How do I maintain my weight after reaching my weight loss goal?

Reaching your weight loss goal is a significant achievement but maintaining that weight can be a challenge. The key to maintaining your weight is being able to make lifestyle changes that are sustainable and enjoyable. Making your new lifestyle habits ‘the new normal’ is going to protect you against the pressures in our environment that promote weight gain. We live in a world where we are regularly encouraged to eat fast, upsize meals, snack frequently and look for convenience. Our lifestyles are also more sedentary than ever and almost anything can be delivered to our front door at the touch of a screen.  These factors can make it increasingly difficult to maintain our relatively new healthy habits. In this blog, we will discuss why maintaining your weight is beneficial, outline the advantages of weight maintenance, and the tools that you can use to help you.

Why maintaining weight is good once you have reached your weight loss goal

Most people will lose weight with the intention of keeping it off for good, however that isn’t often the case. It has been reported that only around 25% of people maintain weight loss after following a reduced calorie diet. For those who can maintain their weight loss however, are able to keep all the health benefits, such as improved metabolic health, blood sugar balance, and reduced risk of chronic diseases. This is in addition to the impact weight loss can have on confidence, mood, energy and sleep.

Weight cycling is losing and regaining weight multiple times. Some studies suggest that weight cycling, also called "yo-yo dieting," may result in some independent health risks. These include high blood pressure, gallbladder disease, and high cholesterol. Although this won’t be true for everyone, it is important to note as one of the possible health-related downsides to regaining weight.

Why people regain weight

In addition to the difficulties that come with living in our fast-food world, there are some individual factors which can come in to play and increase the risk of weight gain. These include:

• Highly restrictive diets. These may be lacking in a wide range of nutrients and energy which can leave someone feeling very low in energy and mood which makes the dietary changes difficult to sustain.
• Quick-fix mindset. Losing weight is simple but not easy. It requires a willingness to make permanent lifestyle changes. If someone is after a quick fix, it will be more difficult to keep up motivation when weight loss is less than they expect.
• Focus on the weight rather than the behaviours. It is the behaviours and habits that lead to long-term change. Focusing on just the number on the scales may leave you feeling unmotivated.
• Inconsistent eating and activity habits. If your weekend eating, drinking and activity habits are wildly different to the weekdays, it may make it harder to maintain healthy habits and weight loss.

The tools that will help you keep the weight off in the long-term.

A weight loss maintenance register kept in the USA collects information on the habits of almost 3000 people who have lost an average of 30kg and kept if off for 5-10 years. This research found that the following factors were related to long term weight loss maintenance:

• Around an hour of physical activity each day and the most frequently reported exercise was walking
• Continue to maintain a low-fat diet
• Eating breakfast every day
• Eating 4 to 5 times a day
• Regular self-monitoring such as checking weight and food diaries
• Watch less than 10 hours of TV per week
• Using programs that provide regular support

In essence, the behaviours that help someone reduce their weight are the same behaviours that will help to maintain weight loss. So, making small and gradual lifestyle changes that that you view as permanent changes may be important for long-term impact.

Maintaining your weight after reaching your weight loss goal helps to maintain the health benefits you’ve worked hard to achieve. By focusing on the outcomes such as energy levels, mood, long-term health benefits, physical fitness, and sustained self-confidence, you may be able to better embed the habits that got you there.  Maintaining your weight will help you establish a new ‘set point’ and your body will work with you to maintain that weight. Losing weight quicky or through severe restrictions in food intake will encourage your body to fight back to survive. Your metabolism will slow down and your energy levels will drop, making it difficult to lose weight.  Consistency is key when it comes to maintaining weight loss!