The effect of rate of weight loss on long‐term weight regain in adults with overweight and obesity

Objective To investigate the effect of rate of weight loss, with similar total weight loss, on weight regain in individuals with overweight and obesity. Methods Fifty‐seven participants (BMI: 28‐35 kg/m 2 ) underwent a dietary intervention (DI). They were randomized to a low‐calorie diet (LCD; 1250 kcal/day) for 12 weeks (slow weight loss) or a very‐low‐calorie diet (VLCD; 500 kcal/day) for 5 weeks (rapid weight loss) (weight loss (WL) period) followed by a 4‐week weight‐stable (WS) period and 9 months follow‐up. Body weight and body composition (BodPod) were determined at study start and after each period. Results Weight change was similar in both groups after WL (LCD: −8.2 kg and VLCD: −9.0 kg, P  = 0.24). Weight regain after follow‐up was not significantly different between groups (LCD: 4.2 kg and VLCD: 4.5 kg, P  = 0.73). Percentage fat‐free mass loss (%FFML) was higher in the VLCD‐group compared to the LCD‐group after DI (8.8% and 1.3%, respectively, P  = 0.034) and was associated with weight regain during follow‐up in the whole group ( r  = 0.325, P  = 0.018). Conclusions The present study showed that, with similar total weight loss, rate of weight loss did not affect weight regain. However, %FFML after DI was associated with weight regain.