Weight Suppression Predicts Weight Gain Over Treatment but Not Treatment Completion or Outcome in Bulimia Nervosa

The authors attempted to replicate previous findings that weight suppression is a significant predictor of treatment completion and treatment outcome (M. L. Butryn, M. R. Lowe, D. L. Safer, & W. S. Agras, 2006) and weight gain over treatment (M. R. Lowe, W. Davis, D. Lucks, R. A. Annunziato, & M. L. Butryn, 2006) among women with bulimic disorders. The authors also examined 2 alternative measures of weight variability. Participants were 132 women with bulimia nervosa treated with cognitive-behavioral therapy. Participants who dropped out of treatment did not have significantly higher levels of weight suppression than did treatment completers. Among those who completed treatment, weight suppression did not significantly predict binge eating and purging at post-treatment. Weight suppression did significantly predict weight change and, in particular, weight gain (>= 5 kg) over treatment. Alternative measures of weight variability did not significantly predict treatment completion or treatment outcome, but I measure significantly predicted weight gain over treatment. In conclusion, the authors failed to replicate the previous finding that weight suppression predicts treatment compliance and treatment outcome, but they did replicate the finding that weight suppression predicts weight gain over treatment.