Can talking therapy stop weight regain after surgery?

NCT ID NCT06484621

Disease control Sponsor: Hartford Hospital Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Aug 07, 2026 · Updated 2 times

Summary

This study tests whether a type of talk therapy called Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) can help people who have had bariatric surgery stay physically active and avoid regaining weight. Researchers will compare ACT to standard education about exercise in 164 adults who had surgery 6-20 months ago. Participants attend online group workshops, get phone support, and wear activity trackers for 18 months.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (a psychological intervention)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a practical way to help people keep weight off after bariatric surgery by boosting motivation and acceptance of discomfort during exercise.
What could go wrong: This is a relatively small, early-stage behavioral trial. The intervention may not produce lasting changes in activity or weight, and results may not apply to all surgery patients.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 164 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Aug 2024

Expected to finish

Dec 2028

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 64 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Having undergone either a primary Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy bariatric procedure between 6 and 20 months prior to enrollment * Have reached their nadir weight and regained less than 10% of maximum weight lost based on weight measurements * Had their surgery performed at Hartford Hospital or another surgical weight loss center within the Hartford HealthCare system. * Able to provide consent * Willing to engage in and complete the study protocol * Able to safely participate in a physical activity program Exclusion Criteria: * Have regained 10% or more of maximum weight lost based on weight measurements * Cannot ambulate independently * Do not speak/read English at a 6th grade level * Are pregnant, lactating, less than 6-months postpartum or plan to become pregnant during the course of the study * Report current involvement in a weight management program outside of standard care * Begin taking a newly prescribed medication for weight loss less than two months prior to study enrollment * Begin taking a newly prescribed medication or change the dosage/frequency of pre-existing medications that are associated with weight loss/weight gain but not taken to produce weight loss less than two months prior to study enrollment * Report any conditions or plans that would preclude adherence to the study protocol (i.e., plans to relocate, psychiatric problems such as substance use disorder, or terminal illness)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

Motor Activity Obesity obesity disorder

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Obesity

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

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Can talking therapy stop weight regain after surgery?

What the study statuses mean