Using Internet May Help to Maintain Weight Loss

< Jul. 28, 2010 > -- People who lose weight often struggle to keep the pounds off. New research suggests that utilizing the right Web site may help with weight loss maintenance.

Study participants who lost weight and then consistently logged on to a specially-designed internet site for weight maintenance were better able to maintain a significant portion of their weight loss than people who logged on less often, according to the study.

Study participants who checked in to the Web site at least once a month to record their weight or food consumption over a two-and-a-half year period were able to maintain an average of 9 pounds of their original 19-pound weight loss. In contrast, those who checked in regularly for just 14 months during that time were only able to maintain 5 pounds of their weight loss.

Those who logged in even less often were only able to maintain 3 pounds of their initial weight loss.

The study was funded by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and was published this week in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.

Internet a Useful Tool for Weight Loss Maintenance

The site used in the study is no longer available, but experts cite key factors that can make any weight-loss Web site useful to those hoping to stay slim.

"The bottom line is that we think the internet is a helpful tool for weight loss maintenance," says the study's lead author, Kristine Funk, MS, RD, a research associate at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore. "People who used the study-designed interactive Web site had better results than people who used it less often. The key seems to be, 'How do I make these new habits something that I'm doing for a lifetime?'"

While losing weight is a challenge, keeping lost weight from coming back seems to be an even bigger challenge for many, according to Funk. Because an estimated 44 percent of middle-aged Americans have used the internet for fitness and exercise information and almost one-third have used the Web for weight control information, her team designed an internet-based tool to help with weight maintenance.

The 348 study participants involved in the internet-based weight maintenance phase of this study had a body mass index of 25 or higher (a BMI of 25 is considered overweight, over 30 is considered obese), and were considered high risk for cardiovascular disease because they either had high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

The Web site was available to the study volunteers for 30 months. The site was designed to support weight maintenance efforts through:

• reinforcing existing behavioral self-management
• encouraging new self-management skills
• improving self-monitoring
• encouraging long-term use of the Web site by providing innovative content
• promoting social support

Consistent Users More Successful with Weight Loss

Twenty-eight months into the study, 65 percent of the study participants were still actively logging on, according to the researchers. Fifty percent of the study volunteers logged on at least 107 times and spent over 400 minutes on the Web site, with each session lasting an average of 3 to 5 minutes.

"Participants who used the site most often and consistently throughout the study had better weight maintenance results than those who did not use it as often. Consistency and accountability are key," says Funk. She adds that the social support from others available on the site, as well as its interactive content, likely also played roles in weight maintenance success.

Round-the-clock access was key, too. "Personal counseling is probably the Cadillac of weight loss and weight maintenance plans, but the availability of the internet was a big part of the success here. The Web site was available 24/7," she notes.

Support More Consistent and Available

"I think that it's good to show what needs to be emphasized when it comes to weight control. It's important that there are scaleable ways to measure success, although the scale isn't the only measure of success," says Madelyn Fernstrom, Ph.D., founding director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Weight Management Center.

"I think the internet has to be the way to get this kind of accountability. While past studies have shown that face-to-face is best, people online can do well, too. And, people coming in once a week [for face-to-face counseling] isn't always feasible," Dr. Fernstrom says.

"I think there are some good sites already out there," she adds. "Maybe health plans or providers need to screen what's already available out there."

Always consult your physician or other healthcare provider for more information.

Balanced Ways to Attain a Healthful Weight

Nearly two-thirds of US adults are overweight or obese and many are trying to slim down. But in the battle of the bulge, more people are losing than winning these days.

Whether you have tried to lose weight on your own or with the help of a weight-loss program, the focus is too often on severely restrictive diets and unrealistic goals, nutrition experts say. Not being able to reach those goals can set you up for an endless cycle of failure and discouragement.

You can increase your chances for success by focusing on managing your weight instead of losing weight. That involves adopting a lifestyle that includes healthful eating and regular physical activity, says the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

The typical American diet consists of too much food with too little nutritional value. But most people can learn to eat more healthfully by making a few changes in how they eat on a daily basis. Some such strategies include:

• Making health, not appearance, your weight-management priority. A realistic goal is to achieve a healthful weight for you, not necessarily the lowest weight you can reach or an 'ideal' weight from a chart, the ADA says.
• Focusing on a healthful eating style, not on "dieting." Dieting often lasts for only the short term and rarely produces long-term success, the ADA says. Eating more healthfully over time will result in weight loss without your feeling a sense of deprivation. Eating for good health and eating to control weight are virtually the same. Choose a healthful eating plan that includes a variety of fruits and vegetables, lots of whole grains and fewer high-fat foods.
• Being more physically active. People who are physically active are more successful at losing and keeping off extra pounds. Plus a physically active lifestyle offers many rewards in addition to weight management, such as a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain cancers. For weight management, experts recommend a combined total of at least 30 to 60 minutes of moderate activity most if not all days of the week. If you do not have time to get that much exercise in all at once, you can break up your exercise time into 10 minute chunks through the day. If you have not been physically active, build up gradually. Focus on increasing daily physical activity, rather than setting unrealistic exercise goals. Be sure to talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.

Always consult your physician or other healthcare provider for more information.