Study shows simple diet method means you lose more weight and keep it off

Rapid weight loss may be more effective than gradual weight loss, experts have found. The new study found that people who shed weight quickly achieve more weight loss than those who lose weight gradually. They are also more likely to see sustained weight loss after a year. The work “challenges the longstanding assumption that gradual weight loss is superior for long-term outcomes,” one expert said. The new study, published at the European Congress on Obesity in Turkey, assessed the impacts of a rapid weight loss programme compared to a gradual weight loss programme. Experts from Norway examined data on 284 obese adults who were split into both programmes. The 16-week rapid weight loss programme saw people limited to 1,000 calories in weeks one to eight, 1,300 calories in weeks nine to 12 and 1,500 calories in weeks 13 to 16. The group in the gradual weight loss programme were instructed to reduce calories by 1,000 calories a day, with those in this group self-reporting consuming around 1,400 calories per day. According to NHS .uk, the average man needs 2,500 calories a day and the average woman needs 2,000. After the 16-week weight loss phase, both groups took part in an identical 36-week programme aimed to prevent them from regaining weight. The research team said that during the initial 16-week programme the rapid weight loss group lost significantly more body weight than those in the gradual weight loss group – those in the rapid weight loss group lost 12.9% of their total body weight compared to an average of 8.1% lost by those in the gradual group. After a year, those in the rapid weight loss group had lost 14.4% while those in the gradual group lost 10.5%. “Among adults with obesity, participation in a structured rapid weight loss programme resulted in significantly greater weight loss at one year,” the authors wrote. “These findings indicate that, when provided within a controlled and professionally supervised setting, rapid weight loss may represent a more effective method than gradual weight loss for reaching key body weight targets associated with reduced obesity-related health risks.” Lead author, Dr Line Kristin Johnson, from Vestfold Hospital Trust in Norway, added: “Our results clearly challenge the prevailing belief that slow and steady gradual weight loss is necessary to prevent weight regain and reduce obesity-related complications. By contrast, we show that rapid weight loss is not associated with weight regain, and, more importantly, that a larger proportion of participants undergoing rapid weight loss – compared with gradual weight loss. “These findings are particularly relevant given the urgent need for effective weight loss and weight maintenance strategies. As many individuals with obesity cannot access or afford medical or surgical treatments, our results support the potential of effective, commercially available weight reduction programmes to help reduce the growing burden on public healthcare systems.” Commenting on the study, Dr Marie Spreckley, research programme manager at the University of Cambridge, said: “This is an important study because it challenges the longstanding assumption that gradual weight loss is superior for long-term outcomes. “Overall, this study adds to growing evidence that rapid weight loss, when delivered safely and appropriately within a structured programme, can be an effective obesity treatment strategy and should not automatically be considered less sustainable than gradual weight loss.”