Dr. James W. Anderson, left, consults with patient Janet Whitaker who is maintaining a weight loss of 35 pounds. Anderson reported results for 112 individuals who completed an intensive, very low calorie diet program through the Weight Management Program. During the weight-loss program, intended for people more than 40 pounds overweight, individuals consume about 800 to 900 calories a day. The participants lost an average of 65 pounds over five months. On average, these individuals were maintaining 23 percent of their weight loss for more than five years, Anderson said.
Obesity is a major health problem in the United States and is increasing at epidemic proportions.
It carries with it significantly higher risks for developing diabetes, hypertension and coronary heart disease. More than half of American adults are overweight, and obesity accounts for more than 300,000 premature deaths in the United States each year. Maintaining a weight loss of 5 percent of initial body weight is the criterion used by national health authorities to assess efficacy of drug treatment for weight loss and is widely recognized as providing health benefits. Forty percent of the individuals in this study maintained a weight loss of more than 5 percent. On average, individuals lose 9 percent of their initial body weight through modest weight-loss programs, while individuals in this study lost 26 percent of initial body weight while on the very low calorie diet program.