Should you lose weight quickly or conservatively for better long term results?

Many of us are familiar with the fact that typically if you lose weight more conservatively at a pound a week, we are more likely to keep the weight off. Well, new studies from scientists out of the University of Florida are proving otherwise. They are showing that shedding the weight quickly is the best way to achieve long lasting results.

"Women who lost at a faster rate, greater than 1.5 pounds (0.68 kilos) a week, had lost more and maintained a greater loss in the long run than women who lost at a slower rate of half a pound (0.23 kilos) a week or less," said researcher Lisa Nackers, whose findings are published online by the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.

They concluded that losing the weight faster was actually more reinforcing in terms of behavioral change.

Should you lose weight quickly or conservatively for better long term results?