Slow and steady wins the race.

It can be tempting to crash diet ahead of a big event or bikini season, and the fact is calorie restriction and increased exercise WILL result in weight loss... but for how long? It's a well-told tale by now that in the long run, crash diets don't work and can actually lead to weight gain over a long period of time. So how long do we need to diet for in order to keep the weight off? Experts say a year. Yep, apparently it takes twelve months for your body's chemical makeup to actually change and keep the pounds off, according to The Times. Signe Sorensen Torekov, associate professor of biomedical sciences at the University of Copenhagen which carried out the study explained why hard-and-fast dieting doesn't work. She said: "It’s very difficult to fight the hunger. "It’s like a drug you’re fighting against. This would have been an excellent mechanism 50 years ago, but the problem now is that we have so much food available that we can eat all the time. "We were able to show that you shouldn’t give up. If you’re able to keep your weight down for a year, then it shifts and it becomes easier."