According to a recent study, behavioral programs can help persons to lose an average weight of 7 pounds in 12 to 18 months in comparison to people, who does not go through any special therapy.

The researchers noticed that people, who had gone through 12 to 26 sessions, is a comprehensive weight lose program over one year has lost 9 to 15 pounds. “Comprehensive program” is that program, which recommends a variety of tactics – like exercise sessions, goal setting and overcoming day to day obstacles to keep up a healthy life style.

The team of Dr. Erin and S. LeBlanc of the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon has also noticed that adding meditation enhance weight loss a bit.

A statistical record says that one third of the United State’s adults are obese and reducing their excess weight is extremely difficult.

In a testing people, who received intensive behavioral therapy plus  – the weight loss drug orlistat lost an average weight of 11 to 22 pounds in comparison to people who lost 7 to 13 pounds with behavioral therapy only.

The USPSTF – United State Preventive Services Task Force in 2003 suggested that all adults be examined for obesity, with a simple calculation of weight in an equated relation to height.

It was also declared by USPSTF that programs like “intensive behavioral therapy” had a pretty good affect on obesity treatment. But it is not clear now whether the USPSTF is going to change the recommendations. Although, the panel has planned to post a draft report of its update advice online but they does not yet fixed the date.

There are still some fundamental questions about behavioral therapy like what are its immediate affect? Does it help to prevent heart diseases? Etc.

Although there are still many things to clear up about the therapy it can be said that it leads to lose excess weight naturally.