Losing weight Researchers advise against the permanent waiver

Those who want to keep their weight should eat healthy and well on a regular basis

Anyone who has lost weight and now wants to keep it, often waives whole meals and goes into a kind of "permanent diet". A Finnish study shows, however, that in the long run it could be worthwhile to rely on a healthy diet while paying attention to regular meals. In addition, according to the researchers, it was important to pay attention to "personal well-being".

The diet is done and now it's time to keep weight. Many rely on a kind of "permanent diet" to keep the weight. A study by Finnish scientists from the University of Helsinki with 4,900 male and female subjects, over a 10-year period, showed that most study participants aged between 24 and 34 gained an average of about one kilogram per year in weight. However, one important factor that helped men and women to maintain weight was the intake of regular meals.

Staying lean is not as difficult as you think. It would be best to follow regular meals and eat well. (Image: vadymvdrobot / fotolia.com)

Diets make you fat

Especially in women, diets, irregular eating habits, the birth of two or more children, the consumption of sugary soft drinks and dissatisfaction with life had a negative impact on weight. In men, smoking was an additional factor that had a negative effect. "People often try to prevent obesity by following diets or omitting meals," confirmed Ulla Kärkkäinen of the University of Helsinki. However, in most cases, this tends to increase in the long term instead of preventing obesity.

To maintain a healthy weight, "it is particularly important to follow regular exercise and a healthy diet," the researchers said. But the study showed that alone was not enough. It was equally important to "stay away from diets and eat regularly". However, most diet recommendations always went in one direction. "People are encouraged to lose weight," explains Kärkkäinen.

The findings of the study clearly show that the approach "first lose, then control" does not work in the long run. On the other hand, regular and adequate meals would "support the natural biological functions of the body and help to maintain weight in the long term," the scientists emphasize.

What we eat is important

Similar findings came from an Israeli study. Scientists from the Weizmann Institute found that there is a large variance in the effect of food on different people. The metabolism of the food could be significantly different, so that some people with the same food supply form more fat pads than others, the Israeli researchers reported in the journal "Cell". According to the experts, therefore, general diet recommendations are pointless. Only with individually adapted nutritional recommendations could you regulate body weight effectively. Again, it mattered what was eaten. (Sb)