The program is a twist on the typical counseling and group-support method. Rather than meet at one site and discuss the ups and downs of dieting, the participants chat over the telephone once a week.

It’s meant to accommodate the busy and calm the shy, who may not like having face-to-face meetings, said Keith Van Gasken, a senior trainer with Health Management Resources, the Boston-based company that started the program.

“I think this sort of program is the wave of the future,” said Van Gasken, noting that the success of the program offers potential for more self-directed or Internet-based programs.

A study of the program was led by Joe Donnelly, director of KU’s Center fohttps://admin.6newslawrence.com/media/photos/r Physical Activity and Weight Management. Donnelly could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The study included a group who followed a diet and underwent face-to-face counseling and a second group that received their diet counseling over the telephone.

For 12 weeks both groups followed the same diet — provided by HMR — of shakes, prepared entrees, and fruits and vegetables. That was followed by a 14-week maintenance period.

The results for both groups were similar. Those who received their counseling by phone slimmed by an average of 23 pounds over 12 weeks and 28 pounds over 26 weeks. The group that underwent in-person counseling lost 28 pounds in 12 weeks and 28 pounds in 26 weeks.

The dieters called in their weight to HMR twice a week. And they called in for one 45-minute conference call per week. At any point, there could be dieters from across the United States all gathered on the same conference call, which was led by a counselor.

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