Obese adults who received weight loss coaching via phone, Web, and email contact, as well as support from their primary care providers often lost a significant amount of weight—5 percent or more of their starting body weight—and kept it off for two years, reports a research team funded by the National Institutes of Health.
A second, related, study led by Thomas A. Wadden, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, found that 25 lifestyle counseling sessions combined with the option to use weight loss medication or meal replacements (such as liquid shakes or meal bars) helped about one-third of obese participants lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off for two years. These results were presented at the American Heart Association meeting and published online in the New England Journal of Medicine on Nov. 14, 2011.
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