Weight Maintenance Diet Methods
Weight Study Aim
To describe the dietary intakes of persons who successfully maintained
weight loss and to determine if differences exist between those who lost
weight on their own vs. those who received assistance with weight loss
(eg, participated in a commercial or self-help program or were seen individually
by a dietitian). Intakes of selected nutrients were also compared with
data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES
III) and the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs).
Subjects were 355 women and 83 men, aged
18 years or older, primarily white, who had maintained a weight loss of
at least 13.6 kg for at least 1 year, and were the initial enrollees in
the ongoing National Weight Control Registry. On average, the participants
had lost 30 kg and maintained the weight loss for 5.1 years.
Weight Study Methods
A cross-sectional study in which subjects in the registry completed demographic
and weight history questionnaires as well as the Health Habits and History
Questionnaire developed by Block et al. Subjects' dietary intake data
were compared with that of similarly aged men and women in the NHANES
III cohort and to the RDAs. Adequacy of the diet was assessed by comparing
the intake of selected nutrients (iron; calcium; and vitamins C, A, and
E) in subjects who lost weight on their own or with assistance.
Weight Study Results
Successful maintainers of weight loss reported continued consumption of
a low-energy and low-fat diet. Women in the registry reported eating an
average of 1,306 kcal/day (24.3 percent of energy from fat); men reported
consuming 1,685 kcal (23.5 percent of energy from fat). Subjects in the
registry reported consuming less energy and a lower percentage of energy
from fat than NHANES III subjects did. Subjects who lost weight on their
own did not differ from those who lost weight with assistance in regards
to energy intake, percent of energy from fat, or intake of selected nutrients
(iron; calcium; and vitamins C, A, and E). In addition, subjects who lost
weight on their own and those who lost weight with assistance met the
RDAs for calcium and vitamins C, A, and E for persons aged 25 years or
older. Because continued consumption of a low-fat, low-energy diet may
be necessary for long-term weight control, persons who have successfully
lost weight should be encouraged to maintain such a diet.
Source: Shick SM, Wing RR, Klem ML, McGuire
MT, Hill JO, Seagle H. Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine, PA, USA. 1998
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