What Weight Maintainers Do

In a meta-analysis of 29 weight loss studies, 80% of the weight was regained back in 5-years.

This is a frustrating reality if you’re trying to lose weight.

But here’s the key question.

What do the people do who keep it off successfully?

There are 3 things.

#1 – Follow nutrition principles

There’s not one secret diet, one magical nutrition plan, or one simple hack these maintainers discovered.

Instead, weight maintainers follow a set of principles.

• Restrain eating, but be flexible (more)

• Increase protein (more)

• Moderate fat intake (more)

• Eat foods with a lower glycemic index (more)

• Increase fiber (more)

• Have meals with higher nutrient density and lower energy density (more)

• Modify the food environment at home to align with eating goals (more)

#2 – High energy output

There are two things they found:

• 90% of people who moved for 60+ minutes/day kept the weight off (more)

• These people did activities they generally liked, with social support (more)

#3 – New habits

The focus on eating and movement turned into habits that were maintained over time.

Here were some of the other behaviors that stuck.

• Regular self-weighing (more)

• Self-monitoring food intake (more)

• Planning meals in advance (more)

• Choosing lower calorie foods more consistently (more)

P.S. The 3 things weight maintainers do is exactly how I designed Layman’s Fitness Coaching.

I want my clients to join the ranks of those who kept their weight off for 5+ years.

If you liked this, check out the Layman’s Fitness Newsletter, where I release similar content like this every week.

The information provided in this article is for informational and educational purposes only, and does not constitute medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.