Body Weight

You’ve hit your weight loss goal! Now what?

While there is no shortage of information on how to lose weight, it can be trickier to determine how to keep weight off for good.  

Fortunately, many of the healthy habits that can be used to lose weight are the same ones that will support you in maintaining weight loss.

Ahead, senior clinical dietitian Jessica Tilton shares tips for making your weight loss stick long term. 

Re-evaluate your body’s needs

First, let’s talk about why it is common to regain weight after weight loss. Tilton says this is because when you have less body mass, your body needs less energy – that is, fewer calories. 

“As weight loss progresses, energy needs decrease. When you reach your goal weight, you have to maintain that lower energy rate, and most people have difficulty doing that,” she says. 

She recommends using a body weight planner to help determine how many calories to eat per day based on your weight, height, sex, age and activity level. 

Monitor calories or portion sizes

Weight loss requires a caloric deficit, which means consuming fewer calories than your body uses. After losing weight, you no longer need to remain in a caloric deficit. However, going back to the same eating patterns you had before weight loss could result in weight gain. 

“To continue maintaining your weight, you’re going to have to be sure that you hold to some caloric goal. The main thing is you have to do regular tracking of diet, physical activity and your weight,” Tilton says.

But if tracking calories isn’t the best approach for you, don’t sweat it! Keeping an eye on portion size, choosing healthy options and following the other tips on this list can also aid in maintaining weight loss.  

Eat regularly

If you’ve ever been so hungry before a meal that you couldn't help but overindulge when you finally had the chance to eat, you’ll understand why Tilton suggests eating regularly to maintain weight loss. 

“If you eat a lot at one time, you can have a glucose spike and then have a crash. But if you eat three meals, you tend to control the calories because you won’t be ravenously hungry. You can plan and control those meals and you'll tend to have more even glucose levels,” she says.

Choose healthy foods and drinks 

Now that we’ve covered when to eat, let’s talk about what to eat.

MD Anderson dietitians recommend eating healthy foods. Come mealtime, this means filling two thirds of your plate with whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds, and limiting lean animal protein or plant-based protein to the remaining one-third. 

Tilton also recommends eating more non-starchy vegetables and plant-based proteins and choosing fewer calorically dense options, such as deep-fried foods, processed foods and fast food.

What you drink can also have an impact on weight. Remember to account for the calories in options like soda, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened coffees and teas, and alcoholic beverages.  

For cancer prevention, it is best not to drink alcohol. For those that choose to drink, MD Anderson recommends men limit themselves to two drinks a day, while women limit themselves to one drink a day.

Prioritize physical activity 

While Tilton says diet is the most important factor in weight loss, movement plays an important role in overall health.

Physical activity can benefit cardiovascular health, support digestion and strengthen muscles. It also supports a healthy body weight, which can lower the risk for some cancers. 

The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends 150 minutes of exercise each week. This might look like dedicating 30 minutes each weekday to your favorite types of movement, whether that be lifting weights, swimming, practicing yoga, jogging, dancing, strength training, walking, group fitness classes, or playing sports. Find what works for you!

If you don’t already exercise, start gradually.  

This might look like increasing your physical activity over several weeks. For example, the first week, add 15 minutes of physical activity, like walking or biking, into your routine 3 times. The next week, do 20 minutes of physical activity 3 times. The third week, aim for 25 minutes of exercise 4 times, and by the fourth week, 30 minutes of exercise 5 times.

Another way to add more movement to your day is to set a goal to stand up and move for a minute or two each hour you are awake. 

Learn more about creating a workout plan.

Get enough sleep 

While diet and exercise might get more attention for their roles in weight loss, sleep also contributes.

Tilton says studies have shown a link between getting enough sleep and maintaining weight loss. Additionally, she says sleep supports the brain-gut connection, and that too little sleep can increase inflammation. 

“There's a very strong brain-gut connection, so you need to give the body and the brain rest, which is why it’s important to get sleep,” she says.

Adults should aim to sleep between seven and eight hours per night. 

Monitor your progress

Tilton’s most important piece of advice for anyone looking to maintain weight loss is to monitor progress. 

This might look like scheduling daily or weekly weigh-ins, measuring yourself, taking progress photos, or noting how your favorite pair of pants fit.

However this looks for you, Tilton says self-monitoring can provide insight into the lifestyle factors that may be influencing your weight. This could be as simple as noting that you indulged more than expected over the weekend or haven’t been finding time to exercise. 

Tilton also acknowledges that losing weight is a process, and a difficult one, at that. 

"Weight loss is hard to maintain. It’s never linear. But I always remind people that even 5 to 10% weight loss has been shown to have positive effect,” she says. 

If you are struggling to maintain weight loss, Tilton suggests checking in with a registered dietitian or weight loss specialist. This can be especially helpful if the initial changes you made to lose weight weren’t ones you can see yourself sticking to long-term.

"The changes to lose weight take time,” Tilton says. “They’re the ones that clients can live with for a lifetime. It’s something that's not, ‘I can do this for six months, and then I won't have to.’” 

Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.

You may be familiar with sayings such as ‘You can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet’ or ‘Abs are made in the kitchen.’ But are those sayings true? How much does diet really impact body weight? And is it possible to lose weight without exercising?

We called on clinical dietitian Jessica Tilton to learn more about the factors that impact weight loss and how to lose weight without changing your activity level.

Learn if you need to lose weight

Tilton says Body Mass Index (BMI) is used to calculate whether an adult is at a healthy weight or has a high body weight. 

Those with a BMI of 25 or higher are considered overweight. You can use a BMI calculator to find out where you land. 

Tilton says excess body fat is causally linked to many health concerns. These include pulmonary disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, gallbladder disease, hypertension, coronary heart disease, severe pancreatitis, certain cancers such as breast cancer and colorectal cancer, skin issues and gout.

Understand what factors impact weight loss

Losing weight is a challenging feat with instructions that can feel frustratingly simple.  

“Weight loss requires consuming fewer calories than the body needs,” Tilton says.

Consuming fewer calories than the body burns, or a caloric deficit, leads to weight loss. Consuming more calories than the body burns leads to weight gain.

“Generally, people cannot exercise their way into weight loss,” she says.

This doesn’t mean you should avoid exercise. Instead, think of diet and exercise as a team that packs double the punch in supporting a healthy body. 

Tilton says exercise has both physical and mental benefits that include improving brain health, strengthening bones and muscles, reducing the risk of disease, improving mood and helping with weight management.

“You really do want to do both because being sedentary is obviously not as healthy as being active," she says.

Determine how many calories your body needs

To determine if you are in a caloric deficit, you first need to know how many calories your body uses each day. 

This can be done in a number of ways, but two options that Tilton suggests are the Total Daily Energy Expenditure and Resting Energy Expenditure formulas. 

Total Daily Energy Expenditure and Resting Energy Expenditure calculators can be found online. They use factors such as gender, height and weight to provide daily calorie recommendations.

• Resting Energy Expenditure estimates how many calories your body burns at rest.
• Total Daily Energy Expenditure estimates how many calories your body burns depending on your typical activity level.

While nutritional needs look different for each person, Tilton says consuming 300 to 500 calories under your estimated total daily energy expenditure can help with weight loss.  

It is important to lose weight in a way that is realistic and sustainable. Tilton says eating too few calories each day can lead to fatigue, muscle aches and possible essential vitamin and mineral deficiencies. If you need support and guidance in choosing a safe and effective weight loss plan, talk to your doctor or a licensed dietitian. 

Additionally, cancer patients should discuss weight loss goals with their care team to avoid nutrient deficiencies and address how treatment may impact their efforts.

Monitor your calories and portions

“Diet is the most important factor in weight loss,” Tilton says. 

To better understand your diet, she recommends keeping track of how many calories you are eating. There are a variety of fitness apps that can be helpful in tracking calories, or you can do it with a good old-fashioned paper and pen.

If you’d prefer not to track calories, it can be helpful to consider your portion sizes. If you notice you are eating more than your body needs to feel satiated, work toward smaller servings.

“When you’re monitoring portions, you’re decreasing calories,” Tilton says.

Fill up on healthy options 

Choosing healthy, whole foods can aid in weight loss efforts by keeping you full and fueled.

MD Anderson dietitians recommend a diet primarily made up of healthy, nutritious foods. Aim for two-thirds of your diet to be made up of vegetables, whole grains, beans, fruits, nuts and seeds; the remaining third can be lean protein and dairy products.

Tilton says vegetables can make healthy snacks, and drinking more water helps the body feel full.

Of course, what you don’t eat can be just as important as what you do. 

For those trying to lose weight, Tilton recommends cutting back on liquid calories, such as sugary beverages, beer and wine. She also suggests choosing fewer refined carbohydrates, fatty fried options and sweets.

While adjusting your diet and losing weight can be challenging, Tilton says that for those with a high body weight, losing even 5% to 10% of initial body weight can make a big difference in reducing some health risks. 

“When people start losing weight, it’s naturally reinforcing. They start feeling better,” says Tilton. “They know ‘I can do this.’”

Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or by call 1-877-632-6789. 

Processed meats are convenient, affordable and woven into our collective diet. For many, bacon is a breakfast favorite, deli meat is a lunchbox staple and no cookout would be complete without hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill.

Unfortunately, cancer-causing substances form when these meats are preserved.

“Many of the preservation methods used for processed meats have been shown to contribute to the development of cancer,” says wellness dietitian Lindsey Wohlford.

There is no way to completely eliminate your risk of cancer. However, the American Institute of Cancer Research recommends eating “little, if any, processed meat.” They are considered carcinogens, so eating them increases your cancer risk.

Ahead, Wohlford explains more about the link between processed meat and cancer risk and shares tips for eating less processed meat.

If you’ve tried to lose weight, you know that often the hardest part is keeping the pounds off long term.

It’s a huge challenge – one that only about 10% of dieters manage to achieve. Most people return to the same weight they were before the diet. Some end up at an even heavier weight.

If you’ve experienced this, you might think you’re not able to maintain a healthy weight or assume you just don’t have enough willpower.

But what if your own body is bringing you back to your old weight? This is the theory that we all have a ‘set point’ that our body returns to, and several systems in our body interact to determine our body weight.

What is the set point theory?

The set point theory helps explain why so many people gain weight back after dieting. It suggests that the body will settle at a specific weight where it likes to be, and it will defend itself so that it stays at this specific weight.

It’s important to note that the set point theory refers to both weight gain and weight loss.

Most people will have fluctuations of several pounds around an average weight.

The idea of a set point weight is not proven for certain, but it is supported in many observational studies.

How do I know if I’m at my set point weight?

Your set point weight involves many factors and is highly individual. Experts believe your environment, genetics and lifestyle choices, such as your diet and activity level all play a part.

There is no specific formula to determine your set point weight. It’s simply the weight your body has gotten used to.

Your set point is established over a long period of time, and it can rise as you age. That’s because you lose muscle mass as you get older, and your metabolism slows down. Since it doesn’t take as much energy to run and maintain your body, you may gain weight because you’re not utilizing as much energy.

Set point is your body’s attempt to regulate itself, and that attempt results in a certain weight.

How does set point work?

If you go on a diet, your body may use different systems to try to return to your previous weight.

Physical systems

If you suddenly cut down on calories, your metabolism may slow down. This means your body uses less energy to do the same functions. So, the food you eat doesn’t burn as quickly. You may lose weight in the short term, but eventually, you’ll likely start gaining weight back.

Your body may also try to get you back to the same weight by making changes in some hormone levels that affect your appetite and metabolism. And it may adjust the way you absorb and use nutrients.

Mental systems

Your brain gets used to the pleasurable feelings that certain foods give you. When you reduce or eliminate those foods, your body will crave new foods or drinks to fill the gaps left by your diet.

You will find something else to give you satisfaction, whether it’s a couple of glasses of wine a day or reintroducing snack foods over time without realizing it.

These are just a few of the processes that make losing weight so challenging.

But there are ways to change your set point permanently.

How do I change my set point?

You can change your set point by making lifestyle changes.

Eat a healthy diet

Aim to fill at least two-thirds of your plate with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Limit red meat and focus on lean protein like chicken, fish and beans. Avoid processed meats like bacon and deli meats.

Exercise regularly

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. Do strength training, also called resistance training, twice a week.

Get enough sleep

Try to get between 7 and 9 hours of restful sleep per night. Sleep helps us to better manage stress. Chronic stress is linked to obesity.

It’s not a quick fix, though. It usually takes at least three to six months to lower set point weight, but that can vary by person. Time and support are key to making these changes stick and lowering your set point weight.

Time

If you make changes over time and lose weight gradually, your body systems can adapt to your new circumstances.

Your systems will stop trying to return you to your previous “normal” weight. Your body will slowly understand that your new lower weight is permanent and try to keep you there instead.

Your body will adjust to the new food level. Systems like nutrient intake, hormone levels and neurotransmitters will have had a chance to make slow adaptations, so your body’s set point can change.

Fad diets rarely give your body this chance to adapt. Instead, they result in a yo-yo effect where you swing from losing weight to gaining weight and back again.

Support

Staying aware is key when you are trying to make a change. If you notice your body trying to return you to your old weight, take action to stop it.

You may need the help of a therapist. Therapy can help you understand how you view food and your weight in a way that is more involved than, ‘Should I eat this, or should I not?’

If you can become aware of when you’re acting on cravings and understand why, it can be easier to stop.

If you’re an MD Anderson patient, ask your doctor or nurse for a referral to one of our clinical dietitians. A dietitian can provide personalized support and advice.

The bottom line? Weight loss is different for everybody.

Body systems are at work, not necessarily against you, but they are influencing your weight. If you make it only about eating fewer calories and doing more exercise, you may miss something that could be key to maintaining a healthy weight for you.

Carol Harrison is a senior clinical exercise physiologist at MD Anderson.

Request an appointment at MD Anderson online or call 1-877-632-6789.

Weight loss can feel overwhelming. Cancer survivorship may make it feel even more complex. Fortunately, finding support during weight loss doesn't have to be an added challenge.

That's where Your Health is Calling, a new telehealth program for cancer survivors, comes in. This free, evidence-based telehealth curriculum combines expertise from dietitians, cancer survivors and an exercise physiologist.

Ahead, researcher Karen Basen-Engquist, Ph.D., and senior health education specialist Giselle Garza share program-approved weight loss tips for cancer survivors.

Know why it’s important

Excess body weight is a risk factor for developing 12 types of cancer, as well as chronic diseases including diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. For cancer survivors, weight is also tied to a greater risk of developing a second cancer, Basen-Engquist notes.

Researchers are exploring why excess body weight may increase cancer risk. One explanation? When cells rapidly divide, there is a greater chance of a mistake leading to uncontrolled cell growth and cancer. Excess body weight can cause inflammation, insulin resistance and increased estrogen levels, three factors that can each cause cells to multiply more rapidly.

Consult with your cancer care team

Whether or not you are a cancer survivor, the equation for weight loss is largely the same, Basen-Engquist says: using more calories than you consume. This is also called a calorie deficit.

However, she adds that cancer may change the way you approach weight loss. For example, weight loss can be a side effect of some cancers and cancer treatments, which might mean patients and their families associate weight loss with being sick.

Conversely, with some types of cancer, people tend to gain weight during or after treatment. This leaves them to navigate life after cancer and weight loss at the same time.

“I think there's a little bit of an extra frustration that they might have, although certainly weight loss is frustrating for a lot of people,” Basen-Engquist says.

You’ve probably heard the advice, “Consult with your care team,” countless times during your cancer treatment. But this advice is repeated for good reasons: your care team can provide guidance tailored to your medical history and unique needs. They can also answer questions about whether weight-loss injection drugs, or GLP-1s, or other weight loss medications might be right for you.

Find out what a healthy weight is for you

One of the first steps in weight loss? Figuring out whether you need to lose weight, and, if so, how much.

There are many ways you can determine if you are at a healthy body weight. Your Health is Calling uses Body Mass Index (BMI), and is open to people with a BMI of 25 or higher, meaning they fall into overweight or obese BMI classifications. However, BMI isn’t the only way — or necessarily even the best way — to determine whether you are a healthy weight.

“BMI is really controversial right now as far as whether it's a good measure of body fatness and a good measure of health risk,” Basen-Engquist says. This is because BMI doesn’t account for some factors that may impact weight, such as muscle mass, gender, age, ethnicity and body fat distribution.

Instead of BMI, you can also use other at-home tools such as waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio and body roundness index. These options can be especially helpful in determining abdominal obesity, which Basen-Engquist says may indicate greater health risks than fat in other parts of the body.

“Abdominal obesity, the fat on your organs, does seem to increase health risks more than, say, fat in your legs, buttocks, arms and other areas,” she says.

RELATED: Is BMI the best body weight calculator?

Determine your calorie needs

Next, determine how many calories you should eat in a day.

To do so, our dietitians recommend using online calculators such as the National Institutes of Health Body Weight Planner. First, enter your current weight, sex, age, height and physical activity level. Next, enter your goal weight and the timeline you’d like to reach it in. Then, select if you plan on increasing your physical activity levels. The planner will then tell you the number of calories to eat in a day to maintain your current weight, reach your goal weight and maintain your goal weight.

“As a weight loss strategy, it's very important, especially initially, to reduce the amount of food you're eating,” Basen-Engquist says.

This means portion control is an important focus in weight loss. Some people find it helpful to keep a record of what they eat, while others use tools like food scales and portion plates, Garza notes.

Eat healthy foods

When it comes to diet, it can be easy to fixate on how much you eat. But it’s also important to consider what you eat.

The foods you choose can help impact how you feel, keep you feeling full and even impact your disease risk.

“You need to maintain adequate nutrition while losing weight,” says Basen-Engquist. This means eating a balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates, plenty of fruits and vegetables and vitamin-rich options.

MD Anderson dietitians recommend eating meals rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds. Come mealtime, this looks like filling two-thirds of your plate with whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts and seeds. The remaining one-third can be lean animal protein or plant-based protein.

RELATED: 36 foods that can help lower your cancer risk

Stay active

The other half of the weight loss equation? Movement.

Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week. To tell the difference between moderate and vigorous exercise, try the talk test. During moderate exercise — think a brisk walk — you should still be able to hold a conversation, but you won't be able to sing. During vigorous exercise, like running, you might only be able to say a few words without feeling out of breath.