It’s difficult to lose weight, but maintaining that slim figure seems like an impossible mission for many.
Studies show that only about 20% of Americans who lose weight can lose weight in the long run. What is their secret?
Recent research has aimed to find it. Researchers have asked thousands of people who have lost a significant amount of weight and have maintained their weight for over a year to reveal their best tips.
The resulting paper was described as the first major study to enable weight loss maintainers to share what helped them succeed in their own words, and was published last month in the journal Obesity. ..
“One of the most striking discoveries was how weight loss maintainers explained their patience in the face of setbacks,” said the lead author and professor of kinematics and public health at California Polytechnic State University. Susanne Ferrand, said in a statement.
“The setbacks weren’t a failure. They were seen as a temporary break in their path. Many weight loss maintainers explained that they would be back on track the next meal or the next day.”
Whether you’re just starting your weight loss journey or need motivation to continue, advice can help you inspire and get you on track.
Meet research participants
Researchers have sought and analyzed written responses from more than 6,000 people in the WW International (formerly Weight Watchers) Success Registry, a database of WW members who are weight loss maintainers.
On average, study participants lost about £ 53 and maintained it for over three years. The majority, 92%, were women.
They were asked free-form questions such as “What is one of the advices you give to help someone succeed in long-term weight loss?” And “What is the most important thing in your life that has changed as a result of weight loss?”
Here are some of their most striking answers:
Strategy for success
Two main tips for maintaining weight loss from those who have made it successful Patience in the face of setbacks When Continue to track food intakeThe study was found.
Here are some of the tips they shared:
- “Just put one foot in front of the other and it doesn’t start and stop. Just keep doing it. Know that if you do your best you will get there. Mountains and valleys, plateaus, profits, holidays. There are bad times, but if you get up and do well in 80% to 90% of the time, you’ll get there. Don’t stop. Never accept a small mistake as a complete defeat. You really lose weight If you want to achieve and maintain, you can do it, “writes one participant.
- “Never give up. You can have bad days, bad weeks, months, or even years, but you can always start where you are and change your own end. I’m all. There were weeks when I did it right, but the scale still didn’t reflect that hard work. But my body did. The way I felt did. You just continued. You have to keep working hard, which will eventually pay off, “added another.
- “Go ahead and accept that this will be a lifelong effort and attention. You wouldn’t expect it to be done once with a wash. If you want to lose weight and keep it, you I have to keep working. It’s better than always suffering and being unhappy. “
When it comes to tracking food intake, weight loss maintainers advised them to pay attention to what’s on the plate, rather than making their own decisions.
- “Maintain the habits that led you to your goals, especially with an awareness of what you eat,” wrote one participant.
- “You have to get up every day and choose to track and eat properly,” another advised. “It will be difficult, and there will be days when you fall, but you can stand up and keep moving forward.”
- “Tracking helped me lose weight. I’m still tracking almost every day after more than two years,” the participants added.
Another database of weight loss maintainers, the National Weight Control Registry, has found similar feelings. Most of its members continued on a low-calorie, low-fat diet, with 90% exercising for about an hour a day. Three-quarters weighed at least once a week.
Stay motivated to be slim
One big theme was to look back and be afraid that things would return to their original state. Therefore, the focus was to stay vigilant, maintain current weight, and continue to enjoy better health and quality of life.
- “I don’t want to go back to being hurt or feeling sick all the time,” the participants wrote.
- “It’s harder to get overweight than to work in a healthy lifestyle,” another person added.
The “deep reward” of losing weight
As a result of that effort, I have a lot of things to look forward to.
When asked about changes in life after losing weight, weight loss maintainers cited significant improvements in self-confidence, pain, mobility, body image, mental and physical health.
- “I had a lot of pain in my back and knees and it was hard to get out of bed. Now that’s not much considered anymore,” wrote one person.
- “I lose the horror that defined almost everything in my life. The horror of going to a restaurant and not knowing if I’ll be seated. I know that I have to ask for an” elephant belt “with fear of flying. “Fear of things,” added another.
“My attitude has changed completely,” the participants wrote. “I’m not trying to be good for anyone other than myself. For the first time in 10 years, I’m happy with who I am and where I am in my life.”
