Is crash dieting is the best way to keep weight off?

The best way to lose weight and keep off the pounds is to do it quickly, scientists have found.

New research shows that the key to achieving and maintaining a slim figure is to shed weight quickly, at a rate of one pound per week, reports express.com.

The results, however, contrary to previous advice that suggests a loss of slow but steady weight is the best way for a healthy diet to lose weight.

The new study has found that the greater the initial weight loss in obese patients, the greater the total loss in the long term.

However, nutrition experts are still arguing about whether fast or slow initial weight loss is the best approach to weight control over time.

In the latest research, a team from the University of Florida analyzed the cases of 262 overweight women who had followed a six-month program, encouraging them to reduce their calorie intake and increasing physical activity. Women were separated into three groups according to the amount of weight they lost in the first month of the trial.

Women in the fast group for weight lost almost a pound a week, the group's moderate weight loss lost nearly a quarter of a kilo in a week and the slow loss group weight loss of less than half a pound per week.

The author then looked at weight loss in women after six months and 18 months, and any weight regain. They found long-term benefits to the initial rapid weight loss.

The group lost weight faster in general, maintained their weight loss for longer and were less likely to put the full weight again that the gradual weight losers.

Lose weight at a rapid rate leads to greater initial weight loss in the short term, it leads to increased susceptibility to weight gain and is associated with greater weight loss and overall long-term success in controlling weight, the report said.