Study: weight-loss maintenance key behaviours

Keeping off the weight you lost last year can be pretty straightforward, according to newly released research.

One of the first long-term studies of weight-loss maintenance was published last week in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, and it found what most would expect: keeping off the weight you lost is possible by following some key behaviours.

The study found that, over a ten-year period, participants were able to keep most of the weight they lost off by doing regular physical exercise, following a low-fat diet, avoiding overeating and weighing themselves regularly.

The study was self-reported by 2,886 individuals who had lost over 30 lbs the year prior to beginning the study. They were asked to report weight and behavioural change over a period of 10 years.

“This is one of the only studies to follow weight loss maintenance over such a long term. What the results tell us is that long-term weight loss maintenance is possible, but it requires persistent adherence to a few key health behaviours,” said lead author J. Graham Thomas.

Although some participants regained the weight they had originally lost during the study, 90 per cent kept at least 10 per cent of the weight off and the average weight kept off was 95 per cent. Most the participants maintained their new, healthier figure.