At the end of the study, the researchers found that 46 percent of participants who had in-person counseling and 55 percent of the participants who had counseling via the Internet had regained at least five pounds. Those who went without counseling fared worse—nearly three-fourths regained a significant amount of weight.
While the power of weight-loss counseling has been known for some time, Dr. Gary Foster, clinical director of the weight and eating disorders program at the University of Pennsylvania, was surprised by how well online support groups worked. "If you can do that well with the Internet, it makes counseling so much more available," he said.
Wing also found that there was a strong connection between the regular use of a scale and the ability to keep off the lost pounds. In fact, 61 percent of the patients who weighed themselves once a day were able to keep their weight off, while only 32 percent of the less-frequent scale-steppers were able to.
"The scale gives you feedback and allows you to reverse small weight gains before they become big weight gains," said Foster.
Other means for monitoring weight gain, like trying on a pair of jeans, tend to be more subjective. A person can make excuses, claiming that the jeans were stiff from the wash or that they shrunk, said Foster.
But a scale is undisputable, said Foster. "It is a reality check."
