I'm not saying it's impossible to keep losing weight by calorie restriction beyond 6 months, I'm saying that _sans further calorie restriction_ you don't lose weight.
> Yes, it gets harder to continuously lose weight
This is your body adjusting its basal metabolic rate and you having to implement further calorie restriction to achieve the same benefit.
To weigh 200 pounds, you need to consume a different number of calories.
If you weigh 300 and start eating the 200 pound amount, you will lose weight. Slower over time as the difference between your weight and your consumption becomes less.
Once you reach 200 pounds, you won't continue to lose weight.
There is no panacea for weight loss - everyone is different.
A book is not a source. Providing a book and then cavalierly saying people should read it because it's backed by science is pretty rude.
There is an existence proof that this isn’t true - watch “My 600lb Life”.
How does the existence of a TV show that put subjects under calorie restriction prove that this doesn't work?
P.S. from skimming the wikipedia page I'd expect that the participants were subject to further calorie restriction beyond the first one
Also on the same show, when they were put under medical supervision where they had to consume only 1200 calories a day they would drop around 30-50 pounds. There was one guy who would lose 20 pounds in a week (he weighed over 800 pounds) when his mom couldn't sneak food to him.
The lower insulin resistance, the better the effect of diet, usually.
If you watch the show, most of them overeat as a coping mechanism and part of the treatment is psychological help.
> Losing weight and gaining weight is simple physics. > you are losing weight because you are consuming less calories.
This is only true in the first up to 6 months of a calorie-restriction diet. Then, body adjusts its metabolism (lower body temperature, making you feel more lethargic to keep you from exercising, etc) and your weight begins to slowly climb back up, sans any further calorie restriction. At this point, it's easy for a dieter to blame himself of lacking willpower: "it worked, and it stopped working now, I must've been not strict enough!".
The same thing happens if you force someone to overeat even if they're not hungry. They will gain weight -- for up to 6 months. Then, the body increases its base metabolic rate and adjusts to the new food intake level.
As Dr. Jason Fung meticulously explains in his book Obesity Code, there seems to be a weight set point. He then argues that the root cause of obesity, and the body's set weight point, is insulin resistance.
The books hails your grandma's advice: "Cut back sugars and starchy foods. No snacking."
This is from the last part (The Solution):
1. Reduce your consumption of added sugars. 2. Reduce your consumption of refined grains. 3. Moderate your protein intake. 4. Increase your consumption of natural fats. 5. Increase your consumption of fiber and vinegar.
The author also stresses the importance of fasting.
Everything the book asserts seems to be pretty well backed by science, go check for yourself.
Source: Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung. Read it, it's not only a brilliant weight loss book, but also a wonderful book about how the wrong incentives for companies have led to the obesity epidemic in the US.