Weight loss maintenance in severely obese adults after an intensive lifestyle intervention: 2- to 4-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the long-term weight loss maintenance after 2 to 4 years in severely obese subjects after a lifestyle intervention at a weight loss camp in Denmark. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: In a retrospective follow-up study, we assessed weight loss after 21 weeks of treatment at a weight loss camp, weight loss maintenance after 2 to 4 years, and numbers of subjects with a weight loss maintenance of > or = 10% of a total number of 435 severely obese adults participating in an intensive lifestyle intervention with a primary focus on physical activity.
RESULTS: We obtained follow-up data of 249 subjects (180 women and 69 men) with an initial body weight of 142 +/- 32 kg. After 21 weeks at the camp, the subjects had reduced their body weight with a mean of 21.9 +/- 13 kg (corresponding to a 15% weight loss). The average weight loss maintenance was 5.3% at a follow-up after 2 to 4 years, and 28.3% had maintained a weight loss above 10% after 4 years of follow-up. DISCUSSION: Weight loss camps are a relatively new commercial approach in treating severely obese subjects. However, the results demonstrate that even with a multidisciplinary intensive setting with focus on diet, exercise, and psychological counseling, only 28% had maintained a weight loss above 10% after 4 years. This emphasizes that obesity is a chronic condition that needs additional strategies after a weight loss intervention in the efforts to maintain a sufficient weight loss.