Roughly 2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese -- and about 95 percent of people who lose weight regain it, according to "The New York Times." Carefully monitor your calorie intake to keep weight off -- and commit to an exercise regimen. How many calories you should eat each day to avoid weight gain depends on your current weight and activity level.
Long Shot
Like many other health care experts, Dr. Rudolph Leibel, professor of medicine and pediatrics at Columbia University, cautions that 95 percent of those who diet, regain the weight back quickly. However, this discouraging statistic apparently comes from a rather dated 1959 study of 100 people. A more recent study based on a larger sample of people, published in the July 2001 "Annual Review of Nutrition," found that about 20 percent of dieters were able to lose at least 10 percent of their body weight and keep it off for at least a year.
Success Formula
Nutritionist Dr. Rena Wing examined the National Weight Control Registry to identify weight maintenance strategies of those who lost weight and kept it off. The average weight loss was 66 lb., maintained for an average of 5.5 years. Those who were successful had a low-fat diet, frequently monitored their weight and food intake and had a high level of regular physical activity. Wing offered that weight loss maintenance may get easier as time passes.
The Key
Dieting implies a temporary restriction of caloric intake to lose weight. Research by Traci Mann, reported in the April 2007 "American Psychologist," suggests that dieting may be counter-productive, with one to 2/3 of dieters regaining more weight than they lost. Instead, you need to alter your eating and exercise patterns to create enduring changes in your lifestyle. Monitor your caloric intake and weight routinely and make adjustments in diet and exercise patterns when your energy balance gets skewed toward weight gain. If you exercise you'll have greater success at maintaining weight and weight loss.
Estimating Caloric Need
How many calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight -- and not gain weight -- depends on various factors. Estimate your current caloric needs using online calculators. Enter your age, weight, gender and overall activity level and the calculator estimates how many calories you need to consume to maintain your current weight. For example, a 135 lb., 5-foot 6-inch tall, 35-year-old woman who exercises 30 minutes most days of the week needs 2,000 calories to maintain her weight. If she eats more than 2,000 calories each day, she will gain weight. Estimate your daily caloric needs and keep yourself within your daily limits.
References
- "Annual Review of Nutrition"; Successful Weight Loss Maintenance; Rena Wing, et al.; July 2001
- "American Psychologist"; Medicare's Search for Effective Obesity Treatments: Diets are
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Obesity and Overweight
- Physorg.com: Dieting Does Not Work, Researchers Report; April 2007
- NIH Clinical Center Grand Rounds; Great Teachers -- Obesity: A Disease, Not a Character Flaw; Rudolph Leibel; January 14, 2004
- The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; Long-Term Weigh-Loss Maintenance: A Meta-Analaysis of U.S. Studies; James Anderson, et al.; No. 2001
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