Most Keep Weight Off for a Year After Diet

About six out of 10 U.S. adults did not regain weight — to within 5 percent of their initial weight loss — one year after dieting, says a government study.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey on 1,310 adults ages 20 to 84 who had experienced substantial weight loss — 10 percent of their initial weight.

Almost 8 percent of survey participants were still losing weight after one year, while nearly 34 percent regained weight, according to the study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Putting pounds back on was more common in those who lost a greater percentage of weight, said Edward Weiss, a medical epidemiologist with the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention.

One possible explanation is that those who lost larger percentages of their maximum weight may have had to make greater lifestyle changes that are difficult to incorporate and sustain, the study suggests.