Effectiveness of Gradual Versus Rapid Weight Loss (GoLow)

June 10, 2025 updated by: Jøran Hjelmesæth, The Hospital of Vestfold

Comparative Effectiveness of a Gradual Weight Loss Program and a Rapid Weight Loss Program (Including a Low Energy Diet) on 1-year Weight Loss in Subjects With Obesity - A Randomized, Parallel-group, Superiority Trial. (The GoLow Study).

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the 1-year effectiveness of an initial rapid weight loss (RWL) program and a gradual weight loss (GWL) program.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Active, not recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

A total of at least 286 participants will be randomized to either a 16-week rapid weight loss (RWL) program; [an 8-week low-energy-diet (<1000 kcal/day) - followed by an 8-week gradual increase in energy intake (4 weeks <1300 kcal/day and 4 weeks <1500 kcal/day)], or a 16-week gradual weight loss (GWL) program (controls); [estimated total energy expenditure minus 800-1000 kcal/day]. Thereafter, all participants (both groups) will undergo a 36-week comprehensive weight maintenance program.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
293

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Norway
      • Tønsberg, Norway
        • Vestfold Hospital Trust

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • • Willing and able to give informed consent for participation in the study

    • Living in the eastern part of Norway, mainly Oslo, Buskerud, Vestfold and Akershus
    • Understanding Norwegian language written and spoken easily
    • BMI ≥30.0 kg/m2
    • Stable body weight (<5 kg self-reported weight change) during the last 3 months before inclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Pregnancy and breast-feeding mothers

    • Suspected non-compliance with regards to visits and/or diet
    • Severe chronic disease (endocrine disease, heart disease, neurological disease, lung disease, disease in the gastrointestinal tract, kidney disease, rheumatism or cancer).

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Active Comparator: Rapid weight loss (RWL) program
16-week rapid weight loss (RWL) program [8-week LED (<1000 kcal/day) - followed by an 8-week gradual increase in energy intake (4 weeks <1300 kcal/day and 4 weeks <1500 kcal/day)] followed by a 36-weight loss maintenance program.
Other: Rapid weight loss (RWL) program
16-week rapid weight loss (RWL) program (8-week low energy diet (LED) followed by 8-week gradual increased energy intake) and a subsequent 36-week weight-maintenance follow-up
Active Comparator: Gradual weight loss (GWL) program
16-week GWL-program (estimated total energy expenditure minus 800-1000 kcal/day) followed by a 36-weight loss maintenance program.
Other: Gradual weight loss (GWL) program
16-week gradual weight loss (GWL) program (moderate calorie restriction) and a subsequent 36-week weight-maintenance follow-up

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in body weight from baseline to 12 months
Time Frame: Baseline to 1-year
Percent total body weight loss (%TBWL) at 12 months follow-up
Baseline to 1-year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in anthropometric measures
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
Waist and hip circumference (cm)
4-month and 1-year
Changes in body composition 1
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA)
4-month and 1-year
Changes in body composition 2
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) in selected participants
4-month and 1-year
Changes in lipids
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
Total-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides (mmol/l)
4-month and 1-year
Changes in blood pressure
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
Systolic and diastolic blood pressure (mm/Hg)
4-month and 1-year
Changes in glucose parameters
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
HbA1c (mmol/mol)
4-month and 1-year
Changes in CRP
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
CRP (mg/L)
4-month and 1-year
Changes in Health Related Quality of Life 1
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
Generic questionnaire: Short Form-36 Health Survey, SF36. Each item is scored on a 0 to 100 range so that the lowest and highest possible scores are 0 and 100, respectively. Scores for each of the 8 domains and summary scores for physical and mental health will be calculated
4-month and 1-year
Changes in Health Related Quality of Life 2
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
Obesity specific questionnaire: IWQOL-lite. The IWQOL-Lite is a 31-item measure of weight-related quality of life. There are five domain scores (Physical Function, Self-Esteem, Sexual Life, Public Distress and Work) and a total score. Scores for all domains and total score range from 0-100, with lower scores indicating greater impairment.
4-month and 1-year
Changes in Health Related Quality of Life 3
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
Weight-related Symptom Measure (WRSM). The validated obesity specific WRSM measures 20 symptoms commonly related to being overweight or obese, including foot problems, joint pain, sensitivity to cold, shortness of breath, etc. using two different sets of items. The first set assesses whether or not a patient is experiencing specific symptoms, and the second set rates the level of the distress of the symptoms with values from zero ("not at all") to six ("bothers a very great deal"). The first set creates an additive scale summing symptoms from 0-20, while the second forms a symptom distress scale ranging from 0-120.
4-month and 1-year
Changes in symptoms of depression and anxiety
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The validated generic HADS measures symptoms of anxiety and depression using 14 items scored from 0-3 It is decomposed into two domains measuring depression (HADS-D) and anxiety (HADS-A), both consisting of seven items yielding a score from 0-21.
4-month and 1-year
Changes in eating behavior
Time Frame: 4-month and 1-year
The Three Factor Eating Questionnaire -R 21 (TFEQ-R21) measures eating behaviour and has been validated for use in individuals with obesity and will be used in the study. It consists of 21 items comprising three domain scores; (1) uncontrolled eating; assessing the tendency to lose control over eating when feeling hungry or when exposed to external stimuli, (2) cognitive restraint; assessing the conscious restriction of food intake to control body weight or body shape, and (3) emotional eating; assessing overeating related to negative mood states. The domain scores were transformed to 0-100 scales to facilitate comparison; a higher score indicates more uncontrolled, restraint, or emotional eating.
4-month and 1-year
Change in weight from baseline to 4 months
Time Frame: 4-month
Percent total body weight loss (%TBWL) at 4 months follow-up
4-month
Proportions of participants with a TBWL of ≥ 5%, ≥10% and ≥15% at 52-week
Time Frame: 1-year
TBWL of ≥ 5%, ≥10% and ≥15% at 52-week follow-up
1-year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
The Hospital of Vestfold

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Roede AS

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Jøran Hjelmesæth, Professor, The Hospital of Vestfold

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
April 11, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 16, 2021

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
December 12, 2018

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 13, 2018

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
December 14, 2018

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 11, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 10, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • GoLow

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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