Research
Adherence
Longer duration of successful weight maintenance (2-5+ years) significantly reduces the relative risk of subsequent weight regain compared to shorter maintenance durations (<2 years).
If you have recently lost weight (less than 2 years), your risk of regaining it is significantly higher than if you have maintained it for 5+ years. Treat your current maintenance phase as a critical period requiring active behavioral adherence, not a passive state of 'being thin'.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Individuals who had maintained their weight losses for a greater time were less likely to gain weight at the 1-year follow-up... those who had maintained their weight losses between 2 and 5 years (RR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.25, 0.59) or more than 5 years (RR = 0.29; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.43) were at less risk of gaining weight at 1 year.
Why this rating
Large sample size (n=714), longitudinal design, validated weight history, but relies on self-reported behavioral data.
Source
What predicts weight regain in a group of successful weight losers?
Maureen T. McGuire et al. · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · 1999
cohort · n=714Cited 408×
Read the paper This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →