Successful weight maintenance in a telephone-based treatment program.

Objective: New and innovative treatments for weight loss and weight loss maintenance are urgently needed given the current obesity epidemic.

Method: HMR at Home^® is a structured, phone-based weight management treatment program based on the HMR Program for Weight Management™. The program is conducted entirely over the telephone and there are no face-to-face meetings. Participants are required to join weekly, 45-minute conference calls with other members of their group as well as keep records of three measurable lifestyle behaviors for which weekly minimums are prescribed – meal replacements (MR) (35/wk in weight loss, 14/wk in maintenance), vegetables and fruit (VF) (35/wk), and physical activity (PA) (2,000 kcals/wk). The purpose of the current study is to document preliminary results for participants who have successfully completed the weight-loss phase and transitioned to the maintenance phase of the program.

Results: Of the 46 participants who completed minimally the initial 6-week weight-loss phase (avg. 13.3 weeks), 37 (80%) joined maintenance (MT group). The MT group, with an average starting weight of 202.6 lbs., was highly successful. Over an average of 11.6 weeks in weight loss, they lost an average of -22 lbs. or 10.3% of initial body weight. In maintenance, this group reported an additional average weight change of -3.6 lbs. over an average of 14.8 weeks. Overall, in 26.4 weeks, these participants lost -25.6 lbs. or 12.1% of initial body weight. Additionally, they were highly compliant, even in maintenance, with prescribed weekly minimums (avg 23.3 MR/wk, 39.5 VF/wk, and 2021 PA kcals/wk), as well as with attendance (77.4%) and record keeping (88.7%).

Conclusion: These data demonstrate that a structured approach to obesity treatment based on meal replacements, vegetables and fruit, and PA, results in highly successful weight loss and weight loss maintenance. This is true even if the only mode of communication among group members and leaders is the telephone.

Data Summary of 37 Maintenance Patients