Increasing daily step count to around 8,500 and maintaining it over time may help people avoid regaining weight after dieting, according to a new study set to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2026 in Istanbul.
The research found a clear association between higher daily step counts and long-term weight maintenance following weight loss. Researchers said people who increased their physical activity during the weight-loss phase and sustained it afterwards regained significantly less weight than those who did not.
“The most important — and greatest — challenge when treating obesity is preventing weight regain,” said Professor Marwan El Ghoch from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy.
According to the researchers, nearly 80 per cent of people with overweight or obesity who initially lose weight regain some or all of it within three to five years.
To better understand how physical activity affects long-term weight management, researchers from Italy and Lebanon conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies.
Participants’ daily step counts were measured at the beginning of the trials, after the weight-loss phase, which lasted an average of 7.9 months, and after the weight-maintenance phase, which averaged 10.3 months.
At the start, both the lifestyle modification (LSM) group and the control group recorded similar daily step counts — around 7,200 steps a day.
The control group did not significantly increase their activity levels and did not experience meaningful weight loss.
In contrast, participants in the lifestyle modification group increased their average daily step count to 8,454 by the end of the weight-loss phase and lost an average of 4.39 per cent of their body weight, roughly 4 kg.
During the maintenance phase, they continued averaging more than 8,200 steps daily and managed to keep off most of the lost weight, maintaining an average overall weight loss of 3.28 per cent, or around 3 kg, by the end of the study period.
The findings were published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Researchers said the results highlight the importance of sustained physical activity in supporting long-term weight management and reducing the risk of weight regain after dieting.
(IANS)
