Hi Wa'il and all,

Very interesting report; I noticed though that there was no evidence presented as to why many following a lowcarb regimen did not maintain the weight loss. Did they regain the weight even though they were still lowcarbing (doubtful) or did they regain after returning to a high carb/high fat WOE??? Some people do give in to cravings and/or the popular hype.

I went back through the archives of NAASO; from July '99, a study they published re "Predictions of Weight Loss Maintenance" (Passman and Westenterp-Plantenga) showed a variability of over 50% in weight gain following a reduced-energy (read calorie) regimen, INCLUDING lowcarb. The following were the priority factors, and had NOTHING to do with low carb VS high carb/low fat. The greatest factors for predicting lack of success at maintaining weight loss, were #1) frequency of previous dieting attempts, ie, chronic yo-yo dieters were least successful, also earlier age of beginning the diet-then-gain-cycle. #2) family history of obesity. #3) change in BMR, ie lowered metabolic rate due to chronic dieting or other health factors. #3) personal hunger score, ie, did the diet not provide satiety for the client?

A good study, but still inconclusive, I think.

from Doreen