Sustainable weight loss is not just a test of willpower. Moreover, once you lose those kilos, maintaining them is far more difficult than it took you to shed them. But why is this the case with weight loss and weight management?
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HT Lifestyle reached out to Dr Ravi Kesari, MBBS, MD, general medicine, internal medicine, Apollo Spectra Hospital, Bengaluru, to understand the science behind it. According to Dr Ravi, our bodies are wired to defend our highest weight, not our healthiest weight, which is why maintaining weight loss requires more strategy, structure, and support than the initial weight-loss phase ever does.
“People experience more difficulty maintaining weight after losing it than they do in achieving their weight loss goals. Structured diet programs, combined with lifestyle changes, enable patients to lose weight, yet their bodies maintain that weight through physiological adaptations that restore their original body weight,” Dr Kesari noted.
According to him, the body operates through essential survival functions that include metabolic slowing and hormonal changes that increase appetite. HE further warned, “Understanding biological responses to weight management is essential for setting practical weight management goals and developing effective long-term weight control methods.”
Moreover, he stressed shifting the focus from short-term outcomes to long-term regulation, prioritising metabolic health, sleep, and stress management habits above all else.
Biological resistance
The biggest challenge in maintaining weight loss lies in the body’s natural survival mechanism, Dr Ravi noted. According to him, when the body loses weight, it perceives this as a threat and tries to compensate by slowing down its metabolism to save energy.
“This makes it more difficult to maintain weight loss than to lose weight in the first place because the body burns fewer calories than it should,” the physician added.
Moreover, the body undergoes hormonal changes that increase food consumption: leptin levels decrease, reducing the sensation of fullness, while ghrelin levels increase, leading to stronger food cravings. “The combination of poor sleep and ongoing stress produces higher cortisol (commonly known as the stress hormone) levels, which in turn makes them crave more food and increases their chances of excessive eating,” he added.
The loss of momentum
Lastly, Dr Ravi noted that weight loss offers clear progress and quantifiable goals, which help maintain motivation. However, the problem with maintenance is that it is not quantifiable, and the absence of visible progress leads to psychological exhaustion, which can cause people to fall back into their old lifestyle, especially because the body is still biologically programmed to regain lost weight.
Dr Ravi’s advice: realising that our bodies are wired to resist weight loss, and that it is not about willpower, we can more effectively support them in staying committed to creating a weight that is not just lower, but sustainable.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
