Everyone is aware of how difficult it can be to lose weight, but after you reach a healthy target weight, it can occasionally be just as difficult to maintain it.
According to earlier studies, up to 80% of those who lose weight recover it within five years, and over 50% do it within two.
Due to the recent rise in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists like Wegovy and Zepbound, maintaining weight reduction is currently a hot topic of study. According to recent research, some GLP-1 users regain up to 60% of their weight loss within a year after stopping their medication.
Marwan El Ghoch, MD, an associate professor of food science in the Department of Biomedical, Metabolic, and Neural Sciences at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, told Medical News Today that “a significant portion of people with obesity who initially lose weight tend to put some or all of it back on again.”
Regardless of the treatment patients had, this often occurs three to five years after weight loss. Therefore, I believe that preventing long-term weight gain is the most crucial and difficult aspect of managing obesity,” he stated.
Walking more each day aids in weight loss and maintenance
By the end of the trial, participants who raised their daily steps to roughly 8,454 and followed a lifestyle adjustment program lost an average of 4.39% of their initial weight.
Those same individuals were able to maintain an average of 3.28% of the weight they had lost when they continued to walk 8,241 steps each day.
Researchers discovered that individuals on their own did not lose weight or increase their daily steps.
According to El Ghoch, these results suggest that patients with obesity who are willing to begin a lifestyle modification program for weight management should always be encouraged to gradually increase their daily step count from baseline through the weight loss phase, reaching about 8,500 steps per day, and maintain this level of step count during the weight maintenance phase. This behavioral strategy is linked to sustaining significant weight loss over time and preventing weight gain.
In a world where many people use GLP-1s to lose weight and may have trouble maintaining weight reduction if they stop taking the drug, Patel said it is critical for researchers to remain looking for novel methods that people might help maintain weight loss after dieting.
He clarified, “GLP-1s are excellent for weight loss, but many people regain weight after stopping them.” “This study emphasizes a non-pharmacological technique that is beneficial for long-term weight management, either as a stand-alone strategy or in conjunction with weight loss medication. Physical exercise is a fundamental component of overall health.”
Maintaining muscle with weight loss might be facilitated by regular exercise.
Additionally, MNT discussed this findings with Mir Ali, MD, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. He stated that it highlights the significance of consistent exercise.
“We still highlight that the majority of weight reduction comes from the diet, but it is what we emphasize to our patients that can enhance and maintain weight loss,” Ali clarified.
Maintaining and improving weight loss, as well as preserving and minimizing muscle loss, can be achieved with regular exercise. Therefore, minimizing muscle loss is equally crucial [for] any type of weight loss journey. We also observe that in our surgical patients, so anything that helps reduce it and improve weight loss maintenance will be beneficial, he said.