Why Some Overweight People Have a Tougher Time Shedding Pounds

With the proviso that “biology is not destiny,” NIH researchers nevertheless confirmed that some obese people have a harder time losing weight because their metabolisms slow down considerably during a calorie-reduction diet. Tests on 12 obese men and women using a whole-room indirect calorimeter showed that people with “thrifty” metabolisms had a much harder timer dropping the pounds, while people with a “spendthrift” metabolisms easily lost weight. But the researchers said in effect that it’s not a hopeless situation: a balanced diet and regular physical activity over a long period “can be very effective for weight loss."