ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Weight lost by obese patients is almost always regained over time. Extended treatment may improve maintenance, but solid evidence is lacking. PURPOSE: We determined effectiveness of maintenance therapy after a weight loss program. METHODS: Together 201 patients (mean age 47 years and BMI 42 kg/m(2), 71% women) were randomly assigned to either a 17-week weight loss program followed by a one-year maintenance program or to a weight loss program without subsequent maintenance intervention. The weight loss program included behavior modification and a very-low-calorie diet, and maintenance program behavior modification. The primary outcome measure was percentage of patients with 5% or more weight loss at the end of maintenance (week 69) and one year later (week 121). Secondary outcomes were weight related changes in lifestyle and quality of life. RESULTS: At week 69, 52% of the patients with and 44% of those without maintenance program had lost weight ≥5%, P = 0.40, and, at week 121, 33% and 34%, P = 0.77, respectively. At week 121 secondary outcomes did not differ between the groups among those successfully followed up. CONCLUSIONS: This one-year maintenance program was not effective in preventing weight regain in severely obese patients. Trial Registration. This trial is registered under clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00590655.
Subject(s)
Behavior Therapy , Health Behavior , Obesity, Morbid/prevention & control , Quality of Life/psychology , Weight Gain , Weight Loss , Weight Reduction Programs , Body Mass Index , Caloric Restriction , Continuity of Patient Care , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Obesity, Morbid/psychology , Patient Compliance/psychology , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of a weight-loss program on sex hormones and sexual function among 38 middle-aged obese men (BMI >or=35 kg/m(2)). RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted. The treatment group (n = 19) participated in a 4-month weight-loss program including 10 weeks on a very-low-energy diet (VLED) and 17 behavior modification visits. There was no intervention in the control group (n = 19). Both groups were followed for 8 months, i.e., 22 weeks after the active weight loss in the treatment group. The outcome measures (weight, sex hormones, sexual function, leptin, and metabolic variables) were obtained at baseline and at three time-points during follow-up. RESULTS: The mean weight loss in the treatment group was 21 kg at the end of the 10-week VLED. At the end of follow-up, the maintained weight loss was 17 kg of baseline weight. The control group was weight stable throughout the study. In the treatment group, increases in sex hormone-binding globulin, testosterone, and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, as well as decreases in insulin and leptin, were maintained until the end of follow-up, although with VLED, the level of several hormones and metabolic variables improved transiently during the rapid weight loss. There were no significant changes in the questionnaire scores on sexual function in either group. DISCUSSION: We conclude that obese men lose weight and increase their serum testosterone level on a weight-loss program with VLED and behavior modification. However, they do not change their sexual function scores.
