Is Slow and Steady the Best Weight Loss Tactic
An Australian study throws doubt on the notion that a more gradual approach to weight loss is always the most effective route to take. The study also found that whether you opt for a "crash" diet or something a bit slower, the rate at which you shed excess pounds has no bearing on whether or not those pounds will come back. The findings are published Oct. 15 in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology . "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," study lead author Katrina Purcell, a dietician at the University of Melbourne in Australia, said in a journal news release. However, the new study shows that "achieving a weight loss target of 12.5 percent is more likely, and drop-out is lower, if losing weight is done quickly," Purcell said. Current guidelines recommend slow and steady weight loss in the belief that it is more likely th...