The term yo-yo dieting is a very real struggle many people face as they try to tackle their waistline. But what if you could keep those unwanted pounds off for good?
New findings suggest there are keys to successful long-term weight loss maintenance.
In one of the first of its kind studies, researchers at Miriam Hospital followed nearly 3,000 participants for more than a decade after they had lost weight.
All of the participants were enrolled in the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) and had lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for a year.
“On average, participants maintained the majority of their weight loss over this extended follow-up period, and better success was related to continued performance of physical activity, self-weighing, low-fat diets, and avoiding overeating,” said lead author J. Graham Thomas, Ph.D. in a press release.
Researchers found more than 87 percent of participants were estimated to have maintained at least 10 percent of their weight loss at years five and ten.
They also discovered a larger initial weight loss and longer duration of maintenance were associated with better long-term outcomes.
However, decreases in physical activity, dietary restraint and self-weighing along with increases in fat intake were associated with greater weight regain.
“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 behaviors,” said Thomas.
The study is published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The post Keep the weight off for good appeared first on Health2Fit.com.
