5 science-backed ways to keep the weight off
Losing weight isn't easy, but the tumbling numbers on the scales help you stay motivated. The real work begins when you hit your target weight and return to real life, with treats in the corner shop, dinners with friends, and a 6pm glass or two of wine. In fact, one big analysis of 29 long-term weight loss studies showed that more than half of the lost weight will return within two years and by five years you can expect more than 80 percent of weight to reappear. Just one if five dieters keep the weight of long-term. So what does science tell us about tips and tricks to ensuring the next diet you try really is your last?
Get used to smaller portions
Most people reach the end of the diet, breathe a big sigh of relief, and order the large pizza they’d been dreaming about for months.
But if you’ve successfully lost 20 percent of your body weight, the portion of spaghetti bolognaise you serve yourself will have to shrink by at least 20 percent to keep in line with your body’s new fuel requirements.
According to the science, as you get smaller and slimmer your energy expenditure decreases at a rate of about 8 kcal/day per pound of weight lost. Nutrition experts at the University of Colorado have calculated that a weight loss of two and a half stones (40 lb) creates an energy gap of approximately 320 kcal/day. This means to maintain that weight loss you need to eat 320 kcal/day less than you did before you lost weight - indefinitely.
Get exercising
A large-scale 2022 review of 52 studies from the USA, Portugal, Germany, Finland and Greece found increased physical activity to have the strongest link with successful weight loss maintenance. Research suggests you should try to get at least 250 minutes of exercise each week to maintain weight loss and a study published last year found that those more likely to stick at exercise were those who ‘found it enjoyable, prioritised it, and integrated it into their daily routine’.
Eat real food
A 2022 international review of studies found the most frequently reported weight maintenance strategies were having healthy foods available at home, eating breakfast, increasing vegetable consumption, decreasing sugary and fatty foods, limiting certain foods, and reducing fat in meals.
Another key could lie in making sure you eat enough of the right kind of fibre to keep your gut microbiome happy. Research shows that anorexia can trigger changes in the gut bacteria, making some of them much more efficient at creating energy from scant supplies of food.
Weigh yourself regularly
Studies show that jumping on the scales on a regular basis does help keep you on track, and daily weighing appears to be most effective. Why? If you closely monitor your weight you can quickly identify slip-ups and make small changes to get back on track.
Prioritise good sleep
Good sleep is crucial for successful weight maintenance. A study published in 2023 by researchers in Denmark (in the volume Sleep) found short sleep duration or poor sleep quality to be associated with weight regain after weight loss. That is likely to be because losing sleep causes levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, to rise, triggering a release of glucose into the blood which drives cravings (studies show sleep-deprived people consume, on average, an extra 385kcal a day).
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