Evidence based strategies

Losing weight is hard; keeping it off is even harder.

Studies have shown that the recidivism rate of weight regain after weight loss is unacceptably high. This mirrors my own clinical experience caring for weight loss patients for the last 15 years as a surgeon.

It is devastating to regain back the weight that you sacrificed and worked hard to lose.

I have seen how it can demoralize people and makes future attempts of weight loss that much harder. Often, individuals have continued with the same lifestyle changes or medications they used to lose weight and either they are starting to gain it back or have hit a weight loss plateau.

Why does this occur?

One possible explanation is the set point theory of weight loss.  In lay terms, when you lose significant weight, your body slows down the energy it consumes to run your day-to-day activities becoming more efficient.

As a result, you burn fewer calories at rest or sleeping for example. Consequently, you can start to gain weight even if you make no changes in your diet or physical activity.

So what I can do to keep the weight off?

The National Weight Control Registry is a good place to look for evidence-based behaviour linked with long-term weight loss maintenance. It is a longitudinal database that follows 10,000 individuals who have lost weight and kept off over the long-term. The average study participant has lost 66 lbs for an average period of 5.5 years!

Key study findings associated with keeping off weight were as follows:

– 78% eat breakfast daily

– 75% check their weight once a week

– 62% watch less than 10 hours a week

– 90% exercise on average 1 hour a day

Clearly, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, monitoring your weight regularly and not skipping meals plays a big role in weight maintenance. What is interesting is the most common form of activity reported was walking. Intense marathon level exercise is not needed.

Other Strategies to Keep Weight Off:

If you find you are gaining weight back or hitting a plateau you must change something in your lifestyle to prime your metabolism. I encourage people to do light resistance exercises to increase their muscle mass which will increase your resting metabolism. Also, consider making a change in your diet which can also help. For example, increasing the protein content of your meals.  Always check with your family doctor when planning lifestyle changes to ensure it is appropriate for you.

Losing weight and keeping it off is a lifelong commitment. It can be done with consistent lifestyle change and activity.  In addition, as your body changes you may have to change what you are doing to get the results you are looking for.

The behaviours described above with a positive mindset will go a long way to helping you reach your goals!