This is a long read review of weight loss research from the UK. Although it was published in 2010, it makes multiple important points that remain true today.
Since the publication of this article, there is growing evidence that the energy deficit approach to weight loss, often called the calorie model referring to calories in vs. calories out, is a failed model.
The best available evidence demonstrates that conventional weight management has a high long-term failure rate. The ethical implications of continued reliance on an energy deficit approach to weight management are under-explored.
It’s eye opening to see the non-supported assumptions made in the research reviewed here. The bottom line:
Although the energy deficit approach to weight management has a high long-term failure rate it continues to dominate research in the field. In the current research agenda, controversies and complexities in the evidence base are inadequately discussed, and claims about the likely success of weight management misrepresent available evidence.
