Losing weight gradually doesn’t change the amount or rate of weight regained, compared with more rapid weight loss, say researchers.
The study also finds that substantial weight loss is more likely if undertaken rapidly.
“This randomized study highlights the urgent need for committees that develop clinical guidelines for the management of obesity to change their advice,” says study leader Joseph Proietto, professor of medicine at the University of Melbourne and head of the Weight Control Clinic at Austin Health.
The trial included 200 obese adults with body mass indexes of 30 to 45. They were randomly assigned to either a 12-week rapid weight loss program with an average weight loss of 1.5kg (3.3 pounds) a week on a very-low-calorie diet (450–800 calories/day) or a 36-week gradual weight-loss program with an average weight loss of 0.5kg a week (1.1 pounds) based on current dietary recommendations.
[aolvideo src=“http://pshared.5min.com/Scripts/PlayerSeed.js?sid=1759&width=480&height=350&playList=518466811&responsive=false”]
“Global guidelines recommend gradual weight loss for the treatment of obesity, reflecting the widely-held belief that fast weight loss is more quickly regained,” says coauthor and dietitian Katrina Purcell.
“However, our results show that an obese person is more likely to achieve a weight loss target of 12.5 percent weight loss, and less likely to drop out of their weight loss program, if losing weight is done quickly,” she says.
The researchers found that the initial rate of weight loss did not affect the amount or rate of weight regain. After three years, participants in both diet groups who completed both phases of the study (about 71 percent) regained similar amounts of weight.
The authors suggest a number of possible explanations for their findings, including that the limited carbohydrate intake of very-low-calorie diets promotes greater satiety and less food intake by inducing the production of hunger suppressants called ketones. Losing weight quickly may also motivate participants to stick to the diet
The research, done in collaboration with La Trobe University, appears in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
Source: University of Melbourne. Republished from Futurity.org under Creative Commons License 3.0.
More About Weight Loss:
[aolvideo src=“http://pshared.5min.com/Scripts/PlayerSeed.js?sid=1759&width=480&height=350&playList=518416919&responsive=false”]
*Image of “food prawn“ via Shutterstock
Friends Read Free