A new study has revealed the number of daily walking steps that may help maintain weight after dieting and reduce the chances of regaining it over time.
The study, which was presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, indicated that maintaining physical activity after the end of a diet is an important factor in long-term weight stabilization.
Professor Marwan Alghouch, from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, says that the biggest challenge in treating obesity is not just losing weight, but preventing it from being regained later, explaining that about 80% of people who succeed in losing weight regain some or all of it within three to five years.
To understand the role of walking in weight stabilization, researchers from Italy and Lebanon conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 previous studies that examined the relationship between physical activity and weight maintenance after dieting.
The studies included more than 3,700 overweight or obese people, with an average age of 53, from several countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan.
The researchers compared two groups: the first participated in lifestyle modification programs that included a diet and encouragement to increase walking and count daily steps, while the second group followed a diet only or did not receive any therapeutic intervention.
The results showed that participants in lifestyle modification programs increased their average daily steps from about 7,280 steps to more than 8,450 steps per day during the weight loss phase, and were able to lose about 4 kilograms on average.
The participants also maintained a relatively high rate of activity after the end of the diet, with an average of more than 8,200 daily steps, which helped them maintain most of the weight they lost.
In contrast, the control group did not show any significant increase in the number of daily steps, nor did it achieve significant results in weight loss.
The analysis revealed that the most important factor was not just weight loss, but continued physical activity after dieting, as people who maintained an increase in their daily steps recorded lower rates of weight regain.
However, the researchers explained that increasing the number of steps was not associated with greater weight loss during the diet period itself, suggesting that reducing calories was the most influential factor in the weight loss phase.
The researchers concluded that reaching approximately 8,500 steps per day, while maintaining this level of activity after dieting, may be a simple and low-cost way to help stabilize weight and reduce the likelihood of regaining it in the future.
The study was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
