Failure to meet weight loss expectations does not impact maintenance in successful weight losers

Objective: The objective was to examine whether having a weight loss experience that lives up to one's expectations is related to maintenance in a group of successful weight losers participating in the STOP Regain trial. Research Methods and Procedures: Participants (N = 314, 81% women, mean age, 51.3 ± 10.1 years; BMI = 28.6 ± 4.8 kg/m²) who lost ≥10% of their body weight within the past 2 years were randomly assigned to a maintenance program delivered either face‐to‐face or via the Internet or to a control group and assessed at 0, 6, 12, and 18 months. Results: At study entry, participants had lost 19% of their body weight, yet 86% of participants were currently trying to lose more weight. Further losses of 13% of body weight were needed to reach self‐selected ideal weights, with heavier participants wanting to lose more (p < 0.001). The weight loss‐related benefits participants achieved did not live up to their expectations (p ≤ 0.01). However, neither satisfaction with current weight, nor amount of further weight loss desired, nor discrepancies between actual and expected benefits predicted regain after adjusting for treatment group, gender, baseline weight, and percent weight loss before entry. Discussion: Even among very successful weight losers, expectations were not met and substantial further weight losses were desired; however, these factors were not related to subsequent weight maintenance outcomes.