Researchers at The Miriam Hospital have published one of the first studies of its kind to track the maintenance of weight loss over a period of 10 years. The results show that long-term preservation of the achieved results is possible if individuals adhere to key health behaviors. The study was published in the January 2014 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"On average, participants maintained the majority of their weight loss over this extended follow-up period, and better success was related to continued performance of physical activity, self-weighing, low-fat diets, and avoiding overeating." shares J. Graham Thomas, Ph.D., lead author of a 10-year study of nearly 3,000 participants.

Other findings from the study show that reducing physical activity, dietary restraint and self-weighing, and increasing fat intake are associated with greater weight regain.

Thomas concludes, "This is one of the only studies to follow weight loss maintenance over such a long term. What the results tell us is that long-term weight loss maintenance is possible, but it requires persistent adherence to a few key health behaviors."

References:

J. Graham Thomas, Dale S. Bond, Suzanne Phelan, James O. Hill, Rena R. Wing. Weight-Loss Maintenance for 10 Years in the National Weight Control Registry. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2014; 46 (1): 17 DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.08.019