What helped you to lose weight may not be the thing that helps keep the weight off.
Reviewed by Dietitian Maria Laura Haddad-Garcia
Key Points
- Weight gain happens after a loss because tactics, like restricting calories, are unsustainable.
- Lifestyle habits like the plate method, movement and accountability have more long-term success.
- Maintain weight through frequent movement, meal planning, portion control and a mindset shift.
Almost 50% of Americans attempt to lose weight each year, yet successful weight loss is much less common than the desire to lose weight. Losing weight can be a roller coaster of emotions, from those initial feelings of overwhelm to finding what works for you to that feeling of accomplishment when you finally reach your goal. But reaching that goal is only one part of the process.
The key is understanding that losing weight and keeping it off are two distinct phases—and what works for one may not work best for the other. Weight loss typically requires creating a calorie deficit, while maintaining that loss means shifting toward calorie balance and adopting sustainable habits, particularly regular movement.
We spoke with several dietitians who specialize in weight loss about what each phase looks like—and how making the shift from losing to maintaining can help set you up for long-term success.
To Lose Weight, Start With a Sustainable Calorie Deficit
When you’re trying to lose weight, creating a modest calorie deficit can help you get there. That means taking in fewer calories than your body uses. But eating fewer calories doesn’t have to mean drastically cutting back or following a restrictive diet.
Your body needs energy to support essential functions, including breathing, circulation and digestion, as well as everyday activities and exercise. When you consistently take in more energy than your body uses, the excess is stored as fat, which can lead to weight gain over time. Creating a calorie deficit reverses that equation by giving your body less energy from food than it uses.
“Instead of drastically cutting calories and dropping a bunch of weight quickly, you want to create a small calorie deficit that you can keep up with over time,” says Lainey Younkin, M.S., RD, LDN, a weight-loss dietitian. “This can be done by eating smaller portions, increasing vegetable and protein intake and reducing intake of simple carbohydrates, sugar and alcohol.”
One simple way to put that into practice is to focus on building a balanced plate. Aim to fill half your plate with vegetables, a quarter with lean protein, and the remaining quarter with a high-fiber carbohydrate, such as whole grains.
Elizabeth Shaw, M.S., RDN, CPT, likes this approach because it can help with portion control without requiring you to measure every bite. “The same principles of balance and mindful portions that support weight loss can help you maintain it,” says Shaw.
Protein can be especially helpful because it’s filling and satisfying and plays an important role in maintaining muscle mass. Lisa Valente, M.S., RD, points to research suggesting that people who ate a higher-protein diet regained less weight than those who ate a standard-protein diet. Including protein throughout the day—from strained Greek-style yogurt and cottage cheese to chicken, fish, tofu, edamame and beans—can help you meet your needs.
The goal isn’t to eat as little as possible. It’s to create a modest calorie deficit through changes you can realistically continue.
Once You Lose Weight, the Strategy Changes
Once you’ve lost weight, continuing to eat less and less isn’t the goal. Instead, you’re moving from weight loss to weight maintenance, and that’s where your strategy needs to shift.
There are physiological reasons this can be challenging. Weight loss can affect your body’s energy needs, appetite, lean body mass and the hormones that regulate appetite. And if the way you lost weight was overly restrictive, maintaining those same habits indefinitely may simply not be realistic.
As Younkin puts it, “If you can’t keep eating a certain way forever, then you won’t see the results forever. So you will have to keep up whatever changes you made to your diet in order to maintain weight loss.”
That doesn’t mean abandoning balanced eating, portion awareness or the other habits that helped you lose weight. Instead, the goal shifts from maintaining a calorie deficit to finding a balance between the energy you take in and the energy you expend.
And that’s where another strategy becomes particularly important: movement.
To Keep Weight Off, Prioritize Movement
While balanced eating remains important, every one of our experts agreed that movement is a top priority for weight maintenance.
“Staying active is what keeps weight off long-term,” says Roxana Ehsani, M.S., RD, CSSD. “When you lose weight, your metabolism slows down; you lose muscle along with fat, so your body needs fewer calories than it used to. This can lead to weight regain.”
Both aerobic exercise and strength training can play a role. Strength training, in particular, can help build and maintain muscle mass, while regular movement throughout the day can help you burn more energy. But more isn’t necessarily better: Consistency is what matters.
The best exercise is one you’ll actually want to keep doing, whether that’s power walking, dancing or lifting weights at your favorite gym class. Melissa Mitri, M.S., RD, recommends shifting your mindset around exercise, thinking of it as something you get to do rather than something you have to do. That can make movement feel like a natural part of your routine rather than another obligation.
And you don’t need a long workout for movement to count.
“Start small, though and don’t be all or nothing with exercise. Something is better than nothing,” says Younkin. If you don’t have 45 minutes for a workout, try 20 minutes or even a 10-minute walk and look for other opportunities to move throughout your day.
Everyday movement counts, too. Valente and Shaw are fans of NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), which includes movement outside of formal exercise. Parking farther away, pacing during work calls, taking the stairs and cleaning your house can all add up. Shaw recommends starting with everyday tasks, like folding and putting away laundry, to naturally work more movement into your day.
Other Habits That Can Help Make Weight Loss Last
Creating a sustainable calorie deficit can help with weight loss, while calorie balance and regular movement become especially important for maintaining it. A few other habits can help make that transition—and your overall routine—easier to sustain.
Plan Ahead
Ehsani notes that people who regularly meal plan tend not only to lose more weight but also to maintain that loss. Planning ahead can make it easier to stick with the eating habits that support your goals, especially when life gets busy.
And it doesn’t have to be complicated. “Find what works for you whether it’s pen and paper, a 10-minute session on the weekend or a quick note on your phone the night before,” says Ehsani.
Find Accountability
Accountability can help you stay consistent with the habits that support your weight. That might mean setting goals or tracking your progress yourself or getting support from a friend, family member, registered dietitian or personal trainer.
Ehsani suggests treating your workout like any other appointment you wouldn’t miss and protecting that time on your calendar. Mitri recommends tools such as an app, a journal or visual reminders for self-accountability, while Younkin suggests enlisting a friend or working with a dietitian or personal trainer if external accountability is more helpful.
Embrace Kindness and Flexibility
Mitri and Valente agree that practicing self-compassion can make room for setbacks, overindulgences and missteps along the way. Rather than fixating on what went wrong, approach it with curiosity instead of judgment. Consider what may have contributed and use that information to help you make a different choice moving forward.
Our Expert Take
The #1 secret to lasting weight loss is recognizing that losing weight and keeping it off aren’t exactly the same thing. When you’re trying to lose weight, creating a small, sustainable calorie deficit can help you get there. Once you reach your goal, however, the focus shifts to calorie balance, with regular movement becoming especially important for maintaining the weight you’ve lost.
That doesn’t mean abandoning the healthy eating habits that got you there. Balanced meals, protein, mindful portions, planning ahead and accountability can all help make your routine sustainable.
And remember that long-term progress doesn’t have to happen quickly. As Younkin says, “Don’t get caught up in daily and weekly fluctuations on the scale. Even if you only lose one pound per month, that’s 12 pounds down at the end of the year!” The goal is to find habits you can realistically stick with—for both phases of the journey.