Solutions for Life News

Weight Management Results

Anderson JW, Grant L, Gotthelf L, Stifler LTP. Weight loss and long-term follow-up of severely obese individuals treated with an intense behavioral program. Int J Obes advance online publication, 4 July 2006; doi:10.1038/sj/ijo.0803423.
Results for 1100 people with BMIs greater than or equal to 40 kg/m2 who completed the 12-week program showed an average weight loss of 77 lbs. Twenty-five percent (25%) of this group lost 100 lbs or more – for an average weight loss of 137.4 lbs. These patients were still maintaining a significant portion of that weight loss 1 ½ to 2 years later.

Grant L, Gotthelf L. Long-term follow-up of 1,000 maintenance patients shows substantial lifestyle and medical changes. Obes Res 2005;13 suppl:A203.
1,000 maintenance patients were maintaining an average weight loss of 44 pounds (18% of initial body weight) after an average of 2 ½ years. Participants had made substantial lifestyle changes and had highly significant decreases in all measured medical parameters, such as fasting blood glucose, blood pressure, total cholesterol/HDL ratio, and triglycerides.

Gotthelf L, Anderson JW, Grant L. Intensive behavioral program is a successful treatment option for severely obese patients with BMI > 40. Obes Res 2005;13 suppl:A2003.
1,136 participants who completed at least 12 weeks in weight loss treatment lost an average of 78.1 lbs. over an average of 37.2 weeks. Nearly ¼ of these participants lost greater than or equal to 100 lbs. and those who entered maintenance were keeping off an average of 69% of this weight loss (94.5 lbs.) over an average of 2.7 years.

Anderson JW. Improved long-term maintenance of weight loss with ongoing involvement in weight management program. Obes Res 2004;12 suppl:A41.
Fifty-four participants who lost greater than 100 lbs. (average weight loss was 140 lbs.) were maintaining 70% of this weight loss (average of 100 lbs.) at an average of over three years.

Nicholas AS, Anderson JW. Reductions in blood pressure and medication costs with 100 pound weight loss. Obes Res 2004;12 suppl:A38.
For participants who lost greater than 100 lbs., systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased 12-15%, antihypertensive medications decreased 72%, medication strength decreased 81% and medication cost decreased 78%.

Honas JJ, Early JL, Fredrickson DD, O’Brien MS. Predictors of attrition in a large clinic-based weight-loss program. Obes Res 2003;11:888-894.
This study evaluated retention rates for a large clinically based HMR® weight loss program. 69% of all enrolled patients completed the initial 16 weeks of the program. Neither the BMI (Body Mass Index) of the patients or the program treatment intensity level predicted completion. Only age less than 50 years of age were 1.39 times more likely than those over 50 to drop from the initial 16 weeks of the program.

Anderson JW, Konz EC, Frederich R, Wood CL. Long-term weight-loss maintenance: a meta-analysis of US studies. Am J Clin Nutr 2001;74:579-584.
Individuals who lost greater amounts of weight in shorter amounts of time (e.g. very low calorie diet) lost significantly more weight overall and kept off more of the weight than those following less intensive diets. Additionally, those who exercised more than significantly greater success with weight-loss maintenance than those who exercised less.

Gotthelf L, O’Brien B, Stifler L. Accountability (attendance and phone calls) is critical for patient success in weight management program. Obes Res 2000;8 suppl 1:69S.
Data from 666 maintenance participants were analyzed to determine the impact of attendance and phone calls on success. Those who attended the program most often and made a greater number of structured phone calls were more successful with weight management and lifestyle behaviors than those who attended less often.

Gotthelf L, Weithman C, O’Brien B. Use of meal replacements associated with greater success in weight maintenance treatment program. J AM Diet Assoc 2000;100 suppl:A-75.
In a sample of 666 participants, those who used greater than or equal to 14 meal replacements per week did better with weight maintenance and participated in more lifestyle behaviors (physical activity, vegetable/fruit intake, attended the program, and kept records) than those used less than 14 meal replacements per week.

Shiffman ML, Kaplan GD, Brinkman-Kaplan V, Vickers FF. Prophylaxis against gallstone formation with ursodeoxycholic acid in patients participating in a very-low-calorie diet program. Ann Intern Med 1995;122:899-905.
Patients from 31 HMR programs participated in a clinical trial that showed ursodeoxycholic acid is highly effective in preventing gallstone formation during a very-low-calorie diet.

Weight Management as a Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes

Reynolds LR, Anderson JW. Practical office strategies for weight management of the obese diabetic individual. Endocr Pract 2004;10:153-159.
This summary article reviews strategies for enhancing lifestyle change and weight loss in the obese individual with type 2 diabetes. In particular, the strategies used in the HMR Program, such as the use of meal replacements, increased intake of vegetables and fruits, and physical activity, are included.

Adolescent Treatment in the HMR Program

Anderson JW, Ward AK, Gotthelf L, Early J. Response of obese adolescents to an intensive weight loss program. Am J Clin Nutr 2002;75:407S.
Forty-nine adolescents lost an average of 33.4 lbs. over an average of 18 weeks. For adolescents with a BMI greater than 40, weight loss averaged 50 lbs.

Composition of HMR Meal Replacements and use in Weight Management

Vazquez JA, Kazi, Madani N. Protein metabolism during weight reduction with very-low-energy diets: evaluation of the independent effects of protein and carbohydrate on protein sparing. Am J Clin Nutr 1995;62:93-103.
Carbohydrate and protein were found to have independent but additive protein-sparing effects during weight reduction.

Donnelly JE, Sharp T, Houmard J, Carlson MG, Hill JO, Whately JE, Israel RG. Muscle hypertrophy with large-scale weight loss and resistance training. Am J Clin Nutr 1993;58:561-565.
Weight Training prevented muscle wasting during a very-low-calorie diet using HMR meal replacements that obtained large-scale weight losses.