Lower metabolism after losing weight

ahmommy

I keep seeing this tossed around - that people who lose weight have a slower metabolism than those who never gained the weight in the first place.

Are there any scientific studies that show this? Or does anyone have a good explanation?

The only reason I can think of is because when you lose weight, you often lose lean muscle mass as well. Meaning people who have lost weight are likely to have a higher body fat percentage (than someone who never gained the weight in the first place), resulting in a lower metabolism. Is this the cause?