A case-control study of successful maintenance of a substantial weight loss: individuals who lost weight through surgery versus those who lost weightthrough non-surgical means

OBJECTIVE: To determine if method of weight loss (surgery; non-surgery) is associated with current levels of psychosocial functioning or current weigh t maintenance behaviors in individuals who have lost large amounts of weigh t. DESIGN: Subjects were 67 cases and 67 controls selected from the National W eight Control Registry, a longitudinal study of individuals successful at l ong-term maintenance of weight loss. Cases had initially lost weight throug h bariatric surgery while controls had lost weight through non-surgical mea ns. The current psychosocial functioning and weight maintenance behaviors o f cases and controls were assessed and compared. RESULTS: Cases and controls were matched on gender, current weight and tota l weight loss. Surgical cases reported significantly higher fat intake and lower physical activity levels. There were no differences in cases' and con trols' reports of the impact of weight loss on other areas of their lives, neither were there differences on measures of depression or binge-eating. CONCLUSIONS: Reported improvement in psychosocial functioning did not depen d upon how weight was initially lost, but cases and controls appear to be u sing very different behaviors to maintain their weight losses.