Anyone who has spent any time looking into losing weight online has come across the simple fact: most diets fail. It’s something that I’ve personally said before, and it’s something that you will see over and over again if you are looking for a way to lose weight. It seems to be pretty generally accepted that if you go on a diet, you will probably regain all of the weight that you lose long-term. You might make it to 6 months lighter, but eventually you will be as heavy or heavier than you were at the start.

But recently I’ve been wondering; is that true?

If you look at the science of the question, the water is surprisingly muddy. While it’s probably reasonable to say that many diets fail, there is evidence that many also succeed. The data appears to show that the average person will keep at least some of the weight that they’ve lost off for two years or more.

Let’s look at the science.