Weight Loss during Fasting: Implications for the Obese

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Abstract
The time course of body weight during fasting is satisfactorily described by a simple two-component exponential function. In the obese human subject about 4% of the body weight is lost rapidly, whereas the remainder has an average half-time of 204 days in males and 237 days in females. The nonobese faster also loses weight rapidly in the first few days, but the average half-time for the remainder (94% of initial weight) is only 127 days. The exponential nature of the weight loss process means that the loss rate (and hence the energy expended) is proportional to body weight and allows for predictions to be made of comparative maintenance food needs in the nonfasting state.

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