Only 20% of people avoid relapsing and regaining the weight. No wonder the population is so obese. But that means there are large communities of high loss individuals who cite common methods of maintenance.
In summary the body tries to recover the lost weight fat store. We take the following general conclusions from all the research and studies published.
- 1g of protein Per kg of weight per day
- Maintenance of BMR plus excersize calories. A 75kg man needs 75g of protein per day.
- Breakfast and regular meals through day. Do not eat rubbish. Keep your nutritional balance in accordance with the science. That means avoiding bad fat, maintaining your energy in-energy out balance and the proteins. I
- At least 200 mins aerobic exercize per week is essential for the cohort of successful maintainers. Its thereforfe a life changing thing. 30 minutes of vigorous aerobics a day is likely to be get you into the right spot for maintaino
- Monitoring and action cycles are key. If you are drifting back. Take control and implement a remedy. It is a myth that you cannot lose-> gain-> lose->gain weight repetitively. Which means the maintenance solution is largely in your hands. Keep up good habits
- If you dont like the regime that follows weight loss then it may not be for you. But we urge thought about the good general health consequences of the regime above. And of course the opposite is true
- Here are some links to the science. Learn more here
Supporting Science
Some of this is a bit heavy. So read the conclusions if you find that.
A CONTINUING active lifestyle is a common theme. And here is a survey of long term successes here.
This report shows the vitally important role of exercize in weight loss and maintenance here. The report shows 200 mins of excercize per week is the critical number. Thats about 30 minutes a day of aerobic type of excersize. See extract (modified for simplicity of understanding) below
ref 15 – THE ACSM Position on weight loss maintenance here
The American CSports managemt position stand on Physical Activity (PA) intervention strategies to promote weight loss and weight regain 15 emphasize the distinction between the minimum levels of PA to maintain health (150 minutes per week) and higher levels of PA to prevent weight regain (200 minutes per week). Therefore, obese individuals who have successfully lost weight require a substantial amount of PA to maintain this weight loss. As indicated in the ACSM position stand 15, several major limitations to research of PA on weight regain exist including the observational and the retrospective nature of the existing literature from randomized trials. However, several studies in this area deserve mentioning. Using data from a PA weight loss study, Jakicic et al. 53 observed a dose response between the amount of self-reported PA per week and long-term success with weight loss at 18 months of intervention (composed of caloric restriction and ET). Adults who exercised greater than 200 minutes per week (−13.1 kg) lost more weight compared to those who exercised between 150-199 min per week (−8.5 kg), and those that exercised less than 150 minutes week (−3.5 kg). A different study by Jakicic et al. 54 observed similar findings in post hoc analyses of a weight loss intervention composed of both caloric restriction and exercise training in women. After 12 months of intervention, women with greater than 200 min/week (13.6%) had maintained significantly greater percentage of weight loss compared to those who had exercised at 150-199 min/week (9.5%), and less than 150 min/week (4.7%). Lastly, Andersen et al. 55 evaluated the effect of low-fat diet (1200 kcals/day) in combination with either structured aerobic ET or lifestyle activity (patients were advised to increase their PA to recommended levels), and both groups lost approximately 8 kg of weight following 16 weeks of intervention. Weight maintenance was monitored for 1 year after the intervention, and those who were the most active lost additional weight (1.9 kg) whereas the group that was the least active regained a substantial amount of weight (4.9 kg). These data suggest that PA has an important role in the amount of weight regain following successful weight loss. Clinicians should therefore advocate that their patients attempting to reduce recidivism after weight loss engage in PA levels above 200 minutes/week 15.
healthine confirm the findings here
a recent weight loss maintenance study in greece here.
another very recent one in portugal here Results indicate that weight loss maintenance is possible through the adoption of a nutritionally-balanced diet and regular participation in physical activity, but also suggest that adopting different (and, to a degree, individualized) set of behavioral strategies is key for achieving success.
Another large but a bit older study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9550162/ .
Successful maintainers of weight loss reported continued consumption of a low-energy and low-fat diet. Women in the registry reported eating an average of 1,306 kcal/day (24.3% of energy from fat); men reported consuming 1,685 kcal (23.5% of energy from fat). Subjects in the registry reported consuming less energy and a lower percentage of energy from fat than NHANES III subjects did. Subjects who lost weight on their own did not differ from those who lost weight with assistance in regards to energy intake, percent of energy from fat, or intake of selected nutrients (iron; calcium; and vitamins C, A, and E). In addition, subjects who lost weight on their own and those who lost weight with assistance met the RDAs for calcium and vitamins C, A, and E for persons aged 25 years or older. Because continued consumption of a low-fat, low-energy diet may be necessary for long-term weight control, persons who have successfully lost weight should be encouraged to maintain such a diet.
In summary the body tries to recover the lost weight fat store. We take the following general conclusions from all the research and studies published.
- 1g of protein Per kg of weight per day
- Maintenance of BMR plus excersize calories. A 75kg man needs 75g of protein per day.
- Breakfast and regular meals through day. Do not eat rubbish. Keep your nutritional balance in accordance with the science. That means avoiding bad fat, maintaining your energy in-energy out balance and the proteins. I
- At least 200 mins aerobic exercize per week is essential for the cohort of successful maintainers. Its thereforfe a life changing thing. 30 minutes of vigorous aerobics a day is likely to be get you into the right spot for maintaino
- Monitoring and action cycles are key. If you are drifting back. Take control and implement a remedy. It is a myth that you cannot lose-> gain-> lose->gain weight repetitively. Which means the maintenance solution is largely in your hands. Keep up good habits
- If you dont like the regime that follows weight loss then it may not be for you. But we urge thought about the good general health consequences of the regime above. And of course the opposite is true
- Here are some links to the science….