According to The National Health Screening Initiative(NHSI) 2023 , more than half, or 53.5%, of Malaysians screened are overweight or obese. That literally signifies that every 2 Malaysian one of them is either Obese or Overweight. Comparing to NHSI 2019 , Malaysian’s Obesity rate increases by 3.5% proposing that, immediate lifestyle changes adding with balanced diet become utterly important.
In a highly developed technology cyber-society nowadays , people are more likely to expose with false information that may jeopardize themselves, leading them going down a rabbit hole.When such information raise one’s consciousness, it’s advisable to consult a doctor or nutritionist before practicing it. Nutritional myths like low carbohydrate diet helps cutting weight down indirectly influence people from different age groups ,taking wrong action to conserve their health.In this context,those who are obese or overweight are suggested to cut down their weight by taking systematic approach.
A study (Garthe et al., 2011) , suggests that when weight loss is necessary, athletes should aim for a gradual reduction of 0.5-1 kg per week, a recommendation that also applies to non-athletes. Losing weight at a slower pace, around 0.5 kg per week, is more effective in preserving lean body mass (LBM) compared to losing 1 kg per week. In this study, 24 athletes were randomly assigned to either a slow reduction (SR) group, aiming for a weekly body weight loss of 0.7%, or a fast reduction (FR) group, targeting 1.4%. Both groups followed their usual training regimen, including four resistance-training sessions per week, while adhering to a calorie-restricted diet. Energy intake was reduced up to 19% in the SR group and 30% in the FR group. The SR group spent an average of 8 weeks in the intervention, compared to around 5 weeks for the FR group.
The results indicated that both SR and FR groups experienced similar reductions in body weight and fat mass, with decreases of 5.6% ± 0.8%(0.7%/week) and 5.5% ± 0.7%(1.0%/week), respectively, and fat mass reductions of around 30%+ and 20%+. However, the SR group saw a minimum 1.6%++ increase in LBM, while the FR group showed no significant change, with a notable difference between the groups .(Garthe et al., 2011).
From the data shown , we can know that the SR group achieve higher fat mass loss, higher body fat loss percentage,increased Lean Body Mass(LBM) with a longer timespan while pairing with regular exercise(resistance training).Rapid weight loss did not show a better result compared to slower weight loss rate in terms of LBM and Body Fat Percentage.Thus,weekly weight loss of 0.7%(0.5kg) is an ideal goal setting for people who are obese and overweight.
Reference
– Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Koivisto A, Sundgot-Borgen J. Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011 Apr;21(2):97-104.
–NHSI 202 3-Galen Centre