6 proven strategies to lose weight—and keep it off

Losing weight is not always simple, and keeping the pounds off can also be challenging. Some research suggests dieters who have successfully lost weight are likely to regain weight in the months and years that follow. Some may even gain more than they lost.

Weight regain can be caused by a variety of factors. These may include an unhealthy diet, overeating, or a lack of physical activity. However, some things that aren’t directly in your control may also contribute to weight gain. Your gut hormones control the link between your brain and senses of hunger or satiety. When you lose weight, changes in your gut hormone profile can happen, and those changes can disrupt this mind-gut connection.

Metabolic adaptation can also happen, when the amount of energy you expend while resting becomes much lower after weight loss. But despite these difficulties, there are some proven strategies that can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Charan Donkor, MD, a bariatric surgeon and founder of the Center for Advanced Robotic and Endoscopic Surgery in Plantation, Florida, reveals some of his top tips for maintaining a steady weight.

The behaviors of people who’ve lost weight and kept it off suggest that weighing yourself on a regular basis can help you maintain your weight, according to the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR). Weighing yourself regularly can help for at least couple reasons. Monitoring your progress over time can serve as motivation to keep up healthier habits. It can also help you notice early on if you’ve started to regain some weight over time.

But it’s important to understand that this is just one tool. And it can harm your efforts to adopt healthier habits if you put too much emphasis on the number on the scale. Weight can fluctuate for many reasons, such as hormonal shifts, water retention or dehydration, certain medications you may be taking, and your body composition or how much muscle mass you have.  

“Weight can be very dynamic, and it can fluctuate,” Dr. Donkor says. “Do whatever works for you, but weighing yourself once a week, or every two weeks, is very reasonable.”

Work, a chaotic household, smartphones, and our favorite television shows can all be unhealthy distractions from eating. When we take our focus off our meals, we may be more likely to overeat, often without even realizing it. Practicing mindfulness can help.

Mindful eating is a concept that comes from the Buddhist practice of mindfulness. In essence, the practice encourages you to be totally aware of what is happening in the present moment. When applied to eating, mindfulness involves paying attention to the colors, textures, smells, and flavors of the food in front of you.

While more research is needed to tell if mindful eating helps you lose weight, past research has suggested it might help with avoiding binge eating and eating because of emotions (like sadness or anxiety). The next time you’re ready to eat, leave diversions off the table, sit quietly, and savor your food.

Eating breakfast every day can help you maintain a healthy weight. In fact, a 2021 meta-analysis published in Medicine found evidence that regularly eating breakfast lowers the risk of not just obesity, but also other health conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, strokes, and high blood pressure.

Breakfast has also been associated with improved memory function and a better mood throughout the day. And eating breakfast may help keep you from getting too hungry, which may lead to overeating later. But what you eat matters. A healthy breakfast may consist of whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy, as well as fruit and vegetables.

No time to cook in the morning? Overnight oatmeal is one easy to prepare breakfast option. In a mason jar, combine equal parts rolled oats and low-fat or non-dairy milk, a tablespoon of almond butter, and a serving of your favorite berries. Place in your fridge overnight, and it is ready to eat by morning.

Donkor recommends keeping to a regular schedule that includes healthy eating and regular exercise whenever possible. Logging your calories is one way to help you stick to your eating plan.

“You want to track the calories that you take in and see how much you burn on a daily basis,” he says. If you’re looking to lose weight before maintaining a steady weight, tracking your caloric intake can also help, suggest the results from a 2021 systematic review of 59 studies published in Public Health Nutrition.

You can keep track of your meals with phone apps, like Sharecare, available for Android and iOS. Simply log the size and quality of your meals, and the app will keep track of your daily intake.

To maintain a healthy weight and get a slew of other health benefits, most adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity (walking, dancing, gardening) or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity (running, biking, swimming) each week. But any amount of movement is better than none.

“You want to have a time set out for your physical activity,” Donkor says. “I always recommend my patients dedicate 30 or 45 minutes to exercise about four times a week.”

In addition to aiding in weight loss maintenance, regular physical activity can help reduce the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. To reap the benefits, choose an activity you enjoy. This will help you stay consistent and motivated.

Not sure where to start?

• Take a walk after dinner
• Hop on your bike and hit the trail
• Swim laps in a pool
• Try jumping rope for 5-minute intervals when you watch TV or videos
• Do some sit ups in the morning

If mobility is an issue for you, aim to move your body as much as you can or as you are able. All movement counts and even a few minutes throughout the day can add up and offer some health benefits.

Spending too much time in front of a screen—the TV, your phone, a computer or tablet—can sabotage your efforts to maintain a healthy weight. Why? There are a few possible reasons:

• If you’re in front of a screen, you’re most likely sitting—for a while. This means you’re moving your body less.
• Many people eat while scrolling or watching videos or shows. This can lead to overconsuming calories, which can lead to weight gain.
• Too much screen time can disrupt your sleep, which can affect the hormones that control appetite and metabolism among other things.

Be mindful of your screen time and take steps to keep it under control. When you feel like you need to unwind or take a break, consider some other options such as taking a walk and listening to a podcast or audiobook, meditating, or trying some stretches or yoga poses.