The slower the loss

Not true! Slower the loss the less likely you are to lose any weight.

Because you are dieting gently. Diets that give you lots of weight loss quickly are not normally sustainable. So when you hit your target weight the maintenance diet is harder and you put the weight back on again. Diets that make you lose weight slowly are much more sustainable because they tend to be less severe and therefore easier to keep up , and once target is reached the maintenance diet is easy peasy. Apparently.

Follow up studies consistently (sorry, can't face googling the links at this time of night) show that diets are usually only 10% effective. If I recall correctly, that means that within 2 years, 90% of dieters have regained the weight (and poss more) within 2 years in a rebound kind of thing. Crash diets have a lower success rate.

The most effective way of keeping the weight of is to lose slowly, fooling your body into not noticing that you are dieting. Even better, is to make permanent lifestyle changes that mean your body uses more energy than you eat.

Another good chance of losing the weight is to diet in stages, 10% of body weight at a time with stabilising plateaus of approx 6 months in between.

Brunneria said:

Follow up studies consistently (sorry, can't face googling the links at this time of night) show that diets are usually only 10% effective. If I recall correctly, that means that within 2 years, 90% of dieters have regained the weight (and poss more) within 2 years in a rebound kind of thing. Crash diets have a lower success rate.

The most effective way of keeping the weight of is to lose slowly, fooling your body into not noticing that you are dieting. Even better, is to make permanent lifestyle changes that mean your body uses more energy than you eat.

Another good chance of losing the weight is to diet in stages, 10% of body weight at a time with stabilising plateaus of approx 6 months in between.

Click to expand...

Ah hah! Now that makes sense. It has taken me 5 years to lose about 30kgs. Each time I have lost weight it has gone up and down and up and down then stabilised at down and off I go again but always downwards. I read sometimes about people losing huge amounts quickly and think I don't do that but I really do think that my body has time to get used to being a bit smaller so although it has taken a long time to lose this weight, it feels normal each time I start on the next stage.

I do believe though that it's of paramount importance to lose weight in the way that's comfortable for you. Someone else's method may not work. All trial and error.

Brunneria: When it's not so late I would be glad of a look at those studies if you can find the link.

I totally agree with former posters - slow and steady will do it. - I lost 15 kg some years ago and have been watching it ever since - and you need to watch it! - and then take care that you are not into the yo-yo rhythm - going down and then up again.

annelise

This link gives a good overview:
http://www.fatnutritionist.com/index.php/why-diets-dont-work/
I find the comments at the bottom of the page particularly poignant.

http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/fat-officially-incurable-according-to-science/
A humorous article that is, in my experience very accurate

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/74/5/579.full

There is some evidence that yo yo dieting (which I did for years) is worse for you than staying fat, eating well and being reasonably fit (all of which I currently do). In my dieting days I used to average 1/2 stone of weight gain a year.

I'm fat and a darn sight happier now that when I had this mythic slim Me waiting just around the corner.
I have also promised myself that I will NEVER inflict another low fat, restricted calorie, portion control diet on body EVER AGAIN. The sense of relief when I made that promise had me in tears.

By eating low carb and keeping my blood glucose under reasonable control, I do not put on weight. If I lower the carbs a wee bit more, I may lose the odd pound here and there. I do not look for it, but I do enjoy it when it happens.

And it is worth bearing in mind that after spending my entire adult life carrying significant amount of excess weight, getting slim would deflate me like a sagging water balloon. Lovely thought, eh?

Edited for typo

Makes sense that if you lose weight slowly it allows time for the body to adapt.