Why some people gain weight back after dieting
Reduced metabolic efficiency in sedentary eucaloric conditions predicts greater weight regain in adults with obesity following sustained weight loss
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some people's bodies burn more calories even when they're resting and eating just enough to stay the same weight — and this might make them more likely to gain weight back after losing it.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 544 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Some people's bodies burn more calories even when they're resting and eating just enough to stay the same weight — and this might make them more likely to gain weight back after losing it.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 544 / 72
Evidence Score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Publication
Authors
Hollstein T, Heinitz S, Basolo A, Krakoff J, Votruba SB, Piaggi P
Related Content
Claims (6)
When people return to their previous eating and activity habits after losing weight, their body fat tends to increase back to the level it was before the weight loss.
In people with obesity, a lower respiratory exchange ratio measured while resting and eating normally before losing weight is linked to gaining more weight back after the loss, but this link depends on how many total calories the body burns in a day.
In people with obesity who lose weight through dieting, losing muscle or other lean tissue does not, by itself, predict whether they will regain weight after one year, once their original calorie-burning rate is taken into account.
Among adults with obesity, those who burn more calories at rest before losing weight tend to regain more weight over the following year, with each additional 100 calories burned per day linked to about 0.3 kilograms of weight regain per month.
People with obesity who burn more calories at rest before losing weight tend to regain more fat and muscle mass after one year, with each extra 100 calories burned per day linked to about 2.9 kilograms more fat and 2.8 kilograms more muscle regained.