You Lost the Weight, But Why Can't You Keep It Off? Unveiling the Secrets to Lasting Transformation

I have a friend who set a goal to lose weight last year. She tried various approaches, experimenting with diets and different workouts. Eventually, she discovered the right balance of calorie control and daily walks. While she was thrilled with her weight loss success, she faced the challenge of maintaining it. Counting calories proved to be difficult, and she found herself feeling hungry all the time.

This struggle is something I've witnessed frequently. Many people achieve weight loss through calorie restriction or specific diets, but the real challenge lies in keeping the weight off. There are several reasons for the difficulty in maintaining weight loss, and a recent study sheds light on the subject.

Harvard Health Publishing conducted a study explaining why maintaining weight loss is no easy feat. If you recall the show "Biggest Loser," where contestants aimed to shed pounds rapidly through calorie limitation, you might also remember that most contestants gained back a significant portion of their weight post-show. Now, there's a scientific explanation for this phenomenon and a roadmap for losing weight and keeping it off.

When weight loss is achieved by cutting calories in any way, whether through strict counting or a shift to whole foods, it's still a result of consuming fewer calories. Regardless of what you label your diet—Vegan, Paleo, Keto—it usually involves calorie restriction. The focus on mindful eating and healthier food preparation steers individuals away from high-calorie processed foods.

The crucial insight here is that weight loss can occur without a corresponding increase in metabolism. For instance, a "Biggest Loser" contestant went from 239 pounds to 191 pounds but regained 100 pounds six years later. Why? Because sustained weight loss can happen without an elevation in metabolism. This contestant, with a slow metabolism at 239 pounds, needed only 800 calories a day to maintain that weight. Even after losing 100 pounds, their metabolism remained at 800 calories a day, requiring strict calorie control to sustain the weight loss.

The key to sustainable weight loss is the simultaneous building of metabolism while losing weight. This underscores the importance of lean muscle in the weight loss journey. Adding 10 pounds of lean muscle could have increased the contestant's metabolism by 500 calories per day, allowing for a more balanced diet and the maintenance of weight loss.

So, if you're on a diet, have recently lost weight, or are following a plan to support weight loss by preserving lean muscle, keep up the good work!

See you in the gym, Aaron Leventhal CSCS, PN1