Slimmers should forget what they have been told about avoiding rapid weight loss in favour of slow but sure dieting, according to research.
The latest evidence suggests the idea that shedding too many kilos too fast leads to a cycle of ‘yo-yo’ dieting is a myth.
Losing weight quickly is the best way to achieve slimming goals and not likely to result in greater weight regain than the slow approach, scientists said.
The findings contradict current dietary recommendations that favour slow and steady weight loss.
Losing weight quickly might also motivate people to persist with dieting and achieve better results
Australian researcher Katrina Purcell, from the University of Melbourne, said: “Across the world, guidelines recommend gradual weight loss for the treatment of obesity, reflecting the widely held belief that fast weight loss is more quickly regained.
“However, our results show that achieving a weight loss target of 12.5 per cent is more likely, and drop-out is lower, if losing weight is done quickly.”
The study looked at 200 obese adults who were randomly assigned to one of two slimming diets.
One was a 12-week rapid weight loss (RWL) programme on a strict diet of 450 to 800 calories a day.
The other was a 36-week gradual weight loss (GWL) programme which reduced energy intake by around 500 calories a day in accordance with current guidelines.
Participants who lost more than 12.5 per cent of their bodyweight were then placed on a weight maintenance diet for three years.
Those on the rapid diet were more likely to meet their slimming target, with 81 per cent of the group shedding at least 12.5 per cent of body weight.
In contrast, only half of the gradual slimmers achieved this goal.
Weight regain was about the same for both sets of participants on the maintenance diet. In each case, about 71 per cent of lost weight was restored after three years.
Writing in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, the authors suggested that the limited carbohydrate intake of very-low-calorie diets may force the body to burn fat. Breakdown products of fat burning, called ketones, can suppress feelings of hunger.
Losing weight quickly might also motivate people to persist with dieting and achieve better results, the researchers said.
Commenting on the research in the journal, Corbin Martin and Kishore Gadde, from Pennington Biomedical Research Centre in Baton Rouge, the US, wrote: “The study indicates that for weight loss, a slow and steady approach does not win the race, and the myth that rapid weight loss is associated with rapid weight regain is no more true than Aesop’s (tortoise andhare) fable.
“Clinicians should bear in mind that different weight loss approaches might be suitable for different patients in the management of clinical obesity, and that efforts to curb the speed of initial weight loss might hinder their ultimate weight loss success.”
British dietary expert Susan Jebb, from Oxford University, said: “This is an important and well-conducted study. It shows clearly that the common claim that more rapid initial weight loss is associated with more rapid regain is false.
“This is important because it will enable professionals to recommend a broader range of treatment options so that people may be more likely to find the one that is best suited to their lifestyle.”