Most Obese People Never Achieve Normal Weight, Study

While weight loss may be a major health goal for many obese people, only a few of them are able to attain a normal weight.

A new study has revealed that people who are obese have 1 in 210 chance of dropping to a normal weight.

For the purpose of the study, the researchers analysed the data of over 176,000 British adults.

Women were found to be doing better than men with odds of 1 in 124 when it came to attaining normal weight.

Participants who managed to shed 5 percent of their body weight enjoyed healthier lifestyles with lower blood sugar and blood pressure levels.

However researchers also revealed that seventy fiver percent of these participants ended up gaining the weight back in 5 years.

The annual probability of achieving a normal weight for severely obese people was considerably low. With morbidly obese men, the odds were as high as 1 in 1,290.

"We already realize that it's almost impossible for an obese person to attain a normal body weight," said Apovian, who directs the Nutrition and Weight Management Center at Boston Medical Center.

While the findings obtained through the study present a bleak picture for people dealing with obesity, the study's lead researcher Alison Fildes of University College London said the research further highlighted the need to prevent obesity in the first place.

The researchers also point out that the study results do not reveal weight loss methods of obese people who are trying to shed weight.

"What our findings suggest is that current strategies used to tackle obesity are not helping the majority of obese patients to lose weight and maintain that weight loss," Fildes said. "This might be because people are unable to access weight-loss interventions or because the interventions being offered are ineffective -- or both."