You need to diet for THIS long to lose weight

Everyone who is trying to lose weight has this one question – For how long do I need to diet? The good news is that science finally has the answer to this long-contemplated question. A recent study published in the International Journal of Obesity reveals the exact duration of time one needs to diet in order to lose weight and keep it off.
The study
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen studied the impact of weight loss on our bodies for two years. The researchers found that trouble with most diets is that they lead to a surge in the hunger-causing hormones.

Sometimes the hunger sensation can be so strong that they feel if they don’t eat, they will die. But when these hunger hormones tempt you to eat unhealthy foods, it takes a toll on your weight loss plan. To help with this problem, researchers put 20 obese people on a strict low-calorie diet for eight weeks followed by a 12-month weight-maintenance program. During the 12-month weight management program, participants regularly met with the dieticians and got tips on lifestyle changes and diet tracking calendar.

Results

The team of researchers collected blood samples of the participants thrice during the entire program – before they started with the program, after eight weeks of dieting and after 12-months of weight-maintenance program.

Overall, the participants lost 13 per cent of their body weight on average. But the best part was that the blood samples taken after the 12-month showed that participants were producing less hunger-causing hormone ghrelin and more of a hunger suppressing hormone called GLP-1.

Other studies
Many studies show that when you lose a lot of weight, your body fights fiercely against it. But it was found that if you are able to keep your weight down for one year, it’s easy for you to maintain it further.

Verdict

Dieting for one year allows your body to get used to the new weight and lifestyle, which stops your cravings, helps you lose weight and also maintain it.