How to Maintain Lost Weight

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Abstract

A quick scan of the weight-loss literature reveals that most published research involves the weight-loss phase of obesity treatment. Nevertheless, many weight-loss experts argue that losing excess weight during treatment is the first of many steps needed to sustained weight loss. Maintaining lost weight is the hard part of obesity treatment for most dieters. The prevalence of long-term weight-loss success remains unclear. Current research makes it difficult to draw any conclusions on success rates. However, researchers Wing and Hill1 defined maintaining 10% of intentional weight loss at 1 year as weight-loss success. They found in their National Weight Control Registry that 20% of their subjects were able to achieve this goal. Numerous factors can work against individuals who want to maintain weight loss. Causes for weight regain can be metabolic, psychological, or environmental and often are a combination of many issues. For example, obese and nonobese subjects maintaining at least a 10% weight loss were found to have a reduced total energy expenditure of 300–400 kcal/day beyond what was predicted from their reduced body mass. The lowered energy expenditure resulted from a 20% increase in skeletal muscle efficiency.2–4 However, Wyatt et al.5 found that the resting metabolic rate was not reduced beyond what is expected from reduced body mass in individuals maintaining lost weight. Maintainers also face the challenge of finding new positive reinforcements to help maintain their lost weight. There are usually many positive reinforcements during the weight-loss phase. Whether they participate in a structured program or lose weight on their own, weight losers see the number on their scale drop each week or two and frequently hear positive comments from family and friends. In …