OBJECTIVE Mindfulness training has been incorporated increasingly into weight loss programs to facilitate dietary and physical activity changes. This systematic review of studies using mindfulness-based programs for weight loss evaluated study methodologies with the goal of determining the current evidence in support of mindfulness interventions for weight loss. METHODS Published studies of m...

BACKGROUND Few randomized studies have examined differential effects of group size in behavioral weight control, especially in hybrid programs that include Internet treatment approaches. METHODS Randomized controlled trial (n = 195) comparing a 4 month hybrid internet weight loss program coupled with monthly face to face groups of 100 persons (Large Group, LG; 1 group) or to the same approach...

BACKGROUND Insurance companies often require a mandated medical program (MMP) before bariatric surgery. It is unknown whether MMPs improve weight loss before and after surgery. The purpose of our study was to determine whether MMPs improve pre- and postoperative weight loss at a tertiary care, U.S. academic teaching hospital. METHODS After institutional review board approval, data were collec...

BACKGROUND More than one third of college students who are overweight or obese are in need of weight loss programs tailored to college students. However, the availability and accessibility of these programs is unknown. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to examine the availability and ease of access to weight loss programs for students at 10 universities with the largest undergraduate enrollm...

Obesity is related to high health care costs and lost productivity in the workplace. Employers are increasingly sponsoring weight loss and wellness programs to ameliorate these costs. We evaluated weight loss outcomes, treatment utilization, and health behavior change in a low intensity phone- and web-based, employer-sponsored weight loss program. The intervention included three proactive couns...

BACKGROUND The Internet is widely available and commonly used for health information; therefore, Web-based weight loss programs could provide support to large parts of the population in self-guided weight loss. Previous studies showed that Web-based weight loss interventions can be effective, depending on the quality of the program. The most effective program tools are visual progress charts or...

OBJECTIVE Internet weight loss programs have become widely available as alternatives to standard treatment, but few data are available on their efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a structured behavioral weight loss website (VTrim) vs. a commercial weight loss website (eDiets.com). RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES A randomized, controlled trial was conducted from Feb...

BACKGROUND Obesity rates in adults continue to rise and effective treatment programs with a broad reach are urgently required. This paper describes the study protocol for a web-based randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a commercially available program for overweight and obese adult males and females. The aim of this RCT was to determine and compare the efficacy of two web-based interventions f...

Background. Internet-based complex interventions aiming to promote weight loss and optimize healthy behaviors have attracted much attention. However, evidence for effect is lacking. Obesity is a growing problem, resulting in an increasing demand for cost efficient weight loss programs suitable for use on a large scale, for example, as part of standard primary care. In a previous pilot project b...