The 100-Calorie Secret - Never Diet Again!

The issue of rapid weight loss vs. slow weight loss as a predictor of long term weight loss success has been debated for years. Drs Adam Tsai and Thomas A Wadden from the University of Pennsylvania Center of Weight and Eating Disorders summarize all of the available scientific studies  in their 2006 report in Obesity Research.

They found that participants in  very low calorie diets(VLCD) with subsequent rapid weight loss  had no greater weight loss after 1 year than those involving more conventional low calorie diets(LCD) .

Very low calorie diets, providing 800 calories/day have been used for many years. Although VLCDs provided more weight loss initially (16% weight loss vs. 9% for standard low calorie diets) the long term losses of 6.3% in the VCLD groups were not significantly different than the  5% weight loss among LCD participants. Adverse effects, attrition and weight related morbidity's did not differ between the two groups. The authors point out the increased expense of VCLDs  in the US due to the usual requirement of medical monitoring.

Given these results there appears to be no reason for VLCDs  over LCDs  in terms of end results. The results also show that rapid weight loss is not associated with increase morbidity or adverse effects. Maybe the choice should be left to the dieter rather than the doctor in this case.

Losing weight slowly is no better in terms of keeping the weight off than losing weight
faster.  Many dietiers I treat who have a lot of weight to lose do far better when they lose the weight quickly, family and friends provide great feedback. Also it is a great feeling to get into a dress or pants you have been unable to wear for a long while.

So let the dieter make the decision since everything is equal.