New York Time’s just published an article detailing research performed by the National Institutes of Health on former Biggest Loser contestants over the course of a number of years revealing a significant, ongoing permanent slowdown in metabolism resulting in almost inevitable regaining of the weight loss. I have to be honest, the research really helped me understand my own struggles in the decade since my season wrapped. It does not mean it is impossible to keep the weight off, but it does explain why it seems exponentially harder than it should be. It’s actually a relief in some ways to read; not because it’s an excuse, but it helps me understand. It certainly describes my experience. Definitely read the whole article; here was the quote that really jumped out at me:

Researchers knew that just about anyone who deliberately loses weight — even if they start at a normal weight or even underweight — will have a slower metabolism when the diet ends. So they were not surprised to see that “The Biggest Loser” contestants had slow metabolisms when the show ended.

What shocked the researchers was what happened next: As the years went by and the numbers on the scale climbed, the contestants’ metabolisms did not recover. They became even slower, and the pounds kept piling on. It was as if their bodies were intensifying their effort to pull the contestants back to their original weight.

Read the whole article here and let me know what you think!