Weight Loss: Strength in Numbers?
June 1, 2006 -- Overweight people who opt for a commercial diet plan may be more likely to stick with the program if they're part of a group.
That's the news from Helen Truby, RD, and her colleagues at England's University of Surrey as reported in the journal BMJ.
Truby's team studied nearly 300 people with overweight or obese BMI (body mass index) scores. The BBC -- a British TV network -- created a weight loss TV reality show featuring 15 of the study's participants.
The study was designed to answer three key questions: Would commercial diets help people lose weight? How much weight would they lose? And how long would those pounds stay off?
Participants were judged overweight or obese based on their BMI, a measure that relates weight to height. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight; one of 30 or more is considered obese. Participants in Truby's study had BMIs of 27 to 40.
Participants were assigned to spend six months on one of four popular weight loss plans:
For comparison, one other group was asked to eat and exercise as usual.
After six months, all groups -- except the one used for comparison -- had lost weight and fat.
How much did they lose? The average over six months was about 13 pounds. More than 9 pounds of that was fat, the study showed.
Each of the diet groups lost similar amounts of weight and fat. Those on the Atkins diet did show greater weight loss in the first two months, but the other groups caught up after that.
Researchers suspected the media attention might have motivated the participants featured on the BBC's TV show, so they skipped those participants and rechecked the results. The findings didn't change.
But the extra pounds often come back after weight loss. Truby's team sought to gather the weight and dieting behavior of participants a year after the study's start.
Weight Loss: Strength in Numbers?
Study: Commercial Diets May Work, With Better Long-Term Use for Groups
June 1, 2006 -- Overweight people who opt for a commercial diet plan may be more likely to stick with the program if they're part of a group.
That's the news from Helen Truby, RD, and her colleagues at England's University of Surrey as reported in the journal BMJ.
Truby's team studied nearly 300 people with overweight or obese BMI (body mass index) scores. The BBC -- a British TV network -- created a weight loss TV reality show featuring 15 of the study's participants.
The study was designed to answer three key questions: Would commercial diets help people lose weight? How much weight would they lose? And how long would those pounds stay off?
6-Month Effort
Participants were judged overweight or obese based on their BMI, a measure that relates weight to height. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight; one of 30 or more is considered obese. Participants in Truby's study had BMIs of 27 to 40.
Participants were assigned to spend six months on one of four popular weight loss plans:
- Weight Watchers
- Atkins diet
- Slim-Fast meal replacement plan
- Rosemary Conley's "Eat Yourself Slim Diet and Fitness Plan" (a British low-fat diet and exercise program)
For comparison, one other group was asked to eat and exercise as usual.
Weight Changes
After six months, all groups -- except the one used for comparison -- had lost weight and fat.
How much did they lose? The average over six months was about 13 pounds. More than 9 pounds of that was fat, the study showed.
Each of the diet groups lost similar amounts of weight and fat. Those on the Atkins diet did show greater weight loss in the first two months, but the other groups caught up after that.
Researchers suspected the media attention might have motivated the participants featured on the BBC's TV show, so they skipped those participants and rechecked the results. The findings didn't change.
Long-Term Results
But the extra pounds often come back after weight loss. Truby's team sought to gather the weight and dieting behavior of participants a year after the study's start.
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