BEST WAY TO MAINTAIN WEIGHT

THE 5 WAYS TO MAINTAIN WEIGHT LOSS

1. Exercise Often

Regular exercise plays an important role in weight maintenance.

It may help you burn off some extra calories and increase your metabolism, which are two factors needed to achieve energy balance (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).

When you are in energy balance, you burn the same number of calories you consume. As a result, your weight is more likely to stay the same.

2. Try Eating Breakfast Every Day

Eating breakfast may assist you with your weight maintenance goals.

Breakfast eaters tend to have healthier habits overall, such as exercising more and consuming more fiber and micronutrients (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

Furthermore, eating breakfast is one of the most common behaviors reported by individuals who are successful at maintaining weight loss (1Trusted Source).

One study found that 78% of 2,959 people who maintained a 30-pound (14 kg) weight loss for at least one year reported eating breakfast every day (12Trusted Source).

However, while people who eat breakfast seem to be very successful at maintaining weight loss, the evidence is mixed.

3. Eat Lots of Protein

Eating a lot of protein may help you maintain your weight since protein can help reduce appetite and promote fullness (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source, 18Trusted Source).

Protein increases levels of certain hormones in the body that induce satiety and are important for weight regulation. Protein has also been shown to reduce levels of hormones that increase hunger (19Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).

Protein’s effect on your hormones and fullness may automatically reduce the number of calories you consume per day, which is an important factor in weight maintenance (20Trusted Source).

Furthermore, protein requires a significant amount of energy for your body to break down. Therefore, eating it regularly may increase the number of calories you burn during the day (18Trusted Source, 20Trusted Source).

Based on several studies, it appears that protein’s effects on metabolism and appetite are most prominent when about 30% of calories are consumed from protein. This is 150 grams of protein on a 2,000-calorie diet (21, 22, 23, 24).

4. Weigh Yourself Regularly

Monitoring your weight by stepping on the scale regularly may be a helpful tool for weight maintenance. This is because it can make you aware of your progress and encourage weight control behaviors (25Trusted Source).

Those who weigh themselves may also eat fewer calories throughout the day, which helps maintain weight loss (26Trusted Source, 25Trusted Source).

In one study, people who weighed themselves six days a week, on average, consumed 300 fewer calories per day than those who monitored their weight less frequently (26Trusted Source).

How often you weigh yourself is a personal choice. Some find it helpful to weigh in daily, while others are more successful in checking their weight once or twice a week.

5. Be Mindful of Your Carb Intake

Weight maintenance may be easier to accomplish if you pay attention to the types and amounts of carbs that you eat.

Eating too many refined carbs, such as white bread, white pasta, and fruit juices, can be detrimental to your weight maintenance goals.

These foods have been stripped of their natural fiber, which is necessary to promote fullness. Diets that are low in fiber are associated with weight gain and obesity (27Trusted Source, 28Trusted Source, 29Trusted Source).

Limiting your carb intake overall may also help you maintain your weight loss. Several studies have found that, in some cases, those who follow low-carb diets after weight loss are more likely to keep the weight off in the long term (30Trusted Source, 31Trusted Source).

Additionally, people following low-carb diets are less likely to eat more calories than they burn, which is necessary for weight maintenance (32Trusted Source).