To treat obesity, experts recommend losing weight gradually. It is believed that this way of losing weight is more sustainable and more beneficial for health. But how scientifically correct is this?
Experts usually recommend losing 0.5-1 kg of weight every week. This is slow weight loss. Rapid weight loss is the loss of more than 1 kg per week for several weeks.
There are also various studies on different approaches to weight loss. In one study, people were randomly assigned to slow and fast weight loss groups: 12 weeks versus 36 weeks to reduce body weight by 15%.
A group of people who needed to lose weight quickly were placed on a very low-calorie diet using meal replacements including smoothies, bars and soups three times a day. The slow weight loss group was told to eat 500 fewer calories per day. They also consumed one or two meal replacement meals a day.
About 50% of people in the slow weight loss group and 81% of people in the rapid weight loss group lost 12.5% or more of their body weight. After that, anyone who lost 12.5% or more of weight was put on a weight maintenance diet for about 2.75 years. Within 3 years, 76% of the slow weight loss group and the same percentage of the fast weight loss group regained the weight they lost. It turned out that it didn’t matter whether people lost weight quickly or slowly, because they were still gaining the weight they had lost.
However, another study of 101 menopausal women found that rapid weight loss yielded better results than slow weight loss over 3 years.
However, there are other factors to consider when losing weight. These vary in body composition, bone density, etc. are changes.
The meta-analysis also found that the amount of weight loss was the same for both fast and slow weight loss. But with slow weight loss, results in terms of metabolism and calories burned at rest were generally better than with rapid weight loss. Also, the slower weight loss resulted in a greater reduction in fat mass, i.e. a better muscle-to-fat ratio. It is more suitable for the gradual removal of excess weight and bone density.
News cannot be equated with a doctor’s prescription. Consult an expert before making a decision.
Source: Ferra
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