Michael Mosley on the success of rapid weight loss diets - 'I was gobsmacked!'

msn.com:

weight loss diets have long been marred with controversy and branded unhealthy, much like crash dieting to shift as much body weight as possible in a short space of time.

But Dr Michael Mosley revealed that numerous studies have in fact proven the opposite and explained that if people do it "safely and properly" then they are "much more likely to succeed" than if they followed slower diets.

He referenced research conducted by weight loss specialist Professor Susan Jebb from Oxford University, who found rapid weight loss is the better option.

He said during an interview with the House of Wellness: "I was absolutely gobsmacked when I came across this research. "Professor Susan Jebb told me that they know that the amount of weight you lose in the first four weeks [of a diet] predicts weight loss the next six months, a year, two years and five years, but rapid weight loss is motivating. "He recalled she set out to do big trial that would prove rapid weight loss is a "terrible idea", but she ended up proving the exact opposite. READ MORE: Diet: Expert warns against common mistakeDr Mosley, who is renowned for his own rapid weight loss diets, beamed: "She said it was incredibly motivating. "It's not suitable for everyone but what we do see is if you do it properly, safely and carefully, then it is much, much more likely that you will succeed rather than doing it slow and steady. "The reason they get a bad wrap is because there were lots of dodgy ones around in the 70s, when there was lots of bad quality protein.