Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, May 11: A new international study has found that walking around 8,500 steps every day may significantly help people maintain weight loss and reduce the chances of regaining weight after dieting.
The findings, which will be presented at the European Congress on Obesity 2026 scheduled from May 12 to 15 in Istanbul, highlighted a strong connection between increased daily physical activity and long-term weight management.
According to the research, individuals who increased their daily step count during their weight-loss journey and continued maintaining that activity level afterward were more successful at keeping the weight off compared to those who remained less active.
The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, emphasized that preventing weight regain remains one of the biggest challenges in obesity treatment.
Lead researcher Marwan El Ghoch from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia explained that nearly 80 percent of people who lose weight tend to regain some or all of it within three to five years, making long-term maintenance strategies extremely important.
To better understand the role of physical activity in sustaining weight loss, researchers from Italy and Lebanon carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies focused on lifestyle modification and daily movement patterns.
The researchers tracked participants’ average daily step counts at the beginning of the studies, after the weight-loss phase, and again during the weight-maintenance phase. The weight-loss period lasted an average of nearly eight months, while the maintenance phase extended for around ten months.
At the start of the trials, both the lifestyle-modification group and the control group had similar activity levels, averaging around 7,200 steps per day.
However, major differences emerged over time. Participants in the lifestyle-modification group gradually increased their average daily steps to approximately 8,454 by the end of the weight-loss phase. This increase was associated with an average body weight reduction of about 4.39 percent, or roughly four kilograms.
Importantly, these participants continued maintaining a high level of daily activity during the maintenance stage, averaging more than 8,200 steps per day. As a result, they successfully retained most of their weight loss, with an average sustained reduction of about 3.28 percent, equivalent to nearly three kilograms.
In contrast, individuals in the control group did not significantly increase their daily movement levels and showed little to no meaningful weight reduction during the study period.
Professor El Ghoch noted that lifestyle modification programmes combining consistent physical activity with healthy habits can produce lasting benefits and support long-term weight management outcomes.