{"id":31886,"date":"2022-07-06T11:08:47","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T18:08:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/?p=31886"},"modified":"2022-05-11T11:15:43","modified_gmt":"2022-05-11T18:15:43","slug":"once-you-lose-weight-can-you-keep-it-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medfitnetwork.org\/public\/all-mfn\/once-you-lose-weight-can-you-keep-it-off\/","title":{"rendered":"Once You Lose Weight, Can You Keep It Off?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cI lost 10 pounds and vowed to keep them off, but no such luck. I\u2019m so discouraged.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cI reached my goal weight, then BOOM, I regained it once I stopped dieting.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my 3rd time losing 40 pounds…\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

If any of those stories sound familiar, you are not alone. Research suggests dieters tend to regain lost weight within five years, if not sooner. This includes many fitness exercisers and athletes who struggle to stay at a goal weight.<\/p>\n

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If you are fearful of regaining your hard-lost weight, this article will help you understand why maintaining lost weight takes effort. Paul MacLean, PhD, Professor of Medicine & Pathology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, has carefully studied weight regain. He notes three reasons why dieters regain weight: biology, behavior, and environment.<\/p>\n

Biology:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0The body has a strong biological drive to regain lost weight, as noted with increased appetite and a slowed metabolic rate. As backlash from dieting, the body learns to store fuel very efficiently as fat.<\/p>\n

Behavior<\/em>:<\/strong> After three to nine months, dieters tend to be less strict with their low-calorie diets; they often report they have hit a weight plateau. Despite self-reported claims they are diligently dieting (yet only maintaining weight), these dieters can become discouraged and less adherent. (Note: Diligently dieting<\/em>\u00a0anecdotes are hard to verify.)<\/p>\n

Environment<\/em>:<\/strong> We live in an obesogenic environment with easy access to ultra-processed foods, a sedentary lifestyle, and chemicals that contribute to weight gain including those found in upholstered furniture, pesticides, cosmetics, and who knows where else. Weight is far more complex than self-induced over-eating and under-exercising!<\/p>\n

When adding on exercise, some people lose weight and some gain weight. Exercise alone does not guarantee fat loss. Exercisers who lose weight tend to keep the weight off if they stick with their exercise program<\/em>. High levels of exercise are linked with greater success. That\u2019s good news for athletes who train regularly! That said, a fine line exists between compulsive exercisers (who exercise to burn off calories<\/em>) and athletes (who train to\u00a0improve their performance<\/em>). Fear of weight gain can impact both groups.<\/p>\n

Questions arise:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Is weight maintenance more about being compliant to a restrictive eating plan than to exercise?<\/li>\n
  2. Do those who comply with a strict diet escape weight-regain?<\/li>\n
  3. Are exercisers more likely to stay on their diet?<\/li>\n
  4. Does exercise create metabolic adaptations that favor maintaining lost weight?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Research with rodents<\/strong><\/h4>\n

    Finding answers to these questions is hard to do in humans because of biology, behaviors, and environment. So MacLean turned to studying formerly obese rodents who had lost weight by being put \u201con a diet\u201d and then were allowed to eat as desired for 8 weeks. Some weight-reduced rodents stayed sedentary while others got exercised.<\/p>\n