Weight loss over time. Concomitants and consequences of a decreasing rate.

A decelerating rate of weight loss occurred among women participating in a community-based weight-control program. The rate of change may be due to greater food intake or to change in the level of fluid loss, in metabolic rate, and/or in the amount of physical activity. As these changes may affect motivation to persevere, they should be explained at the start of treatment, and program participants should be encouraged to maintain a gradually increasing level of physical activity. Disillusionment with the failure to sustain the initial rapid weight loss may be a factor that better predicts attrition than the demographic, personal history, or psychologic factors that have previously been studies.