A descriptive analysis of men and women who have lost significant weight and are highly successful at maintaining the loss.

Forty-one women and 13 men who have lost at least 20% of their body weight and still maintain the loss after at least two years responded to newspaper and television publicity and were interviewed. Significant sex differences were found in strategies for weight loss and subsequent maintenance. In addition to increased exercise, nutritional sophistication, and self-monitoring in both sexes, the majority of female subjects assumed responsibility for their need to lose weight, developed their own diets, exercise, and maintenance plans, and have become more involved in business and other activities outside the home.