Energy balance
Sustainable weight loss maintenance requires a modest, permanent lifestyle intervention (20% caloric restriction and 20 minutes of daily vigorous exercise) rather than the extreme, unsustainable protocols depicted in reality TV weight loss competitions.
To maintain significant weight loss, avoid extreme diets and excessive exercise regimens that are hard to sustain. Instead, aim for a modest, permanent lifestyle change: reduce your daily calorie intake by about 20% and engage in 20 minutes of vigorous exercise each day. While this approach will take longer to achieve the same weight loss as extreme methods, it is sustainable and prevents the negative health consequences associated with unsustainable extreme interventions.
However, model simulations suggest that maintenance of the weight loss could be achieved with a more feasible sustained behavior change comprising 20 min of daily vigorous activity along with 20% caloric restriction.
Why this rating
Based on a validated computational model using real-world data from 'The Biggest Loser' contestants, though it is a simulation rather than a randomized controlled trial of the proposed modest intervention.
Source
Diet versus exercise in “the biggest loser” weight loss competition
Kevin D. Hall · Obesity · 2013
DOI 10.1002/oby.20065
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