Six years after the competition, contestants had regained much of the weight - and their metabolisms were still burning hundreds of calories a day less than expected. A landmark look at lasting metabolic adaptation.
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Persistent Metabolic Adaptation 6 Years After "The Biggest Loser" Competition - Fothergill et al., Obesity 2016 (PDF)
What happens to metabolism years after dramatic weight loss? Researchers followed "Biggest Loser" contestants for six years - and found their bodies were still fighting to regain, with metabolisms running well below what their size would predict.
Dr. Hammer's 5 Second Takeaways
Metabolic slowdown after big weight loss can last years
Six years out, contestants' resting metabolic rate was still about 700 calories/day below baseline - the slowdown didn't bounce back.
The body burns less than its size predicts
Even after accounting for body composition, there was still roughly a 500 calorie/day "metabolic adaptation" - their bodies were unusually fuel-efficient, working against maintenance.
Most of the weight came back
On average, contestants regained much of what they'd lost, despite the dramatic initial results - which is the norm, not a personal failure.
Holding onto loss came with more slowdown
Strikingly, those who kept off more weight at six years also had the greatest ongoing metabolic slowing - their bodies were still actively defending against the loss.
Extreme, fast loss isn't the lasting answer
This is a cautionary tale about rapid, extreme weight loss: the body adapts hard. Sustainable, muscle-preserving approaches matter more than speed.
Nerd-Out
Fothergill et al. (Obesity, 2016) followed 14 of 16 original contestants. End-of-competition weight loss averaged 58.3 ± 24.9 kg, with RMR down 610 ± 483 kcal/day. At 6 years, 41.0 ± 31.3 kg was regained, yet RMR remained 704 ± 427 kcal/day below baseline and metabolic adaptation was −499 ± 207 kcal/day. Weight regain did not correlate with end-of-competition metabolic adaptation (r = −0.1), but participants maintaining greater 6-year weight loss showed greater concurrent metabolic slowing (r = 0.59, P = 0.025) - suggesting metabolic adaptation is proportional to ongoing efforts to reduce weight and persists over time.
Go to the Source:
This summary is drawn from "Persistent Metabolic Adaptation 6 Years After 'The Biggest Loser' Competition" by Fothergill and colleagues (Obesity, 2016; 24:1612-1619). The full paper is in the linked PDF above.