The Secret to Maintaining Weight After a Diet

Maintaining weight after a weight loss diet is a challenge. A new study from the University of Copenhagen suggests that the key to long-term weight maintenance is adhering to a maintenance diet for at least one year.

The study analyzed 20 overweight adults who followed a low-calorie diet for 8 weeks, losing 13% of their weight, and then followed a maintenance diet for 52 weeks. Researchers found that weight loss leads to an increase in the hunger hormone (ghrelin). However, adhering to a maintenance diet for 12 months reduces ghrelin levels and increases levels of hormones that cause satiety.

This balance, usually achieved after one year of a maintenance diet, allows for long-term maintenance of weight loss. The researchers emphasize that consistency and adherence to the maintenance diet are crucial for success.