Research
Energy balance
Weight regain in successful losers is primarily driven by a decline in physical activity (specifically high-intensity exercise) and an increase in dietary fat percentage, rather than an increase in total caloric intake.
Don't just count calories. Monitor your activity levels and fat intake. A drop in exercise intensity and a shift toward higher fat consumption are key predictors of weight regain, even if your total calorie count stays the same.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Gainers also reported greater decreases in energy expenditure and greater increases in percentage of calories from fat... The lack of an association between increased caloric intake and weight gain may reflect difficulties in assessing overall intake... or may indicate that changes in activity and percentage of total energy from fat are stronger determinants of weight gain than total calories.
Why this rating
Large sample, longitudinal, but relies on self-reported dietary and activity 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
DOI 10.1037/0022-006x.67.2.177
cohort · n=714Cited 408×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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