Weight-loss programs such as Weight Watchers may be just as effective as clinical programs, a new study published in the journal Obesity suggests.

The reason may be that both use group-based approaches to achieve weight loss, study author Angela Pinto, assistant professor of psychology at Baruch College of the City University of New York, told U.S. News and World Report.

"Group-based weight-loss treatment produced weight loss, whether delivered by a professional or peer counselor. When people are in a group with others on the same journey, they feel there is that element of, 'OK, this worked for him or her, perhaps it will work for me. Perhaps I can give it a try.'"

Researchers assigned 141 overweight and obese people to one of three groups: The first was assigned to 48 weeks of behavioral weight-loss treatment from a health professional; the second participated in Weight Watchers for 48 weeks chosen because it is the largest commercial program in the US; and the third received combined treatment.

Participants in the Weight Watchers group had lost the most weight 13.2 pounds while those in a professional program lost 11.9 pounds and the combination group lost an average of 7.9 pounds.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third of American adults 35.7 percent are obese. An additional 33.3 percent are overweight.

Weight Watchers' success in helping people to lose weight saw Jennifer Hudson, who lost 80 pounds on its program, sign on as a spokesperson.

Commercial weight loss programs are also cheaper than most professional intervention, CBS quoted Pinto as saying,costing about $10 a week compared to between $10 to $35 a week on a doctor's weight loss program.

More from GlobalPost: DASH, Weight Watchers ranked as top diets for 2012 by US News

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Weight Watchers just as effective as clinical weight loss programs, study suggests

Connie K. Ho for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Researchers studied the effectiveness of commercial weight-loss programs like Weight Watchers and found that they may be as successful in helping participants lose weight as clinical programs; the key to doing well in the program was partnering up with someone else who could provide support.

In a report by US News, the study was described as being conducted over a period of 48 weeks. The study included 141 overweight and obese adults who were randomly placed into three different groups. One group participated in a weight-loss program with a health expert (i.e. a program such as Weight Watchers), another group was led by peers who had lost weight on their own, and the third group was a mix of the two programs. The researchers saw that the individuals lost a significant amount of weight due to change in diet, increase in physical activity, as well as counseling with a health professional or a peer group. The findings of the study were recently published in the journal Obesity.

When people who are working on a similar problem get together, they can support each other so they dont feel alone in this weight-loss journey, explained the studys lead researcher Angela Pinto, an assistant professor of psychology at Baruch College of the City University of New York, in a story featured on the universitys website.

According to ABC News, the people in the peer-based program lost about the same amount of weight (around 12 pounds), but over double the number of people who were enrolled in the Weight Watchers program were successful in losing at least 10 percent of their starting weight as compared to participants in the two other programs. The average weight lost in Weight Watchers was 13 pounds, while the mixed program showed that participants lost about 8 pounds. As such, the researchers believe that Weight Watchers can help individuals lose a significant amount of weight.

The study is the first to look at the differences between a commercial weight loss program and a clinical weight loss program.

We selected Weight Watchers because the philosophy was similar to professionally delivered programs in medical center settings, Pinto told WebMD. They both encourage weight loss through balanced lifestyle change, dietary changes such as consuming a diet high in whole foods and lower in fats, and encourage physical activity,

The researchers found that the people who stuck with one of the programs over a long duration had the most success in losing weight.

With the group idea, theres a sense of belonging, remarked Pinto in the ABC News article on the effectiveness of having a partner in the journey to losing weight. Thats important for people to think about when they want to know what can facilitate sustained weight loss.

Other health experts believe that the group environment is extremely conducive and can help participants stay with the program up until the very end.

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Success Found In Weight Loss Programs Led By Peers Or Health Professionals

In a head-to-head contest pitting a pair of psychologist-led "behavioral weight loss" programs against a 48-week membership to Weight Watchers, a new study found that subjects participating in the ubiquitous commercial program stuck with their regimen longer and shed more pounds.

Compared with people who met regularly with a professional counselor, those assigned to Weight Watchers were more likely to lose at least 10% of their body weight by the 48-week mark. On this measure, Weight Watchers also bested a hybrid program that researchers had expected to be the most effective a 12-week introductory course led by a clinical psychologist to jump-start subjects' weight loss, followed by 36 weeks of Weight Watchers.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal Obesity, suggests that physicians scrambling for ways to counsel overweight and obese patients may be best served by referring them to well-established commercial programs with a track record of working.

Each year, about 1.3 million members spend some $5 billion on Weight Watchers products and services and attend more than 45,000 official meetings around the world.

The other weight loss programs tested in the study were led by health professionals trained in nutrition and behavior management. By contrast, Weight Watchers meetings are led by peer counselors men and women who have lost significant amounts of weight in the program and then become mentors to others in the same struggle.

The study, led by a researcher from Baruch College in New York City, involved 141 people, mostly women, who were overweight or obese and was conducted without financial assistance from Weight Watchers International. Its findings echo the results of two clinical trials published last year one in the British Medical Journal that was conducted by the United Kingdom's National Health Service and another in the journal Lancet that was sponsored by Weight Watchers.

"Weight Watchers really can produce clinically meaningful weight loss for a lot of people," said study leader Angela Marinilli Pinto. "It can be very convenient for people to access, and professional programs don't always have that convenience and accessibility."

Pinto said the research team was surprised by how much better subjects fared using Weight Watchers alone than when they combined it with a 12-week course that Pinto led.

On average, those on Weight Watchers shed slightly more than 13 pounds after 48 weeks, while those in the combined program lost slightly less than 8 pounds. Those who spent all 48 weeks with the professional counselors lost slightly less than 12 pounds on average an amount that was judged to be statistically indistinguishable from those who used only Weight Watchers.

The researchers found that Weight Watchers subjects attended more meetings, used the program's electronic tools more frequently and were more likely to see the study through to its end than were those in the other two groups. In all, 37% of people in the Weight Watchers group lost 10% of their body weight, compared with 15% of those in the combination-therapy group and 11% of those who didn't use Weight Watchers at all.

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Weight Watchers bested other weight loss programs, study finds

Young Ever Williams hears a negative voice every day in her head, telling her just how fat and disgusting she is. Ever is the heroine of Skinny, Donna Cooner's new novel for young adults and "Skinny" is the name she gives that awful voice. Navigating high school is difficult for most kids, but Ever has an additional challenge: She weighs 300 pounds. Her classmates taunt her cruelly, and the boy she likes ignores her.

Even members of Ever's family don't appear to be all that interested in her and her struggles. They don't provide much comfort and support for her. Ever apologizes for the very space she occupies because of her weight, and like many who struggle with obesity, she tries every possible diet in an effort to be thin, so sure that being smaller is the only real way to happiness.

Ever reaches a crisis point at a school ceremony she's there to receive an award, and onstage, in front of her entire class, her chair breaks under her, and she crashes to the ground. Full disclosure: I've been there. I felt for Ever when that happened, because I too have broken furniture publicly, and I know all too well the horrible feeling of shame and the nasty comments people make.

This humiliating moment spurs Ever to look into weight loss surgery, which I have some perspective on: Like Ever, and her creator, Cooner, I am also a weight loss surgery patient. And I understood Ever's decision to have the operation. But I was uncomfortable with how quickly she made it.

Skinny is Donna Cooner's first novel for young adults.

Skinny is Donna Cooner's first novel for young adults.

Ever's story is aimed at a young adult audience, and with the increase in childhood and young adult obesity, weight loss surgery patients seem to be getting younger and younger. But surgery shouldn't be the first option offered to young people, nor is it for everyone. Why? This surgery is emphatically not the easy way out. In fact, it's one of the hardest things an overweight person can do. I just don't think I would have been prepared to deal with it when I was Ever's age, or really have understood what I was getting into.

Ever's transition to surgery seemed to go far too fast she went from the initial doctor visit to a group support meeting, and then she had a surgery date within what seemed like mere weeks. It took me over seven years to arrive at my decision, and insurance approval for my surgery was granted through a program that took an additional six months. And what about ongoing nutritional, pre- and post-surgery, and mental health counseling? Ever didn't seem to get any. I'd have loved to see more pushback in the book from her medical team, and more of what's really needed to prepare for surgery and to maintain the weight loss afterward. And I'd really have loved to see Ever's parents step up to form a support network for their daughter.

Jennifer Longmire-Wright is an assistant editor at All Things Considered.

Jennifer Longmire-Wright is an assistant editor at All Things Considered.

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'Skinny' Starts A Conversation For Overweight Teens

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hCGTreatments / Diet Doc hCG Diet & Weight Loss Plans Announces New Prescription Only Green Coffee Extract Diet Pills