• Posted May 11, 2026

8,500 Steps A Day Could Be Sweet Spot For Preventing Weight Regain

About 8,500 steps a day may be the sweet spot for keeping weight off after dieting, new research shows.

The findings — recently published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health — are also scheduled for presentation this week at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul.

"The most important — and greatest — challenge when treating obesity is preventing weight regain," said lead researcher Marwan El Ghoch, a professor in biomedical, metabolic and neural sciences at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy. 

"Around 80% of people with overweight or obesity who initially lose weight tend to put some or all of it back on again within three to five years," he said. "The identification of a strategy that would solve this problem and help people maintain their new weight would be of huge clinical value."

El Ghoch and his team reviewed data from nearly 4,000 adults across multiple clinical trials focused on weight loss and weight maintenance. Some participants were enrolled in lifestyle programs that offered dietary advice and encouraged more daily walking. Others were either dieting alone or not receiving any treatment.

The results: People in the lifestyle programs who increased their daily step count to around 8,500 during the weight loss phase — and maintained that level afterwards — were more successful at keeping the pounds off long term.

On average, they lost about nine pounds over roughly eight months — and kept most of it off during the following 10 months. Meanwhile, the control groups kept averaging about 7,200 steps a day and did not lose any weight.

"Participants should be always encouraged to increase their step count to approximately 8,500 a day during the weight loss phase and sustain this level of physical activity during the maintenance phase to help prevent them from regaining weight," El Ghoch said. "Increasing the number of steps walked to 8,500 each day is a simple and affordable strategy to prevent weight regain."

More information

Johns Hopkins Medicine has more on maintaining weight loss.

SOURCE: HealthDay TV, May 11, 2026