Research

Hormonal

Lifestyle interventions for obesity typically result in modest long-term weight loss (5-10%) and high rates of weight regain due to potent biological adaptations, specifically increased appetite and reduced energy expenditure.

If you lose weight through diet and exercise, expect your body to fight back with increased hunger and a slower metabolism. This is a normal biological response, not a failure of willpower. To maintain loss, you may need ongoing support or pharmacological intervention to counteract these specific hormonal signals.

StrongQualifiesHIGH confidence
Weight loss through lifestyle changes results in modest weight loss long-term possibly due to compensatory biological adaptations (increased appetite and reduced energy expenditure).
Dimitris Papamargaritis et al. · Cardiovascular Research · 2022

Why this rating

Supported by multiple large-scale trials (Look AHEAD, DROPLET) and mechanistic studies cited in the review.

Source

New therapies for obesity

Dimitris Papamargaritis et al. · Cardiovascular Research · 2022

narrative_reviewCited 69×
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