How Long You Need to Diet to Lose Weight and Keep It Off

Most people are aware that crash diets rarely lead to successful weight loss. But how long do you really have to go on a diet to permanently lose weight?

Why crash diets do not help

Anyone who wants to lose weight quickly often tries so-called crash diets. They promise that you will reach your desired weight in the shortest possible time. The problem with this is that these slimming diets usually live on a one-sided diet, so that you jeopardise a balanced supply of nutrients. In addition, they do not have a lasting effect, because it is precisely these diets that lead to the so-called yo-yo effect. Better is a long-term weight reduction based on a combination of dietary change, behavioral change and exercise.

How long do you have to stay on a diet?

A new study from Denmark, published in the “European Journal of Endrocinology”, provides the answer: According to this study, you have to stay on a diet for at least one year for it to work. Why is this so? The experts accompanied 20 overweight people for over a year. This year, the release of various hormones was measured. It was shown that after the twelve months there was a significantly higher release (65 percent) of the intestinal hormone GLP-1, which triggers the feeling of satiety. And the hormone P-YY, which suppresses appetite, was also present in higher concentrations.

“The difficult thing about dieting is to fight hunger. It is like a drug,” said Signe Sorenson Torekov from Copenhagen University, adding: “We are surrounded by so much food all day that, in theory, we are all Could eat a day. It’s important not to give up and fight the cravings. ”