Losing weight is hard enough. But for many people, keeping those pounds from creeping back is the real challenge.
That’s why new research offers such encouraging news: You may have needed to hit 10,000 to 12,000 steps to drop the weight, but to maintain weight loss, you can go quite a bit lower…
In fact, the new suggestion is far more doable and, even better, you don’t have to do it all at once…
How many steps help maintain weight loss?
Quick answer: New research suggests that walking about 8,500 steps a day may help support weight-loss maintenance and reduce weight regain. The benefit appears strongest after weight loss, when the goal is keeping pounds from creeping back — not necessarily during the initial dieting phase.
And here’s why it works…
“The most important — and greatest — challenge when treating obesity is preventing weight regain,” says Marwan El Ghoch, a professor at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy.
That challenge is significant. According to El Ghoch, around 80% of people with overweight or obesity who lose weight tend to put some or all of it back on within three to five years.
So he and colleagues from Italy and Lebanon wanted to better understand whether walking could help.
They reviewed 18 randomized controlled trials focused on walking and weight management. Their final analysis included 14 studies involving 3,758 adults from several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. Participants were 53 years old on average and had an average BMI of 31.
Some participants took part in lifestyle modification programs that combined dietary guidance with encouragement to walk more and track daily steps. Others followed a diet without additional support or received no treatment.
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The bottom line: A realistic habit
Here’s the encouraging part: People in the lifestyle programs increased their daily steps from about 7,300 to 8,500 during the weight-loss phase. During that time, they lost an average of 4.39% of their body weight, or about 9 pounds.
Then, during the maintenance phase, they were still averaging a little more than 8,200 steps a day — and they kept off most of the weight they had lost, maintaining an average long-term weight loss of 3.28%, or nearly 7 pounds.
In other words, the key wasn’t extreme exercise. It was building a realistic walking habit during weight loss and continuing it afterward.
For weight-loss maintenance, the takeaway is hopeful: The number of steps that may help keep weight off appears to be lower than many people assume.
Why walking helps with weight-loss maintenance
One important thing to know: Walking more was not linked to greater weight loss during the initial dieting phase.
That may sound surprising, but researchers believe calorie reduction may have a bigger impact on short-term weight loss. Where walking appeared to make the difference was later — when the goal shifted from losing weight to keeping it from coming back.
The analysis found a link between higher daily step counts and less weight regain. People who increased their step count during weight loss and maintained that activity afterward were more successful in maintaining their results.
According to El Ghoch, the findings suggest that taking about 8,500 steps a day could be “a simple and affordable strategy to prevent weight regain.”
That’s good news because walking doesn’t require a gym, special equipment or a complicated plan. It’s something most people can build into the day in small, manageable ways.
How to make 8,500 steps feel more doable
If 8,500 steps sounds intimidating, don’t think of it as one long walk. Think of it as movement that accumulates over the day.
You might take a short walk after breakfast, another after lunch and another after dinner. Walking after meals can be especially helpful because it provides a built-in routine and may also support a healthier blood sugar response.
You can also look for simple ways to add more steps to things you already do:
- Park farther from the store entrance.
- Walk while talking on the phone.
- Take the dog for an extra loop around the block.
- Take a few five-minute walking breaks throughout the day.
Those small bursts may not feel like much in the moment, but they add up faster than you think.
And that may be the biggest takeaway from this research: Maintaining weight loss doesn’t have to mean punishing workouts or impossible daily goals.
It may come down to building a realistic walking habit you can actually keep up.
Sources:
Scientists say 8,500 steps a day could stop weight from creeping back — ScienceDaily
Daily Steps During Nutritional Lifestyle Modification Programs for Obesity Management: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
FAQ: Walking and Weight-Loss Maintenance
New research suggests about 8,500 steps a day may help support weight-loss maintenance and reduce weight regain.
Not necessarily. This analysis suggests people may benefit from a lower target — about 8,500 steps daily — especially if they build that walking habit during weight loss and keep it up afterward.
In this study analysis, walking more was not linked to greater weight loss during the initial dieting phase. It appeared to matter more for helping prevent weight regain afterward.
No. Steps can be spread throughout the day with short walks, errands, walking after meals, pacing during phone calls or using a walking pad.
The easiest approach is to break walking into smaller chunks. A few short walks, extra steps during errands, walking after meals and brief movement breaks can all help you reach the goal without setting aside one long block of time.
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