Can't tell you how happy we are to plug the value of lifestyle interventions -- the combo of exercise, diet and generally better health habits -- in this space, as this most recent Journal of the American Medical Association study does so well. That said, we're still a bit disappointed about these results. Let me explain…
Researchers compared the health improvements among 130 severely obese patients (mostly women carrying an average weight of 264 pounds), who incorporated an exercise plan and better eating habits into their daily routines while receiving individual and group guidance to do both. Patients were divided into separate groups, but there was only one difference between both: The initial activity group began the 12-month study with an exercise program, while the other group started one six months later.
No surprise, patients who exercised from the get-go lost more weight at the six-month mark (24 pounds) than the late-bloomers (18 pounds). However, the latecomers lost more weight (4 pounds versus 3 pounds) over the second half of the study than did the early risers. In fact, 10 percent of the study participants lost more than 20 percent of their weight by the end of the study, and 30 percent lost more than 10 percent.
There was just a single downside in our minds. Scientists weren't willing to recommend lifestyle modification over bariatric surgery, possibly, for one very important reason. They believe "the more frequent and structured intervention contact in our study likely contributed to the relatively high adherence and retention, and thus the degree of weight loss."
Which probably explains why recent reports touting the contagious effect of self-control among groups of folks -- think intervention programs (like WeightWatchers and Jenny Craig) -- have attracted so much attention.
Journal of the American Medical Association October 9, 2010 Free Full Text Study
Journal of the American Medical Association October 9, 2010 Free Full Text Study
USA Today October 9, 2010
The Heart.org October 11, 2010