Maintaining
Weight Loss
While
losing weight is difficult for many people, it
is even more challenging to keep weight off. Eighty
percent to 85 percent of those who lose a large
amount of weight regain it. One theory about regaining
lost weight is that people who decrease their
caloric intake to lose weight experience a drop
in their metabolic rate, making it increasingly
difficult to lose weight over a period of months.
A lower metabolic rate may also make it easier
to regain weight after a more normal diet is resumed.
For these reasons, extremely low calorie diets
and rapid weight loss are discouraged.
Losing
no more than one to two pounds per week is recommended.
Incorporating long-term lifestyle changes will
increase the chance of successful long-term weight
loss.
Weight
loss to a healthy weight for a person's
height can promote health benefits such as lower
cholesterol and blood sugar levels, lower blood
pressure, less stress on bones and joints, and
less work for the heart. Thus, it is vital to
maintain weight loss to obtain health benefits
over a lifetime.
Keeping
extra weight off requires effort and commitment,
just as losing weight does. Weight loss goals
are reached by changes in diet, eating habits,
exercise, and, in extreme circumstances, surgery.
The
strategies that encourage weight loss also play
an important role in maintenance:
- Support systems used
effectively during weight loss can contribute
to weight maintenance. A study conducted by
the National Weight Control Registry found people
who lost weight and continued bi-monthly support
group meetings for one year maintained their
full weight loss. Study participants who did
not attend support group meetings regained almost
half of the weight.
- Physical activity plays
a vital role in maintaining weight loss. Studies
show that even exercise that is not rigorous,
such as walking and using stairs, has a positive
effect. Activity that uses 1,500 to 2,000 calories
per week is recommended for maintaining weight
loss.
- Diet and exercise are
vital strategies for losing and maintaining
weight. A study by the National Weight Control
Registry found that nearly all of 784 study
participants who had lost at least 30 pounds,
and had maintained that loss for one year or
longer, used diet and exercise to not only lose
the weight, but also to maintain the weight
loss.
- Once the desired weight
has been reached, the gradual addition of about
200 calories of healthy, low-fat food to daily
intake may be attempted for one week to see
if weight loss continues. If weight loss does
continue, additional calories of healthy foods
may be added to the daily diet until the right
balance of calories to maintain the desired
weight has been determined. It may take some
time and record keeping to determine how adjusting
food intake and exercise levels affect weight.
Continuing
to use behavioral strategies can help maintain
weight. Be aware of eating as a response to stress
and use exercise, activity, or meditation to cope
instead of eating.
A return
to old habits does not mean failure. Paying renewed
attention to dietary choices and exercise can
help sustain behaviors that maintain weight loss.
Identifying situations such as negative moods
and interpersonal difficulties and incorporating
alternative methods of coping with such situations
rather than eating can prevent relapses to old
habits.
Weight
cycling is losing and regaining weight multiple
times. Some studies suggest that weight cycling,
also called "yo-yo dieting,"
may result in some health risks such as high blood
pressure, gallbladder disease, and high cholesterol.
However, these studies are not conclusive. The
best strategy is to avoid weight cycling and to
maintain healthy weight through activity and healthy
eating.
One
myth about weight cycling is that a person who
loses and regains weight will have more difficulty
losing weight again and maintaining it compared
to a person who has not gone through a weight-loss
cycle. Most studies show that weight cycling does
not affect the rate at which the body burns fuel
and a previous weight cycle does not influence
the ability to lose weight again. In addition,
weight cycling does not increase the amount of
fat tissue or increase fat distribution around
the stomach.
Always
consult your physician for more information.
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