“As Bacon pointed out in an email, studies have found that “the vast majority” of people who lose weight wind up gaining it back even if they maintain their diet and exercise programs. Bacon said that a lot of this has to do with the way the human body goes out of its way to physically resist permanently losing weight; for instance, the body produces a hormone called leptin that inhibits hunger and decreases fat storage.
“When we examine the scientific mechanisms, it’s clear why few people sustain weight loss,” Bacon explained. “Dieting triggers compensatory mechanisms, like a drop in leptin as an example. Less leptin contributes to the urge to eat and to quit one’s diet; it also drives a decrease in metabolism that can compensate for eating less.””
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