If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you know how frustrating it is to hear the simplistic ‘eat less, exercise more’ advice. Your personal experience flies in the face of this seemingly straightforward equation. Certainly in a vacuum, eating less and exercising more works. However, our bodies are an open, interactive systems, and rarely cooperate with simple math.
A new study published in Lancet (article summary here) by scientists at the National Institute of Health belies our simplistic weight loss equations with a new mathematical equation that takes our natural, evolved inclination to retain weight into account.
The Body Weight Simulator can be found here. Researchers hope that this model will provide a more realistic plan for weight loss, lessening the stigma and thus the shame that may result in failed attempts in addition to better weight loss plans that actually work.
Image: Filimonas Triantafyllou for World Obesity Day
