Why People Regain Lost Weight Quickly

Research suggests that when a diet is stopped, the body - believing it has just endured a mini-famine - gets to work restoring the status quo, plus interest. When a dieter goes back to "normal" eating, the body starts packing the calories away into the fat cells once again, often with a little extra, just in case.

Dieting tells the body that the world is a dangerous place where food can become scarce at any time, so it had better hoard those calories and conserve as much energy as possible. What this lesson means in the long run is still a subject of some debate. Some scientists believe that the metabolic down-shift is permanent, but a recent analysis of the scientific research indicates that this may not be the case.

Although the jury is still out, one thing is clear - drastic dieting doesn't work. If you want to reach a healthy weight and stay there, you need to do it at a reasonable pace, and work within the limitations and heeds of your biology.