Keep Weight Down One Year And You’re Home Free

People who manage to keep the pounds off for one year should find it much easier to keep them off forever. It’s true. According to researchers at the University of Copenhagen, after one year the body accepts the new weight and in simplified terms, stops asking for calories. A U of Copenhagen news release explains that after one year of successful weight loss maintenance, the researchers were able to show that levels of two appetite inhibiting hormones (GLP-1 and PYY) increased (=appetite inhibition) from before-weight loss level – in contrast to the hunger hormone ghrelin, which increased immediately after weight loss but returned to normal levels (= low hunger) after one year.  What does that mean? It means that hormones that control appetite, GLP-1 and PYY, are able to adjust to a new ‘set point’ and make it easier to maintain a lower body weight. “After one year,” says researcher Signe Sørensen Torekov, “the body is no longer fighting against you, but actually with you.”