If You Lose Your Weight Quickly, Does That Mean You’re More Likely to Gain It Back?

Losing weight is a difficult process. So, it’s easy to understand why some people would choose a method of fat loss that claims to provide quicker results. After all, the sooner you get the weight off, the sooner you get to live the life you want, right?

But does losing weight faster than normal mean that you’re more likely to gain it back than if you had chosen a slower weight loss method? While some health experts say yes, one study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology suggests that the answer is clearly no.

Researchers randomly assigned 204 participants with relatively high Body Mass Indexes (BMIs) to either a 12- or 36-week weight loss program. The individuals who were able to lose at least 12.5 percent of their total body weight were then placed on a maintenance diet for almost three years, where they were assessed to determine whether or not they had kept the weight off.

Based on their findings, researchers concluded that the method of weight loss did not affect the participant’s ability to keep it off as both the slow and fast-losing groups had similar results in regard to any weight that they regained. However, there are some dangers to losing weight too quickly.

According to WebMD, fasting in an effort to shed your excess pounds can cause muscle loss and a slower metabolism—two factors that can ultimately impact your ability to keep your weight off. It can also create issues with your heart, kidneys, blood sugar, and other important functions, so you want to be careful if you choose to follow a quick weight loss method such as this.

Just remember that the best way to lose weight is to change the behaviors that made you gain it in the first place. Sometimes this takes longer, but permanent weight loss is often worth waiting for.