Slimmers can shed more pounds by taking a 2-week break from
dieting every fortnight, say reearchers.
Research found it increases dieters' chances of keeping the
weight off in the long-term.
Health scientist Professor
Nuala Byrne
said this approach combats a phenomenon known as the "famine
reaction", which explains why most diets are unsuccessful.
For many people it's awfully difficult to stick to a stern
diet for more than a few weeks.
She said: "The intermittent group lost more weight &
they kept it off for a longer period of time.
"We certainly think part of the reason this diet is
working is because of the rest periods."
The study published in the International Journal for Obesity
investigated the body's "famine reaction" to continued dieting &
its impact on weight loss in forty-seven obese men.
Two groups of participants aged 30 to 50 were at random
assigned to a 16-week diet which cut calorie intake by 1/3, 23 of whom
maintained the diet continuous.
The others did it for 2 weeks - then broke from for 2 weeks
eating simply to keep their weight stable.
This cycle was repeated for thirty weeks in total to ensure
16 weeks of dieting. They not only lost more weight - but also gained less
after the trial ended.
The intermittent dieters had an average weight loss of 17.6
lbs (8 kg) more - 6 months later.
Study leader Prof
Byrne , of Tasmania University,
said dieting changed a series of biological processes in the body which leads
to slower weight loss - & possibly weight gain.
She explained: "When we reduce our energy (food) intake
during dieting, resting metabolism decreases to a greater extent than expected;
a phenomenon termed 'adaptive thermogenesis' - making weight loss harder to
achieve.
"This 'famine reaction', a survival mechanism which
helped humans to survive as a species when food supply was inconsistent in
millennia past, is now contributing to our growing waistlines when the food
supply is readily available."
But this latest MATADOR (Minimising Adaptive Thermogenesis &
Deactivating Obesity Rebound) study looked more strongly at ways to lessen the
famine response & improve weight loss success.
But other popular diets which included cycles of several
days of fasting & feasting were not any more effective than unbroken
dieting.
These include the fashionable 5:2 diet which sternly
restricts calorie-intake for 2 days of the week.
She said: "There is a growing body of research which
has shown diets which use one to 7 day periods of complete or partial fasting
alternated with ad libitum food intake, are not more effective for weight loss
than conventional continuous dieting.
"It seems that the 'breaks' from dieting we have used
in this study may be critical to the success of this approach.
"While further investigations are needed around this
intermittent dieting approach, findings from this study provide preliminary
support for the model as a superior alternative to continuous dieting for
weight loss."
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