Losing weight has become one of the major problems of Americans today. Starting a weight loss regimen is as difficult as staying there and maintaining the results of hard work. For this reason, a new study looked into why it is difficult to keep weight off after shedding pounds.
The hit TV show, The Biggest Loser, inspired the research, which pointed out that metabolism may slow down significantly after one goes on a weight loss program.
Unfortunately, despite the boom of the weight loss industry, with different programs, products and strategies being popularized, people cannot seem to stay in the groove. In fact, crucial health issues remain long after they have lost weight.
The Aftermath
The authors of the study monitored 14 contestants from The Biggest Loser television program, six years after they appeared in the show.
They looked into the body composition of the subjects by using an enhanced X-ray technique that measures bone loss. They also examined the contestants' resting metabolic rate (RMR) at three periods - before the competition, 30 weeks into the competition, and six years after the show.
The study also looked into the subjects' metabolic adaptation, which is the residual RMR after adjustments have been made on the alterations in body composition and age.
Why Is It Difficult To Maintain Weight Loss?
The results of the analysis show that 13 out of the 14 contestants slowed in their metabolic rates through the six years of being out of the competition. All, except one, notably regained weight, with four of them becoming even heavier than they were when they first joined the contest.
It was only Erinn Egbert who exhibited maintained weight loss, even if she also had a slower metabolism. She burned 552 less calories than the expected number of calories a person her size would burn.
Another contestant, Rudy Pauls, experienced a slightly different turnout. He was the only one who showed enhanced metabolism. It should be noted, however, that he underwent surgery after he participated in the TV program to decrease the size of his stomach.
"Metabolic adaptation persists over time and is likely a proportional, but incomplete, response to contemporaneous efforts to reduce body weight," the authors wrote.
The study emphasizes the difficulty of achieving and maintaining weight loss in the long term.
Another key finding in the research is that the participants lost a significant amount of the hormone leptin, which regulates hunger as it tells the body when it is already full. This means that the contestants were almost hungry all the time.
The Biggest Loser Investigates
The producers of the program say they are now looking at the results of the study. They specifically point out the regular evaluations of their in-depth protocols and support systems which they use to provide the best quality care to the contestants.
The study was published in the journal Obesity Biology and Integrated Physiology on May 2.
Photo: Mason Masteka | Flickr
