How to maintain after weight loss and avoid the rebound effect?

Everyone with good health conditions can lose weight. The most critical question is how to consolidate and maintain it: how to avoid the yo-yo effect?

Study after weight loss: patients with follow-up and self-managed patients, when is there rebound effect and why?

A study published in March in the Annals of Internal Medicine provides an answer in the form of scientific evidence. This study takes people who have managed to lose more than 10kg of weight and divides them randomly into two groups: A and B. Group A is made up of people who lose weight and then leave them to self-manage. And group B, who are closely followed up with individualized telephone calls to resolve doubts, group sessions on caloric intake, training on correct weight monitoring, how to increase and maintain physical activity, how to obtain social support and complicity from friends and family, and techniques to avoid relapses.

If we compare the two groups in the graph, it can be seen at first glance that, right from the start, the lines separate. While the intensive follow-up group even continues to lose weight within the first 3 months, the self-managed group starts to gain weight. These differences are more evident after 14 (3 months), 26 (6 months) and 42 (9 months) weeks.

This study demonstrates that, during the first year after a significant weight loss (10kg or more), follow-up ensures maintenance of weight loss and avoids the rebound effect. This follow-up can be in the form of telephone contact, group sessions or physical contact with reference professionals specializing in Internal Medicine and nutrition.

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The reason for these results is that the time of contact with the patient allows the person to be convinced and, on the other hand, gives time to consolidate and incorporate changes in habits. These will be the ones that, later on, will ensure weight maintenance with a correct self-management.