New research suggests that there are several effective strategies for people who want to avoid regaining weight after a successful diet. Anti-obesity drugs, meal replacements and a high protein diet can help maintain weight loss, according to an analysis published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

A study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet's Clinical Epidemiology Unit and Obesity Center at Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden adds further clarity to the biggest challenge for anyone trying to lose weight: how to lose weight and to maintain the long-term result thereafter.

"The body has several defense mechanisms against weight loss, such as increased hunger, lower energy metabolism and relapse back to old habits," says research team member Dr Erik Hemmingsson. "If the problem of rebound weight gain didn't exist, obesity would be relatively easy to treat. There have been several possible methods to facilitate long-term weight control over the years, and now the database was large enough to make a systematic evaluation of existing studies."

In their analysis, the team combines the results of 20 published scientific studies involving a total of 3 017 participants who were either obese or overweight at the beginning of the weight loss process. Various studies have examined the effects of drugs, meal replacements, high protein diets, dietary supplements and exercise on rebound weight gain after an intensive weight loss, low-calorie diet.

Although the study shows that that rebound weight gain is the rule rather than the exception, researchers have found that there are several strategies that help reduce the side effect: anti-obesity drugs, powdered meal replacements and a high protein diet. Foods with a low glycemic index (GI) are also effective, although the data in this case comes from a single study, which the researchers found to be less representative.

"Anti-obesity drugs unfortunately carry a risk of adverse events, so the most effective drugs were completely withdrawn a few years ago," says Dr Hemmingsson. "Meal replacement products and high protein diets, on the other hand, are effective and available to everyone."

One interesting result was that workouts did not have a clear effect on maintaining the weight loss. However, the reason is most likely that the included studies mainly examined patients with severe arthrosis who were prescribed special physiotherapy. In another study, in which participants were exercised in a more standard manner, the effect was positive and similar to a high protein diet.

It is for these reasons that My Body Creator strongly recommends upon completion of the 12-week plan, to switch to a weight maintenance program for at least 4 weeks. The software uses an algorithm that takes into account the anthropometric data, the somatotype and the daily training exercises. It is a self-adaptive software, which will change the output data in cases of new relevant information or inaccurate following of the program. The prepared high protein diet, depending on the users’ preferences, may also contain powdered meal replacements. The inclusion of trainings can also significantly positively contribute to the final results.

References:

K. Johansson, M. Neovius, E. Hemmingsson. Effects of anti-obesity drugs, diet, and exercise on weight-loss maintenance after a very-low-calorie diet or low-calorie diet: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2013; DOI: 10.3945/ajcn.113.070052