Human Body Resists Attempted Weight Loss

"A recent study completed in has determined that the body resists attempts to lose weight. The study comes on the heels of news that obesity in is still on the rise despite efforts to reduce the recent epidemic. The study covering the body’s high resistance is set to be reviewed by obesity experts at the Queensland University of Technology.

Contrast of mechanisms
One doctor associated with the project from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation has states that the body has very few processes to prevent weight gain, but very strong processes to prevent weight loss. The study showed a long known effect whereby weight loss effectively stops or is drastically reduced once it reaches a certain level.

A plateau effect
The long known plateau effect was demonstrated in this study. The plateau effect marks a point where exercise and reduced calories no longer lead to significant weight loss. In the study, two sets of data were used. The first set involved obese men and women exercising five times a week, but did not regulate the amount of food which they were able to consume. The second survey group tracked was those which utilized both diet and exercise, but it was up to them how much of each they completed.

The first group lost an average of 3kg a week for the first seven weeks but in the eight week, the average net weight loss was only .7kg, a staggering drop. This stoppage of weight loss is evidence of the mechanisms the body has in place to prevent it from losing further weight, or at least from losing it as fast as it had been.

The second group had a wide array of weight losses, mainly due to the fact that the exercise program and diet had been left up to each individual. Despite the difference in total results, most of those surveyed displayed the previously mentioned plateau and major slowdown in weight loss."

By: Kris Karkoski from Associated Content
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Tags: medical, health, wellness, fitness, plateau effect, diet, weight loss, study