Scientists devise new weight loss tool
US scientists have developed a new weight loss tool that could help people to lose weight more efficiently.Experts say people should no longer subscribe to the widely held belief that cutting calorie intake by 500 per day will lead to a weight loss of 1lb per week.
This is because as an individual reduces the number of calories in their diet and starts to lose weight, they will reach a plateau as their metabolism slows.
Scientists at the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease have now developed an online calculator that allows people to input details on their diet, exercise levels and body shape.
It then provides a personalised weight loss plan that should give people a better idea of how much weight they could lose by making certain lifestyle changes.
According to the researchers, the old rule of thumb predicted that by eating 100 fewer calories per day, dieters could lose 5lb in six months.
However, the new tool shows it is likely to take one year to achieve this degree of weight loss, with an extra two years required to lose a further 5lb.
Dr Kevin Hall, who presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science in Vancouver, claimed that the old guide is "completely wrong".
"If you cut the calories in somebody's diet their metabolism starts to slow down, and it slows down more the more weight is lost, so eventually you'll reach a plateau," he explained, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The expert added that the new tool should enable people to "match up their expectations about weight loss with the changes in diet and physical activity that would be required to both reach those goals and maintain them".
NHS figures suggest that 24 per cent of women in England were obese in 2009, while a further 44 per cent were overweight.
