A new study by researchers has narrowed down the weight loss methods that actually work for people.
We have all seen the strange diet hacks that claim to be able to help you lose weight while doing a combination of weird or restricting things.
Experts at the University of Cardiff looked at data of 1,850 obese adults with an average age of 53, in order to determine which weight loss methods people have said work for them.
Of the sample, 79% of people said they had attempted to lose weight over the previous year but 73.4% had not achieved “clinically meaningful” weight loss.
So what are the best weight loss methods?
Diets for weight loss
There are plenty of diets out there for people to try, but the key thing for losing weight is to end the day with a calorie deficit – meaning you burn more calories than you consume.
Only 28% of people in the study who put themselves on a restricted diet lost a meaningful amount of weight.
The NHS recommends a focus on making sure their waist size is less than half of their height, while Michael Mosley's 'Fast 800' diet has helped people lose weight by introducing a low carbohydrate, high in fat diet.
For this particular diet, those wishing to try the diet should run it by their GP if they have health problems.
Medication to help with weight loss
In the UK at the moment, three medicines can be prescribed for weight loss. These are Mysimba, Orlistat and Saxenda and may be given by a doctor or weight loss clinic.
London Obesity Clinic said: "Medications can work by either acting on the appetite centre in the brain or help with feeling full or even getting rid of the excess fat consumed."
Done alongside exercise, 30% of those who had medication or took up exercise lost a clinically meaningful amount of weight, according to the Cardiff study.
Surgery for weight loss
Weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric or metabolic surgery, can be used on the NHS for people who are very obese.
Alternatively, people can also pay for it privately, but this can be very expensive to do.
The study indicated that half of the people who had surgery lost at least 5% of their body weight.
Instead of surgery, there are weight loss programmes like Weight Watchers that people can follow.
Is a combination of things best for weight loss?
According to a study by Cardiff scientists, 33% of people who used a combination of weight loss tools were able to shed a meaningful chunk of fat.
The study was led by Dr Marc Evans, who said: “Our survey results indicate that while the majority of adults with obesity are actively trying to reduce their weight, using a variety of strategies, most are unsuccessful.
He continued: "This underscores the need for increased support and solutions for weight management."
