INTRODUCTION: With the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, it is assumed that slimming is on the increase. The aim of the present study was to elucidate the prevalence of slimming attempts, the methods used, and whether the weight loss was maintained. METHODS: Two independent telephone interviews were conducted in 1992 and in 1998. About 1200 adults selected at random were entered in each survey in a balanced design, which ensured an equal distribution of age, gender, and geographical regions in Denmark. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity increased from 10% to 13% between 1992 and 1998. The proportion of subjects who had been slimming at least once in their lives increased from 45% to 47%, with a distribution of 25% in the underweight, 38% in those of normal weight, 54% of the overweight, and 76% of the obese (p
