Doctor: Sustainable Lifestyle, Not Fasting, Key to Weight Loss Maintenance

Many individuals who successfully lose weight often experience weight regain, leading them to adopt more extreme measures like stricter dieting, fasting, or intensified exercise. However, a doctor suggests that the focus should not be on the regain itself, but on whether the weight loss method can be integrated into daily life for long-term maintenance.

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The real issue is not the weight regain itself, but whether the weight loss method can be integrated into daily life and maintained long-term.

Dr. Dai Hsiao-fu, director of Wenxin Clinic in Taoyuan, noted that people often become fixated on the numbers on the scale. While initial weight loss can be encouraging, subsequent regain can erode confidence and lead to a cycle of drastic dieting and exercise. This pattern, known as "weight cycling," can be detrimental.

While research on the health impacts of weight cycling is not conclusive, some observational studies suggest a correlation between significant weight fluctuations and increased risks of cardiovascular disease, heart-related deaths, and hypertension. However, these studies cannot definitively prove that weight cycling is the cause.

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Many methods appear effective in the short term but require prolonged endurance of hunger, avoidance of social eating, and willpower to suppress appetite. Once returning to daily life, weight regain is often just a matter of time.

Dr. Dai emphasizes that for individuals with health concerns like obesity, abnormal blood sugar or lipid levels, fatty liver, or sleep apnea, moderate weight loss can still offer significant health benefits. The most effective approach is to adopt a weight management strategy that becomes a sustainable part of one's lifestyle. This includes regular meals, sufficient protein intake, gradual increases in physical activity, effective sleep and stress management, and maintaining flexibility in dietary choices. The goal is not rapid weight loss, but a stable, healthy lifestyle maintained over months or years.

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Healthful weight loss should be based on principles such as regular three meals, adequate protein intake, gradually increasing activity levels, improving sleep and stress management, and retaining dietary flexibility.