Lose weight, keep it off – the science behind staying slim long term
A weekly shot of support is the best dose for weight loss that lasts, study reveals
A study published in Clinical Nutrition Open Science has found three in four respondents who received support in building healthy habits at a weekly slimming club were lighter up to three years after joining, even if they’d stopped attending.
At a time when the Government has announced a £40 million pilot scheme to prescribe weight loss drugs, this research suggests that the key to losing weight and staying slim is getting support to build lasting healthy habits into your daily routine. While measures such as drugs may seem like a silver bullet for weight loss, many come with well-documented, unpleasant side effects and studies show people can gain weight back after they stop taking them.
The study led by the UK and Ireland’s largest weight-loss organisation Slimming World and published this month, shows the positive impact of making lifestyle changes, such as cooking from scratch, eating fresh healthy foods and being active, if you want to lose weight and keep it off.
- Eight in 10 (83%) of those who responded to the survey who were still attending a slimming club up to three years after first joining reported that their health had improved with 93% attributing the improvement to their weight management and the lifestyle changes they’d made. While 50% of those no longer attending also reported improvements to their health up to 36 months later
- Nearly all the current members surveyed said they were eating more fruit and vegetables (98%) and had switched to lower fat or fat free dairy products (97%) since joining – and three quarters (74%) of those no longer attending had made these same lifestyle changes
- 94% of current members and 81% of past members said that they were still cooking more meals from scratch using fresh ingredients three years on
- Respondents also ate fewer takeaways with only one in 10 current members and less than a quarter of past members eating takeaways at least once a week, compared to almost half doing so before they joined
- Half of current members (48%) and a third of those no longer attending (32%) had reduced their alcohol intake
- Over half of slimmers in the study reported that their whole household had made positive changes to what they ate (74% current and 49% past members) and around a third of their families had become more active
In the study of 356 adults, the weight of both current and past members was measured two and a half to three years after joining – with all respondents, on average, weighing 7% less than when they joined Slimming World. Those still attending Slimming World were on average 9.6% lighter, maintaining an average loss of 21lbs and reduction in BMI of 3.4kg/m2. Those no longer attending had maintained a loss of 4.4% (8.5lbs) and BMI reduction of 1.5kg/m2.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says losing and keeping off 5% of your weight can have significant benefits, such as reducing your risk of developing diabetes or lowering your blood pressure.
Dr Amanda Avery continues: “We all have different trigger foods, different danger areas and different self-sabotage techniques when we’re trying to lose weight. Our members are supported to identify their personal challenges and tailor a plan that works for their own individual needs and can be adapted for different times and circumstances. Our aim has always been to support members to lose weight and achieve sustainable healthy habits that work in the long-term helping them to lead healthier and happier lives, for life.”
After joining their local Slimming World group and receiving continuing support to build lasting healthy habits, nearly all the current members surveyed (94%) and 81% of past members said that they were cooking more meals using fresh ingredients three years on, and 74% of those questioned who no longer attend said they used fat-free and low-fat products. Just one in 10 current members and less than a quarter of past members were eating takeaways at least once a week up to three years after joining, compared to almost half doing so before they joined.
Some 98% of those slimmers who were still attending said they were eating more fruit and vegetables thanks to the support they’d discovered at the group, with nearly three quarters of past members (74%) doing the same.
And, significantly, half of current members (48%) and a third of those no longer attending (32%) had reduced their alcohol intake since joining Slimming World.
Eight in 10 (83%) current members and half (50%) of past members said their health had improved, with 93% attributing the improvement to their weight management and the lifestyle changes they’d made. And improvements were also seen in mental wellbeing, with both current members (78%) and those no longer attending (71%) reporting feeling calm and peaceful compared to how they felt before joining (current 49% and past members 51%).
In the study, members also reported changes in energy levels with 76% of current members questioned and 67% of those no longer attending having a lot of energy all or most of the time since joining Slimming World, compared to how just over a quarter (27%) of current members felt before joining.
At a time when people can feel bombarded with so many different ways to lose weight, it can be confusing to know which approach will truly work for you. This research shows anyone who is trying to lose weight and keep it off, how important it is to make healthy lifestyle changes. As no two slimmers are the same, it’s the expertise and support members receive at their local Slimming World group which helps them to understand what those changes mean for them.
Members follow Slimming World’s Food Optimising eating plan to reduce their calorie intake and lose weight without feeling hungry. Every week, Slimming World Consultants in the UK and Ireland share techniques and behaviour change tools to help members establish lasting healthy habits around food and activity. Personalised support, tailored to each member’s fitness level and lifestyle, is also shared in group to help members increase their physical activity through the club’s Body Magic activity support programme.
Showing the wider reach of the lifestyle changes made through the support received from Slimming World, over half of members in the study reported that their whole household had made positive changes to what they ate (74% current and 49% past) and around a third of their families had become more active.
Commenting on the importance of behaviour change, Professor James Stubbs, Appetite & Energy Balance, University of Leeds, says: “The pathways to weight gain and sustainable weight loss are primarily behavioural. We all know that making lasting changes to dietary and physical activity is not easy, which is why evidence-based behaviour change approaches are the bedrock of long-term weight management. Communities of support that help transform new behaviours into longer-term habits can help people overcome the many obstacles they can face in making the longer-term changes that benefit weight and health."