Many things are said about the speed of weight loss.
For example, it is common to hear that losing weight too quickly is undesirable and that it can lead to negative effects, such as the popular “rebound effect”. It is true that the promise of losing weight quickly is something that usually accompanies fad diets, generally not recommended, but it is not convenient to deduce things from the exaggerations of those who want to sell us false miracles. The truth is that this type of affirmation about “fast weight loss” does not have much evidence, since the studies that exist on the subject are scarce and inconclusive, as I have already explained previously in this blog (one, of the).The work is quite concise in words, so getting to the point; These were the main conclusions of its authors:
“When weight loss of similar magnitude occurs, gradual weight loss was associated with greater decreases in body fat and body fat percentage, as well as greater maintenance of resting energy expenditure. However, the speed of loss weight was not associated with differences in lean mass, body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, and waist-hip ratio.”
In other words, in the most well-known parameters with which weight loss is usually measured – body weight and BMI – speed had no significant effect. Even in the loss of lean mass, an aspect in which traditionally rapid weight loss tends to be less famous for causing greater loss of muscle mass (and which is usually counteracted quite effectively by increasing the percentage of proteins), no significant differences were found.
However, in other also interesting parameters, such as body fat loss (total and percentage) and energy expenditure at rest, gradual or slower weight loss achieved slightly better results. No big differences, but significant.
That is to say, it seems that losing weight more slowly does not present great advantages for weight loss in general, but it can help to do it a little more efficiently: focusing more on fat loss and perhaps allowing the metabolism to adapt a little better, since it presents a smaller reduction in energy expenditure that usually occurs in these processes, a phenomenon that can complicate the maintenance of lost weight. It should not be forgotten that this is the first meta-analysis published on the subject and that there are not too many studies included (some results were calculated with only four studies), but these conclusions can help us to anticipate where the shots could go on the matter. the rate of weight loss.