The Secret to not Regain Lost Weight

The multibillion dollar weight loss business thrives on dieters’ failure to lose weight and keep it off long-term. The investment made by people gives them low returns but they keep coming back for more. The vicious cycle never ends.

Losing weight in itself is a mammoth task and even if you lose some, not gaining it back blows up to be a dinosaur task. Why is it that dieters can’t keep their lost weight from coming back? Even celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Janet Jackson, Kelly Clarkson and more with high-end resources struggle to not get heavier after shedding some pounds.

If these rich, powerful women, with their personal trainers and private chefs, can't win the weight war, what chance do we have?

Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles analyzed 31 long-term diet studies and found that about two-thirds of dieters regained more weight within four or five years than what they initially lost. Some estimates show 80 percent of people who had lost weight, regained it all or more, after two years. Scary, eh? It’s true.

The reason could be your weight loss diet program itself. Crazy diets that promise quick weight loss are difficult (sometimes, even impossible) to stick to for long-term and thereby, give you false hopes. By believing them, you are setting yourself up to regain the weight.

Foundation of Weight Reduction

Most dieters don’t understand the importance of reducing calorie consumption for weight loss. Trendy fad diets may preoccupy you, but the very foundation of a successful diet still comes down to counting calories.

Research from the New England Journal of Medicine states that "reduced-calorie diets will result in clinically meaningful weight-loss, regardless of which macronutrients they emphasize."

Remember, you only lose weight when you consume lesser calories and this fact doesn’t depend on the diet program that you follow.

Maintaining the Weight Loss

If you want your weight loss to be sustainable, you must reduce your calorie intake while also eating healthy foods. The balance just has to be right. After losing weight, the only difference is that you are allowed slightly more calories each day to maintain it. It's a simple trick yet overlooked by a lot of dieters.

Most dieters tend to deprive themselves of their favourite foods that they crave for; this is not needed. You just have to choose the right options to keep yourself satiated- like if you want to have carbs, make it in the form of whole grain bread; if you are a vegan, cook yourself stir-fried tofu; satisfy your craving for fast foods with a burger and fries once in a while.

The eating just doesn’t have to only be strategic, but also flexible and long-term. Otherwise, you won’t stick to it for long and would eventually gain weight.

The most important part, however, is to strive to eat foods that are lower in calories and higher in bulk so you stay full throughout the day. Being in control of what you eat in the long-term has more to do with feeling good and satisfied than having some never-say-die will power.

The bottom line is that you can easily lose weight by eating delicious meals but, consuming lesser calories will help you to sustain weight loss.

Image Courtesy: Getty

1. Prev:Obese Dieters regain lost weight due to Hormones
2. Next:Interval Training for Weight Loss