In a recent study, Kevin Hall looked at when weight loss typically stops depending on the method people were using to drop pounds. He broke down the plateau into mathematical models using data from high-quality clinical trials of different ways to lose weight to understand why people stop losing when they do. The study randomly assigned 238 adults to either two years of following a 25% calorie restriction diet or eating as they normally would. In order to achieve the weight loss reported in the study, people whose diets started at 2,500 calories per day had