A new study suggests that for obese people it's almost impossible to return to normal body weight. The findings imply the need for better treatments that would help obese people avoid gaining more pounds.
"Once an adult becomes obese, it is very unlikely that they will return to a healthy body weight. New approaches are urgently needed to deal with this issue," Dr. Alison Fildes, first author from the Division of Health and Social Care Research at King's College London, said in a press release.
Researchers at King's College London analyzed the weight of 129,194 men and 149,788 women recorded between 2004 and 2014, excluding those who had underwent bariatric surgery. They wanted to know the chances of an obese person recovering his or her normal weight or at least losing 5 percent of the body weight.
The analysis showed that one in 12 obese men and one in 10 obese women were able to lose 5 percent of their weight. However, half of them bounced back to their obese weight after two years.
The odds of slimming back to normal is also low because the ratio showed that only one in 210 obese men and one in 214 obese women were able to achieve it. The problem is worst for people with severe obesity, because only one in 1,290 men and one in 677 women were successful. A third of those who successfully attained their normal weight struggled in maintaining it and became obese again during the study period.
"Losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight has been shown to have meaningful health benefits and is often recommended as a weight loss target. These findings highlight how difficult it is for people with obesity to achieve and maintain even small amounts of weight loss," Fildes said.
The researchers suggest that instead of creating programs that would help obese people go back to their normal weight, policymakers should take a preventive approach and develop strategies that would help prevent obesity.
The study was published in the July 16 issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
