Psychosocial consequences of weight reduction: how much weight loss is enough?

We reviewed the psychosocial consequences of weight reduction and concluded that weight loss is usually associated with improvements in mood in significantly obese individuals (> or = 20% overweight) who are treated by diet and lifestyle modification. Less is known about the psychologic effects o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of clinical nutrition 1996-03, Vol.63 (3), p.461S-465S
Main Authors: Wadden, TA, Steen, SN, Wingate, BJ, Foster, GD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ACTIVIDAD FISICA
ACTIVITE PHYSIQUE
Affect
ATTITUDES
BAISSE DE POIDS
Biological and medical sciences
COMPORTAMIENTO HUMANO
COMPORTEMENT HUMAIN
DEPRESSION
DIET
Diet, Reducing
DIETA
EXERCISE
FACTEUR PSYCHOLOGIQUE
FACTORES PSICOLOGICOS
GAIN DE POIDS
GANANCIA DE PESO
GUIDELINES
HEALTH PROMOTION
HEALTH SERVICES
HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
Humans
LITERATURE REVIEWS
Medical sciences
Mental health
Metabolic diseases
Obesity
Obesity - psychology
Obesity - therapy
OVERWEIGHT
PERDIDA DE PESO
PERTE DE POIDS
PESO
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
POIDS
PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS
Psychology
PSYCHOSOCIAL ASPECTS
REDUCCION DEL PESO
REGIME ALIMENTAIRE
SERVICE DE SANTE PUBLIQUE
SERVICIOS DE SALUD
SOBREPESO
SURPOIDS
WEIGHT
WEIGHT CONTROL
WEIGHT GAIN
Weight Loss
WEIGHT LOSSES
WEIGHT REDUCTION
WEIGHT REGAIN
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Summary:We reviewed the psychosocial consequences of weight reduction and concluded that weight loss is usually associated with improvements in mood in significantly obese individuals (> or = 20% overweight) who are treated by diet and lifestyle modification. Less is known about the psychologic effects of weight loss in mildly overweight individuals who reduce their weight on their own but the limited data suggest similarly positive effects. We recommend that significantly obese individuals seek a 10% reduction in body weight, a loss that is likely to be associated with improvements in psychologic as well as physical health. A loss of this magnitude is typically produced by 16-20 wk of treatment by diet and behavior modification. Persons who ae mildly overweight (particularly those with health complications) are encouraged to reduce their weight by increasing their physical activity. Exercise is associated with modest but long-term weight losses and with improvements in mood and physical health. The recommendation that overweight Americans seek a healthier weight should be combined with efforts to promote healthier attitudes toward weight and shape in normal-weight women and girls.
ISSN:0002-9165
1938-3207
DOI:10.1093/ajcn/63.3.461