It is common knowledge that people who lost a lot of weight can regain it quite easily. Many have had that experience and it is one of the most frustrating things about the whole business of fitness and being in shape.
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To discover the reason behind this phenomenon, researchers decided to follow contestants from the reality TV show “The Biggest Loser”. In the show, contestants tried to lose as much weight as they can. The contestant who sheds the most weight gets the prize.
The research is the brainchild of Kevin Hall of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. He thought that it would be a good idea to track how contestants maintained their weight, or in most cases how they failed to do so.
The results were not very encouraging for those who want to lose weight on a long-term basis. They found out that the body can really make it hard for weight-loss gains to stick. The main culprit is the body’s metabolism.
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Evidence pointed out that the resting metabolism of the contestants slowed down significantly after their weight loss. That means in order to maintain their weight they have to eat fewer and fewer calories, which can really be difficult.
As years passed and the weight of the former contestants of the show increased, the research showed that their resting metabolism did not go up. That means it became doubly hard for them to lose the same amount of weight that they have dropped before.
One of the contestants who participated in the study regained 100 pounds after his appearance on the show. In order to maintain a weight of a little less than 300 pounds he has to stick to a diet that gives him just 800 calories daily.