period, based upon 1-month (a) and 2-month (b) weight change
Figure 2
Figure 2
Title: Number of sessions attended (a), meal replacements consumed (b), and weekly minutes of physical activity (c) stratified by initial weight loss category at Month 2. Legend: PA = physical activity; Values with similar superscripts indicates that groups are similar to one another (p>0.05). Note: Findings presented are from unadjusted models. However the results were unaltered after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, gender, clinical site, and baseline BMI.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Title: Number of sessions attended (a), meal replacements consumed (b), and weekly minutes of physical activity (c) stratified by initial weight loss category at Month 2. Legend: PA = physical activity; Values with similar superscripts indicates that groups are similar to one another (p>0.05). Note: Findings presented are from unadjusted models. However the results were unaltered after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, gender, clinical site, and baseline BMI.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Wadden TA, Neiberg RH, Wing RR, Clark JM, Delahanty LM, Hill JO, et al. Four-Year Weight Losses in the Look AHEAD Study: Factors Associated With Long-Term Success. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2011 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wadden TA, West DS, Neiberg RH, Wing RR, Ryan DH, Johnson KC, et al. One-year weight losses in the Look AHEAD study: factors associated with success. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2009;17:713–722. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jakicic JM, Marcus BH, Lang W, Janney C. Effect of exercise on 24-month weight loss maintenance in overweight women. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1550–1559. discussion 1559-1560. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Eight-year weight losses with an intensive lifestyle intervention: the look AHEAD study. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2014;22:5–13. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Unick JL, Hogan PE, Neiberg RH, Cheskin LJ, Dutton GR, Evans-Hudnall G, et al. Evaluation of early weight loss thresholds for identifying nonresponders to an intensive lifestyle intervention. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2014;22:1608–1616. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Grants and funding