New Treatment May Benefit Weight Loss and Maintenance

Acceptance-based behavioral treatment (ABT), a new treatment option for weight loss, may be more effective than standard behavioral treatment (SBT) in maintaining weight loss for overweight or obese adults, according to a new study.

The study was conducted as part of the Mind Your Health trial.

To compare the efficacy of ABT vs SBT, the researchers recruited 190 overweight or obese adults aged 18 to 70 years with a body mass index between 27 and 50 kg/m².

Participants were randomly assigned to 25 sessions of ABT or SBT for 1 year. Treatment sessions were small, closed-group, and 75 minutes in duration.
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ABT sessions focused on values clarification and ongoing commitment, mindful decision-making training, and psychological acceptance of and willingness to experience less-pleasurable or less-comfortable states, whereas SBT sessions focused on distraction and confrontation, identification of cognitive distortions, and cognitive restructuring.

Weight was measured at every treatment session, and weight, mediator, and moderator were measured at baseline and follow-up visits at 6 months and/or 12 months.

The results showed that participants in the ABT group had lost more weight (13.3%) than those in the SBT group (9.8%) after 1 year. Participants in the ABT group were also more likely to maintain a 10% weight loss at 1 year (64% vs 49%).

“Behavioral weight loss outcomes can be improved by integrating self-regulation skills that are reflected in acceptance-based treatment, i.e., tolerating discomfort and reduction in pleasure, enacting commitment to valued behavior, and being mindfully aware during moments of decision-making,” the researchers concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Forman EM, Butryn ML, Manasse SM, et al. Acceptance-based versus standard behavioral treatment for obesity: results from the Mind Your Health randomized controlled trial. Obesity. 2016;24(10):2050-2056.