It’s taken almost as a matter of faith in the fitness world that slower rates of weight loss are superior to faster rates and that rapid fat loss always cause faster rates of regain and poorer long-term results. And while there is certainly data to support that, we might ask if it is always the case. You can probably guess by the title of this article that it’s not.
Note: Most research studies still tend to focus on weight loss despite the fact that fat loss and changes in body composition is a far greater metric of change. For that reason I will be switching back and forth from fat and weight loss throughout the article.
Slow vs. Rapid fat Loss
While it’s taken as axiomatic that rapid fat loss is always inferior, there is a far amount of data that actually suggests the opposite. That it, studies routinely show that a FASTER or GREATER initial weight loss is associated with BETTER long-term weight maintenance rather than worse.… Keep Reading