An interventional study of Reduced Food Variety (RFV) and Home-based Resistance Training (HBRT) in Obesity Prevention, Weight Change and Weight Loss, sponsored by University of Alabama at Birmingham. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-01-07.
Sponsored by University of Alabama at Birmingham · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
The purpose of this study is to find out what combination of components, if any, offers the best support for keeping weight off after someone loses weight. Long term weight loss maintenance is a challenge for many people who lose weight. There are many strategies, or components, people may use to avoid regain, but investigators do not know if there is a best, or optimal, combination of such components that can be done without adding a lot of cost or other burdens for people.
Participants will engage in a 16-week Phase 1 Weight Loss Program. Participants who lose 5% or more of their weight during that program will continue to Phase 2 Extended Care and be randomly assigned to 0, 1, 2, 3, or all of four methods of weight loss maintenance. They will use their assigned package for 12 months. Researchers will compare 16 different possible combinations of components and learn which of the 16 packages offers the best support for keeping weight off.
The four components participants could be assigned to in Phase 2 are:
Participants will have their weight measured and complete surveys 4 times if they complete both Phase 1 and Phase 2. During Phase 1, participants will attend weekly group sessions and be in touch with a study staff member investigators call a Wellness Coach. During Phase 2, participants will stay in touch with their Wellness Coach, use their assigned package, and answer questions about their experience periodically.
1,815 studies on the registry are indexed under Weight Loss; 294 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 544 is above the median of 80 across 1,561 interventional studies indexed under Weight Loss.
Browse Weight Loss studies →University of Alabama at Birmingham is the lead sponsor of 1,421 studies on the registry; 277 are open to participants now.
Of its 164 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 130 (79%) have results posted.
Compared within Weight Loss, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Body Weight Changes. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
BMI (body mass index)
Weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared. Example: 70 kg and 1.75 m gives 70 ÷ (1.75 × 1.75) ≈ 22.9.
What counts as overweight or obesity differs between countries (some use lower cut-offs), so go by the range the study states.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
NYHA class (heart failure)
The New York Heart Association’s four classes of how much heart failure limits physical activity.
Studies set their own limit — many outside heart failure leave out class III–IV, while heart failure studies may ask for a particular class. Check the class this study names.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance only.
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance and Buddy Training and Support.
Behavioral: Buddy Training and Support (BTS)
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance and Home-based Resistance Training
Behavioral: Home-based Resistance Training (HBRT)
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Home-based Resistance Training and Buddy Training and Support.
Behavioral: Home-based Resistance Training (HBRT) · Behavioral: Buddy Training and Support (BTS)
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops.
Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Buddy Training and Support and ACT Workshops.
Behavioral: Buddy Training and Support (BTS) · Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Home-based Resistance Training and ACT Workshops.
Behavioral: Home-based Resistance Training (HBRT) · Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Home-based Resistance Training, Buddy Training and Support, and ACT Workshops.
Behavioral: Home-based Resistance Training (HBRT) · Behavioral: Buddy Training and Support (BTS) · Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Reduced Food Variety.
Behavioral: Reduced Food Variety (RFV)
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Reduced Food Variety and Buddy Training and Support
Behavioral: Reduced Food Variety (RFV) · Behavioral: Buddy Training and Support (BTS)
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Reduced Food Variety and Home-based Resistance Training.
Behavioral: Reduced Food Variety (RFV) · Behavioral: Home-based Resistance Training (HBRT)
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Reduced Food Variety, Home-based Resistance Training, and Buddy Training and Support.
Behavioral: Reduced Food Variety (RFV) · Behavioral: Home-based Resistance Training (HBRT) · Behavioral: Buddy Training and Support (BTS)
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Reduced Food Variety and ACT Workshops.
Behavioral: Reduced Food Variety (RFV) · Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Reduced Food Variety, Buddy Training and Support, and ACT Workshops.
Behavioral: Reduced Food Variety (RFV) · Behavioral: Buddy Training and Support (BTS) · Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Reduced Food Variety, Home-based Resistance Training, and ACT Workshops.
Behavioral: Reduced Food Variety (RFV) · Behavioral: Home-based Resistance Training (HBRT) · Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops
Participants will receive education and support for weight loss maintenance as well as Reduced Food Variety, Home-based Resistance Training, Buddy Training and Support, and ACT Workshops.
Behavioral: Reduced Food Variety (RFV) · Behavioral: Home-based Resistance Training (HBRT) · Behavioral: Buddy Training and Support (BTS) · Behavioral: Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops
Participants engaged in reduced food variety (RFV) will be asked to choose a few high-calorie, low nutrient main meals and snacks to eat regularly. At the beginning of each month, they will choose one main meal (entrée) to eat at least 2 times a week and one snack food to eat at least 4 times a week within the month. They will have the option to keep or change their main meal and snack options from month to month.
Participants assigned to receive home-based resistance training (also called strength training or lifting weights) will be asked to engage in at-home exercises that strengthen muscles at least 2 days each week (≤45 minutes per home session) and track their progress. They will be asked to attend 6, 1-hour group-based skills training workshops (in-person and/or remotely via Zoom) during the first two months of Phase 2 to learn these skills. They will receive exercise plans and equipment (sets of dumbbells, a rack to hold the dumbbells, and an exercise mat) needed to complete exercises.
Also known as: Strength Training, Resistance Training, Weight Lifting, Lifting Weights
Participants assigned to buddy training and support will be asked to identify an eligible friend or family member who is over 18 years old that can be their "buddy". Study staff will contact the buddy to be sure they are eligible, willing, and have all the details they need. The participant's buddy will be asked to attend up to 6 training sessions with the study staff, so they can learn the best ways to support the participant during the program. After the buddy completes training, they will be asked to check in with the participant 1-2 times each week about their progress.
Also known as: Buddy Support
Participants assigned to receive Acceptance and Commitment (ACT) Workshops will be asked to attend 6, 1-hour group-based skills training workshops (in-person and/or remotely via Zoom) during the first three months of Phase 2. These workshops will help them develop skills to handle tough thoughts about weight control, keep their values in mind, and be mindful of their decisions and the impact of their decisions related to weight control. They will also be asked to apply ACT skills regularly during the rest of Phase 2.
Also known as: ACT Workshop
Change in weight from time of randomization to 12 months
The primary outcome of the study is the change in weight measurement from the time of randomization (after Phase 1 initial weight loss/the beginning of Phase 2) until the follow up visit 12 months later. Participants' body weight will be measured to the nearest 0.1 kg at each point using a calibrated electronic scale. The change between these two measures will be calculated.
Time frame: 12 months
Started Dec 2025 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Nov 2028, 35 months after the start.
Of 670 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Weight Loss, half reached primary completion within 25 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 13 and three quarters within 45. This study's planned 35 months is above that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 729 studies reached it within 24 months; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 43.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
Eligibility is decided by the study team. Share this record with your doctor or contact the team directly.
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University of Alabama at Birmingham →