Patient expectations of obesity treatment -: the experience from a day-care unit

BACKGROUND: Unrealistic patient weight loss expectations in treatment of obesity may hamper the modest success which can actually be achieved. SETTING: Academic Obesity Unit Day Care Centre. OBJECTIVE: Description of weight loss expectations and weight loss concerns by questionnaire analyses. RESULTS: Patients were severely obese, with a median initial body mass index (BMI) of 40.7 kg/m(2). Weight loss expectations were generally unrealistic, with women hoping for a loss up to 42%, and men for 29% of their baseline weight (P < 0.001). No effects of age on actual weight loss or weight loss expectations were observed. CONCLUSION: Gender differences in weight loss expectations may be important to acknowledge in future development of obesity treatment programmes. Realistic treatment outcome should be described early in a programme to faciliate compliance.