The Nuance

Is It Really Better to Lose Weight Gradually?

Here’s what the science says

Photo by i yunmai on Unsplash

Every week, the Nuance will go beyond the basics, offering a deep and researched look at the latest science and expert insights on a buzzed-about health topic.

You’ve probably heard that a slow and steady approach to weight loss improves the odds that you’ll stay slim in the long run. Easy go, easy come back—or so the conventional wisdom holds.

Historically, some public health authorities even championed the superiority of gradual weight loss plans. The thinking was that a slow reduction in body weight is more likely to be the result of healthy and sticky lifestyle changes, while rapid weight loss tends to stem from get-slim-fast tactics that are ultimately unsustainable.

While this line of thinking makes sense, the research says otherwise.

In a 2013 New England Journal of Medicine report titled “Myths, Presumptions, and Facts about Obesity,” the belief that quick weight loss is inferior to gradual weight loss is highlighted as false. “To date, the totality of evidence does not support the myth that gradual weight loss improves long-term outcomes,” says Krista Casazza, first author of the report and an associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.