Participants had long histories of shame and fear surrounding weight loss attempts. Weight loss group participants needed cultural connectivity and a sense of safety and acceptance to address issues contributing to weight gain and in order to lose weight and maintain weight loss. Although more research is needed before implementation of a sexual minority women-specific weight loss program, these data are the basis for further exploration into the development of such a program.
Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for several modifiable, if not preventable diseases. Growing evidence suggests that lesbians may have higher rates of obesity than other women. This study was designed to describe weight loss and behavior changes related to food choices and exercise habits among lesbians who participated in a predominantly lesbian, mainstream, commercial weight loss program. Behavioral changes were recorded in exercise, quality of food choices, and number of times dining out. Although there were several limitations based on sample size and heterogeneity, the impact of a lesbian-supportive environment for behavior change was upheld.
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