Weight Watchers is the only commercial program that has published reliable data from randomized trials showing that people who participate weighed less a few months later than people who did not participate. Even Weight Watchers’ results were modest, with only a five percent weight loss after 3 to 6 months of dieting. Most of this lose of weight is later regained. Scientists want more. They would like to see carefully controlled studies that follow program participants over several years and compare their success with that of non-participants.   About 10 years ago, Dr. Wadden, director of the weight and eating disorders program at the University of Pennsylvania and the lead author of the new study, Mr. Cleland, the assistant director for advertising practices at the Federal Trade Commission, and others met with commercial weight loss companies at the Federal Trade Commission to discuss getting some solid data on the effectiveness of these programs.

 They could not reach a satisfactory agreement on the issue of outcomes disclosure and the F.T.C. could not force companies to do the studies.

The temporary and modest weight losses with commercial diet programs are not a surprise, according to Dr. Wadden, because no one knows how to achieve permanent weight loss.

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