How to Maintain Weight Loss

How to maintain weight loss

Trying to lose weight is already a struggle to go through, especially for a lot of people. Either people don't get effective results or they regain the weight. What most people don't seem to understand is that maintaining weight loss is a different process. The body's metabolism slows down after you have lost weight, it is an adverse effect and a compensatory mechanism. 

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Reasons why people cannot maintain weight loss

Our eating behavior is difficult to change and most people would go back to their unhealthy eating habits after they have reached their target weight. This is one reason why people gain kilos after dieting.

Aside from the psychological aspect, the body also compensate with the significant loss in weight. The body adapts to your new body weight by slowing down your metabolism to protect the body from losing too much weight. 

Isocaloric low-fat diet maintains weight loss

A study published in the Journal of American Medical Association stated that an isocaloric low-fat diet is effective in maintain weight loss. Author Cara explains that people should follow the recommended caloric intake especially after losing weight. Avoid going back to your old eating habit because it will lead to rebound weight gain. The result of the study showed that an isocaloric low-fat diet for one month can prolong your weight loss.

Isocaloric low-fat diet means that people can eat equal amounts of calories from carbohydrate and protein. To follow this diet you need to allot 40% calories from carbohydrates, 40% from proteins, and 20% from fats. This calorie distribution is basically hassle-free and easy to follow.

It also allows your body to recover from the severe food restriction. A lot of articles talk about how to start a diet program but only few would actually inform dieters on how to properly end the program. In exercise, there is a "cool down" phase to let the muscle cope with the workout. Dieting is the same, you also need to follow a regimen which allows your body to adjust with your new weight. 

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Conclusion

Reduced energy expenditure or a slow metabolism is a common side effect of weight loss. As much as possible do not go back to your old eating habits. People who followed an isocaloric low-fat diet in one month were able to maintain a good metabolic rate for more than a year. This method was also associated with a long term effect on leptin, cortisol, and insulin sensitivity.

People get a rewarding feeling when they are able to maintain their weight loss for a longer period. This method uses the simple principle of eat only what your body needs. By staying within the recommended caloric intake, the body can adjust with your new weight. Part of the adjustment period is to keep your metabolism active even after losing weight.

Reference:
Ebbeling CB, Swain JF, Feldman HA, et al. Effects of Dietary Composition on Energy Expenditure During Weight-Loss Maintenance. JAMA. 2012;307(24):2627-2634. doi:10.1001/jama.2012.6607.