Fight for your life to keep it

A recent study by a group of researchers reported how obese men had less than a one percent chance of dropping to a normal bodyweight.

Here’s an abstract of this research from the internet website of the American Journal of Public Health:

Objectives. We examined the probability of an obese person attaining normal body weight.

Methods. We drew a sample of individuals aged 20 years and older from the United Kingdom’s Clinical Practice Research Datalink from 2004 to 2014. We analyzed data for 76 704 obese men and 99 791 obese women. We excluded participants who received bariatric surgery. We estimated the probability of attaining normal weight or 5% reduction in body weight.

Results. During a maximum of 9 years’ follow-up, 1283 men and 2245 women attained normal body weight. In simple obesity (body mass index = 30.0–34.9 kg/m²), the annual probability of attaining normal weight was 1 in 210 for men and 1 in 124 for women, increasing to 1 in 1290 for men and 1 in 677 for women with morbid obesity (body mass index = 40.0–44.9 kg/m²). The annual probability of achieving a 5% weight reduction was 1 in 8 for men and 1 in 7 for women with morbid obesity.

Conclusions. The probability of attaining normal weight or maintaining weight loss is low. Obesity treatment frameworks grounded in community-based weight management programs may be ineffective. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print July 16, 2015: e1–e6. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302773)

You can read more here: 

http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302773

The good news revealed is that about 8 percent of men stand a chance of losing 5 percent of their bodyweight.  For a 200 pound man, that translates to a 10 pound weight loss.

But this research finding is of limited implementation value because the study did identify the methods used to lose this weight.  Did these men use a fad diet, exercise more, a combination of both or something else?  We don’t know from reading this research report.

But what we do know is that the weight-loss success is generally short-lived because almost 4 out of 5 men gained the lost weight back within five years.

So for all middle-aged men out there destined to lose their tub of lard pasted to their hips and their enormous potbelly and gargantuous lap, once you achieve your new sinewy leanness, fight for your life to keep it. 

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum