How To Gain the Advantage over Weight Re-gain

According to new research, older women who lose weight are likely to gain it back again, and as fat rather than muscle. At the beginning of the study, 78 postmenopausal women had shed about twelve percent of their body weight through a weight loss program. Six months into the study, 68 percent of the women had regained some of their lost weight. At 12 months, 76 percent of the women had put back on some of their lost weight. At the 12-month follow-up, 16 percent of the women weighed more than at the start, while about 24 percent of the women had lost more weight. After assessing the type of body mass that constituted their weight gain, the researchers established that fat was regained much faster than muscle in the postmenopausal women.

It is possible that the weight regain is caused by hormonal changes that occur after dieting. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine earlier this year showed that hunger-related hormones, including leptin and ghrelin, were disrupted by dieting. Hormones can remain at altered levels for at least a year, according to the study. These altered levels stimulate a heartier-than-normal appetite and can sabotage even the best intentions of dieters. The study followed the hormone levels of obese people for a year after they participated in a 10-week weight loss program. The participants had lost an average of 30 pounds on their diets. Tests showed that several hormone levels, including those of leptin, ghrelin and insulin, were affected by the weight loss.

During the follow-ups, participants reported feeling hungrier than they had at the beginning of the study. After a year, they’d put back on 12 pounds on average, and blood tests found that their hormone levels had only partially stabilized. The hormone changes that occurred would be expected to stimulate weight regain. The study authors explained that in obese persons who have lost weight, multiple compensatory mechanisms encouraging weight gains, which persist for at least one year, must be overcome in order to sustain weight loss. These mechanisms would be advantageous for a thin person in an environment where food was scarce, but in an environment in which energy-dense food is abundant and physical activity is largely unnecessary, the high rate of relapse after weight loss is not surprising.

All of this information is quite, well, informative. However, you might ask how does it help me? Well, the study also explains that bariatric surgery may be a better option for sustainable weight loss, as it has been shown to have positive effects on hunger hormones. At Surgical Specialists of Louisiana, our #1 goal is to provide you with a solution that will improve your life, and keep you healthy and happy long-term.

We have helped thousands of people to lose the weight that so easily can return, be it from hormonal changes, lifestyle changes, stress, dietary choices, or a combination. Additionally, our MyWeight Nutrition & Wellness Counseling is available to help provide you the support you need to achieve healthier dietary choices and a better overall lifestyle.

Please attend one of our FREE informational seminars to learn more about the surgical weight loss options such as gastric bypass offered by the Surgical Specialists of Louisiana.

*Image  from here.

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