If you have had trouble with regaining weight after losing it, you know you are not alone.  Weight regain in dieters is a common problem and there appear to be biological reasons why this is so.

A study supported by the Australian government indicates that following significant weight loss (losing 10% of body mass or greater), hormones persist in the body stimulating a hunger response to restore lost weight for at least a year and perhaps longer.

In a study involving 34 overweight subjects enrolled in a rapid weight loss program, scientists checked the blood levels of nine appetite influencing hormones.  Comparing the hormone levels from before the weight-loss program to one year after it was over, they found six hormones were still out of balance  in a direction that would boost hunger.

People who lose significant weight not only gain bigger appetite but also burn fewer calories than normal, creating "a perfect storm for weight regain", said Dr. Rudolph Leibel, an obesity expert at Columbia University in New York.

Experts not connected to the study said that this imbalance is not surprising.  Avoiding weight regain appears to be a fundamentally different problem from losing weight in the first place.  Permanent weight loss is a two part challenge and the second part of avoiding weight regain can be the most difficult challenge.

Perhaps the strongest message of the study is "it's better not to gain weight than to try to lose it,"  but for those of us who have already put on the extra pounds, this knowledge can help us in our weight loss battle.  Knowing what we face helps us to prepare.

Reaching our weight loss goal is the beginning, not the end of our program.  We need to realize that like an addiction, our appetite is going to re-assert itself to undo what we have done.  If we return to life patterns that caused us to gain weight in the first place, no amount of temporary dieting or temporary fitness plans are going to affect permanent change.  This is not just a psychological challenge, this is a physiological challenge.  We have to strategize accordingly.

Balanced diet and exercise are still the best ways to become a healthier person and if we persevere, they too can become habit forming.

Source: AP Newswire - follow this link to the complete article.

http://news.yahoo.com/not-fault-hormones-linked-weight-regain-210323538.html