Dieting for a whole year is the key to staving off weight gain for good, scientists claim.
Breakthrough research has found kicking bad habits for 12 months may lead to long-term chemical changes in the body, making it easier to avoid piling back on the pounds once the diet ends.
Typical diets spark a hormonal backlash from the body which means many return to their original weight after it finishes as more calories are stored as fat.
But Danish researchers found maintaining a regime for longer can defeat the natural resistance to losing weight.
Signe Sorensen Torekov, from the University of Copenhagen, said: “It’s very difficult to fight the hunger.
“It’s like a drug you’re fighting against. This would have been an excellent mechanism 50 years ago, but the problem now is that we have so much food available that we can eat all the time.
“We were able to show that you shouldn’t give up. If you’re able to keep your weight down for a year, then it shifts and it becomes easier.”
The researchers’ study saw 20 obese participants placed on an exacting diet for 12 months.
Once the year was up, their bodies were producing dramatically more of the hormone that suppresses appetite after a meal.
According to the study, European Journal of Endocrinology, this meant they would feel full for longer and find it easier to keep off the weight.
Read More
MORE ABOUT