Are you obese but have been trying to get rid of the excess weight? Well, here's something to darken your mood.
According to a new study, obese people have a very small chance of regaining their old body back-or at least their ideal weight. Worse, the higher the body mass index (BMI) is, the slimmer the chances of it ever happening.
The study conducted by researchers from King's College in London looked into the weight and health records of almost 300,000 people, around 130,000 of which were men. Those who went through a weight loss surgical procedure weren't considered for the study. The data used covered 10 years since 2004.
They analyzed how much weight each participant lost or gained within that period, as well as their chances of losing at least 5% of their weight at the beginning of the study. Most of all, the researchers wanted to know how many were able to bring their weight down to the most ideal level depending on their height and gender.
The results suggest that as many as 1 in every 12 men and 1 in every 10 women can lose around 5% of their body weight at least within a year. But this also means regaining the ideal weight in 12 months or less is close to impossible for many. On the downside, the 5% weight loss can be gained back in as short as 2 years while most did within 5 years.
In the meantime, those who have a BMI between 30 and 35 have a probability of reaching their normal weight in 1 in more than 200 men and 1 in less than 130 women. The possibility further falls down once the BMI is already more than 40, which could mean that the person is severely obese. It becomes 1 in almost 1,300 for men and 1 in less than 700 for women.
They also noticed that most of the participants experienced a yoyo weight loss, especially among women.
According to the researchers, this could mean that the UK weight loss programs may not be effective and that the best solution is to prevent obesity in the first place.
