Hormonal
Maintenance of weight loss is physiologically distinct from active weight loss, characterized by a 'perfect physiological storm' of increased appetite and decreased energy expenditure that actively opposes weight maintenance.
Accept that maintaining weight loss is biologically harder than losing it. Your body will fight back with increased hunger and lower energy expenditure. To succeed, you must implement strategies that account for this 'storm,' such as higher physical activity levels to offset the metabolic slowdown, rather than relying solely on willpower or extreme restriction.
Periods of active weight loss (negative energy balance) and sustained periods at a reduced body weight (energy balance) are both associated with hypometabolism and hyperphagia, which 'conspire' to facilitate weight regain... The coordinate changes in drive to eat (increased) and energy expenditure (decreased) as a result of weight loss create a 'perfect physiological storm' for weight regain.
Why this rating
Based on controlled human feeding studies and mathematical models cited (Rosenbaum, Leibel, Hall).
Source
Describing the Weight‐Reduced State: Physiology, Behavior, and Interventions
Louis J. Aronne et al. · Obesity · 2021
DOI 10.1002/oby.23086
More from this paper
- Leptin repletion to pre-weight-loss levels reverses most physiological adaptations (hypometabolism and hyperphagia) in weight-reduced individuals, proving that low leptin drives these adaptations.Good
- Physical activity is a critical factor in successful long-term weight maintenance, likely by mitigating the increased appetite and decreased energy expenditure associated with the weight-reduced state.Moderate
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