Explore of the experiences of obese people in terms of the reasons of weight regain over time

Studies show that many overweight people who have lost weight eventually regain their previous weight. This study explored the experiences of overweight/obese individuals with a history of weight regain in terms of weight regain.

This qualitative study was conducted in Tehran using conventional content analysis. The study included 18 participants who had previously experienced overweight or obesity and had regained a minimum of 10% weight loss at least one year after the initial weight loss. Additionally, four nutrition experts from Iran University of Medical Sciences were interviewed. Targeted sampling began with the snowball method, and data saturation was achieved. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted from October to January 2019.

The average age of the participating patients was 35.50 years, with a standard deviation of 8.63. Among the participants, 27.8% were male, while the remaining majority were female. In terms of marital status, 55.6% of the participants were single, and 44.4% were employed. The results showed that 4 main themes including the barriers to continue adopting weight control methods including diet and physical activity over time with 3 categories (including psychological factors, environmental factors and social factors), physical factors with 3 categories (including inheritance, physiological factors and changes in health status), nutritionist skills with 2 categories (including nutrition education and behavioral therapy) and cues to action with 2 categories (including internal and external cues to action) were recognized as the reasons of the participnts to return the weight.

Greater attention to the phenomenon of weight regain and the use of behavioral therapy strategies, nutrition education, positive motivational stimuli, and screening tools to detect psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression may help nutrition experts reduce weight regain in obese individuals. Additionally, improving the environmental infrastructure to promote physical activity can help reduce barriers to weight control in community. These considerations should be taken into account by societal decision-makers.