Abstract
ABSTRACTPurpose: Losing weight and keeping it off for the long term is difficult. Weight regain is common. Experiences of successful non-surgical weight loss after severe obesity are largely unexplored. We know little about long-term weight loss processes, and how health care services can be of help to those living them. Methods: Drawing on in-depth interviews of 8 women and 2 men, the aim of this phenomenological study is to describe the experiences of adults who have been severely obese, who have lost weight and maintained weight loss for the long term (>5 years). Results: Findings show that after severe obesity, sustained weight loss has no endpoint, yet is always easy to end. Keeping weight off means committing to oneself, continuing profound changes and cultivating sensitivity towards oneself and others. A phenomenological understanding of sustained weight loss can inform professionals who deal with health issues and challenges occurring in the life of people leaving severe obesity.
Highlights
From being an unusual condition in the 1970s, the prevalence of severe obesity1 is increasing in several developing countries
We are facing an epidemic of severe obesity (NCD risk factor collaboration, 2016)
Health risk rises with increasing body weight, and obesity is related to coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders, some cancers, depression and anxiety (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2006; National Institutes of Health, 2012; Prospective Studies Collaboration, 2009; World Health Organization, 2017a)
Summary
From being an unusual condition in the 1970s, the prevalence of severe obesity is increasing in several developing countries. Weight stigma in clinical encounters is a paradox, because stigma affects patients’ health and quality of life negatively, and undermines trust between patients and health care providers (Gudzune, Bennett, Cooper, & Bleich, 2014; Setchell et al, 2017). This means that health care providers and patients encounter a tension between supporting initiatives towards weight loss and change, and the risk of enacting stigma and affecting health negatively. Whether modest weight loss is experienced as enough may depend on
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