If you recently shed some unwanted pounds,
you're probably feeling proud of yourself — as you should be! But you
may also be worried about keeping the weight off, especially when
planning meals or eating out. But you'll be happy to know, that
depriving yourself of food is not the best way to maintain weight loss.
Adding exercise into your daily routine has a much greater effect. A March 2019 study published in Obesity found
that "weight-loss maintainers" relied on physical activity — as opposed
to chronic restriction of food — to avoid regaining weight. For
context, a "successful" maintainer in this study is someone who has
maintained a reduced weight of at least 30 pounds for over a year.
"This study addresses the difficult question of why so many people
struggle to keep weight off over a long period," said Danielle
Ostendorf, PhD, in a press release.
"By providing evidence that a group of successful weight-loss
maintainers engages in high levels of physical activity to prevent
weight regain — rather than chronically restricting their energy intake —
is a step forward to clarifying the relationship between exercise and
weight-loss maintenance."
But if you are someone who has lost weight, you may have to up your
workout game a little more than someone whose weight hasn't fluctuated.
The results showed, the weight-loss maintainers burned a significantly
higher amount of calories per day (300 kcal) than people with a normal
body weight. These findings were also supported by the fact that
weight-loss maintainers tended to take more steps per day (12,000) than
participants with a normal weight (9,000) and people who were overweight
or obese (6,500).
This could seem unfair or just the motivation you need to
hit the gym. The plus side, you can reward yourself with a delicious
meal after you sweat. Anyone else ready to get moving? We know we are!
