The science behind why diets don’t work

For decades we have been told that it’s all our fault; that the reason many of us don’t manage to lose weight is a lack of willpower.

But there’s a bigger cause behind our failure to shift the pounds and it’s certainly not due to floundering commitment. It’s down to a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. In fact, there are several well-researched biological pathways that protect our body from weight loss and ensure our weight rebounds each and every time we attempt to slim down. Research shows that in order to lose weight and make it stick, you must eat well and exercise for a month – then have a month off.

Ever since obesity became a problem in the 1980s we have been led to believe that the best way to lose weight is by continuously cutting the calories. Indeed, it has been in the interests of a multi-billion dollar dieting industry to suggest that this is the case.