weight loss news

Weight Loss Follows a "Teachable Moment"

Mpls., MN September 26, 2005: The OPTIFAST program commends Oprah Winfrey and others who have lost weight and kept it off by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Recently, Oprah recalled the dissatisfaction she felt when she regained weight after participating in an OPTIFAST® Program. NNC shares her disappointment, but is delighted she eventually achieved her weight management goal by making the types of lifestyle changes emphasized in the OPTIFAST® Program.

NNC recognizes losing weight can be the simple part of weight management. Keeping it off is challenging, because it requires numerous lifestyle changes. The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR), which keeps a database of successful dieters, has found that 90% of its participants had tried to lose weight previously before they finally "got it." [Wing and Hill. Annu Rev Nutr. 2001;21:323-341.] Reaching this teachable moment is different for each person, but it generally involves the realization that resuming pre-diet lifestyle habits will result in weight regain, just as in previous weight loss attempts.

Most people who enroll in an OPTIFAST® Program have tried to lose weight 9-11 times in the past. [Budde. Attitudes and Behaviors of the Overweight Consumer. Consumer Research Corporation. 1992.] Consumer research suggests the decision to join an OPTIFAST® Program is often motivated by the recognition that they need more than a diet to become a weight loss success. The OPTIFAST® Program is more than a diet. It is a comprehensive approach to weight loss rooted in behavioral change therapy.

As depicted in the following OPTIFAST® Program outcomes summary, people who participate in all aspects of the OPTIFAST® Program and make the recommended lifestyle modifications are able to successfully manage their weight long term. These changes include: identifying and addressing why they overeat; developing a healthful diet based on their food preferences; and adopting an exercise routine geared to their health and fitness level.

OPTIFAST® Program Outcomes

Based on a national study of over 20,000 individuals, the average weight loss during an OPTIFAST® Program is 52 pounds in 22 weeks.
[Drawert et al. Obes Res. 1996:4(S1):67S.]

Long-term outcomes research shows that:

  • Two years after OPTIFAST® participation, one in four patients maintained 75% of their weight loss.+
  • Five years after OPTIFAST® participation, approximately 50% of patients maintained medically significant* weight loss.+
+Based on a study of over 600 patients who completed the OPTIFAST® Program. [Wadden and Frey. Int J Eat Disord. 1997;22:203-212.]
*Defined by the Institute of Medicine as a reduction of initial body weight by 5% or more and maintenance of this loss for at least a year. [Weighing the Options: Criteria for Evaluating Weight Management Programs. Washington, DC:National Academy Press; 1995.]

For over 30 years the OPTIFAST® Program has helped people develop the skills needed to help manage weight, which in turn may improve health. A multidisciplinary team of specially trained health care professionals guide patients through the OPTIFAST® Program. The team helps each participant explore and address the reasons they overeat, develop a healthful diet that reflects their food preferences, and design an exercise routine that matches their fitness and health needs. The OPTIFAST® Program also provides the long-term support required to help participants make their new healthy behaviors lifelong habits.

The OPTIFAST® Program provides the tools to help achieve successful weight management. If you have reached your teachable moment and are ready to embrace the changes necessary to lose weight and keep it off, Click here to find an OPTIFAST® Program near you.