A new clinical trial suggests that regular support after dieting may be just as important as the diet itself.
Researchers from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Advocate Aurora Research Institute found that people who received monthly phone check-ins after losing weight were more likely to keep it off long term.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, followed 255 adults with obesity who had lost at least 5% of their starting weight during a 16-week weight-loss program. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either monthly calls or calls triggered by an algorithm when they were at higher risk of regaining weight.
After 20 months, both groups maintained an average of 8% weight loss. About 60% kept off at least 5% of their initial weight, regardless of whether they had adaptive support or regular monthly calls.
“This study is important because it shows that ongoing support really does help people maintain their weight loss over time — outcomes in both groups were better than we expected,” said Kathryn M. Ross, Ph.D., M.P.H., senior research scientist at Advocate Aurora Research Institute and associate professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The team had expected the more personalized adaptive approach to outperform monthly calls, but results showed both strategies were equally effective. Ross said the findings underscore the need to view obesity through a chronic disease model, with long-term care rather than short-term fixes.
“We hope this research encourages more clinics and health programs to offer ongoing support to help people keep the weight off,” she said.
The study was funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases of the NIH. All participants used digital scales and apps to track progress and worked with trained health coaches.