Navigating the challenges of weight loss and long-term maintenance
Weight loss
Wondr Health Chief Medical Officer, Tim Church, MD, MPH, PHD dives into sustainable weight loss
Nearly 42% of American adults have obesity and face the risk of at least 60 comorbidities, and that percentage is only increasing. By 2030, it is predicted that the obesity rate will surpass 50% in 29 states. Our population’s health is at risk, and so is our workforce’s. Due to medical, sick day, short-term disability and workers’ compensation claims, excess weight and chronic conditions can drive employer costs up by as much as 210%.
Most weight-loss programs can help your population lose weight initially but fail to focus on helping them keep it off, leading to a cycle of weight regain and persistent health-care costs. Complicating matters for employers is the surge of demand for GLP-1s, an effective weight-loss tool with its own challenges, like high cost, adherence concerns, symptom management, and possible weight regain after stopping treatment.
On one hand, there’s never been as many proven options for weight-loss. On the other hand, these options make it more complex for the payer. But one thing’s for certain–the fundamental key to success for all these options is a good behavior change program. Successful programs promote sustainable behavior change, skill building, personalized content, and tailored medication management. It’s not just about weight loss, it’s about keeping it off. Weight loss and weight maintenance require different skills – and you need a solution that supports your population for success with both.
Supporting your population with weight loss
When it comes to the active weight-loss phase, there are numerous factors, including nutrition, physical activity, stress management, and more, that contribute to success.
Many weight-loss programs fall short in the maintenance phase. At this stage, it’s easy for participants to lose motivation and fall back into old habits. These programs overlook the importance of instilling lasting behavior changes to prevent regaining weight. The maintenance phase is a dropping-off point for many individuals, which is why investing in a behavioral change program that offers motivation support and skill-building for healthy habits is key to sustainably improving the health of your population.
Lasting results and weight maintenance
Addressing the cost of obesity takes more than a quick fix – it requires a comprehensive approach that delivers lasting results. And that brings us to the crux of the issue: while losing weight is challenging, maintaining weight loss requires different skills and focus. One way to see sustainable, positive change is to have a mindset shift: one that is focused on long-term results. When individuals are encouraged to focus on adaptive behaviors to live a longer and healthier life, long-term results follow.
Rather than focusing solely on the number on the scale, skill-building addresses quality of life factors that support long-term physical health and workplace productivity. An effective, well-rounded behavior-change program will provide proven tools like coaching sessions, recipes, and more, to encourage your population to get regular physical activity, eat nutritious foods, manage stress, improve mindfulness, and get ample sleep – all of which can contribute to lower absenteeism and increased engagement.
The ROI of a good behavior-change program
To truly address health-care costs, solutions should address both the short-term and long-term health of your people. Which – in short – means building a solid foundation, rooted in behavior change. Science-backed programs, like Wondr, help employees not only lose weight, but keep it off, as well as lower their risk of chronic disease, lower absenteeism, reduce health-care costs, and improve employee engagement.
