Once you've achieved your weight loss goal, it's important not to undo all the good work by reverting to old habits. Choose the right weight loss strategy, and you'll keep the weight off.
If you find you are losing weight only to see it creep back on again, then it is likely to do with the way you’re losing weight.
Dr Andrew Brewster is a GP with a special interest in obesity and weight management. He says that many people who repeatedly lose weight, only to put it back on, blame themselves. Instead, they should blame the weight loss method they used.
Choose the right way to lose weight, and you’ll stand a far better chance of keeping the weight off.
The reason you regain weight
If you keep losing weight only to put it back on, you might feel frustrated and disappointed with yourself. You’re trying hard to lose weight, so why won’t it stay off?
In fact, says Dr Brewster, it’s likely that you're trying to do too much too quickly. This will mean that the changes you're making are not sustainable over the long term.
“Fad diets and obsessive calorie counting fall into this category," says Dr Brewster. "Once the weight is lost, you tend to fall back into old eating and activity habits – often slowly, so that you don’t notice – and the weight starts to go back on again.”
How to keep weight off
The key to keeping weight off is to make changes to your diet and lifestyle that you can stick to, and that means for life.
This also means accepting a steady rate of weight loss, rather than aiming for overnight success.
Ditch the fad diets that promise your ideal weight in a matter of weeks. They don’t work in the long term.
Instead, set a realistic goal. You can see the weight range that is healthy for you by using our Healthy weight calculator. Give yourself enough time to work towards your goal – the safe rate of weight loss is between 1lb and 2lb (0.5kg and 1kg) a week.
“When we look at people who lose weight successfully, the lessons are clear,” says Dr Brewster. “A combination of diet changes and changes to their level of physical activity is the best method. The key is making small changes that you can keep for life, rather than drastic changes that you only stick to for a few weeks.
“You don’t need to achieve a healthy weight overnight. Losing even a few kilos can make a huge difference to the health of someone who is overweight.”
To start, you might decide to swap just one high-calorie snack a day with something healthier – a morning pastry, for example, for a currant bun or a piece of fruit. Or you could choose a drink that's lower in fat, sugar or alcohol and therefore contains fewer calories. For example, you could swap a sugary, fizzy drink for sparkling water with a slice of lemon. You can learn more about small, healthy changes to your diet by reading Healthy food swaps. On the whole, eating less while maintaining a balanced diet and being more active will keep weight off.
You can also find lots of information on eating a healthy, balanced diet in Food and diet.
When it comes to physical activity, find ways to fit more movement into your day. It’s recommended that adults between 19 and 64 get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity – such as fast walking or cycling – every week. If you are new to activity then you should try to build up to this amount gradually. For more see Physical activity guidelines for adults. Being physically active is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. People who do regular activity have a lower risk of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers and stroke.
For many, brisk walking is a great way to fit activity into daily life. Learn more in the 10,000 steps challenge.
There's more information and advice on getting active in Fitness.
Embed the changes
Once you’ve identified the lifestyle changes you want to make, give yourself time to make them a part of your life.
At some point, the weight loss that results from these changes will stop, and your weight will stabilise. But it’s important to remember that if you want to maintain your new, healthier weight, you need to stick to the changes.
“This is where many people slip up,” says Dr Brewster. “They feel as though the changes they’ve made 'aren’t working any more', and so they go back to old habits. In fact, the changes are working, as they are keeping you at your new weight. If you let go of them, you’ll put weight back on.
“Really get those changes set into your lifestyle. Once you’ve done that and your weight has stayed the same for a while, if you’re still not a healthy weight you can think about another set of small changes.
“That’s the step-by-step method that will give you the best chance of achieving a healthy weight long term.”
