[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] Nutritionist Xue Xiaojing said in the Facebook fan page "Nutritionist Mom Xiaojing's Life Notes" that the most difficult thing about losing weight is not losing weight, but why it doesn't last long every time? The problem may not be self-discipline, but the lack of a consistent method of execution!
Xue Xiaojing said that in the early stages of weight loss, most people switch to sugar-free drinks for breakfast, reduce lunch portions, and start walking in the evening, and their weight does slowly decrease. However, after a few months, with busy work, frequent dinner parties, and increased stress, the originally planned diet and exercise plan began to loosen. "We all know the principles of weight loss, but why is it so difficult to actually implement it?"
From the perspective of obesity medicine, the body may undergo a series of physiological adjustments after weight loss, such as increased appetite, decreased energy consumption, and changes in food reward responses. Xue Xiaojing believes that "losing weight" and "maintaining it for a long time" are two different things, and the difficulty is quite different.
Is weight loss always a three-minute craze? The problem may be that the target is too vague!
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in "Obesity Reviews" in September 2026 compiled 65 randomized controlled trials, approximately 10,000 overweight or obese adults, and 87 behavioral intervention programs covering diet, exercise, or comprehensive types. The study included adults aged 18 to 64 with a BMI greater than 25, and required follow-up for at least 6 months, hoping to find out: Which "behavior change techniques" are more related to the effect of long-term weight management?
The results showed that the overall weight performance of the subjects who received behavioral intervention from the beginning to the end of the study was better than that of the control group, which was equivalent to an additional weight loss of about 3.25 kilograms on average!
But another result deserves our attention: when the study only observed the "weight maintenance period after the intervention," there was no significant difference in weight changes between the intervention group and the control group. This can easily be misunderstood as "the weight loss course is useless after it ends." In fact, this is not the case. It should be: the weight gap established during the intervention period was generally maintained during the follow-up, but the study did not prove that the intervention group would continue to lose more weight than the control group later.
Why can I always say "I want to eat less" but not be able to?
Xue Xiaojing mentioned that after researching and analyzing various behavior change techniques, she found that "setting specific goals" is one of the strategies that is relatively stable and performs well. Xue Xiaojing suggested:
Limit sugary drinks to once a week.
Eat at least half a bowl of vegetables for lunch and dinner.
Eat at least a palm-sized portion of protein at each meal.
Walk for 15 minutes after dinner.
These goals are specific, easy to record, and easier to know whether you have accomplished them. Changing from "wanting to lose weight" to "knowing what to do today" is an important starting point for behavior change.
Do you weigh yourself every day but the more you weigh yourself, the more anxious you become? The point of recording is actually not the numbers!
Xue Xiaojing reminded that "self-monitoring and feedback" are also important. Xue Xiaojing said that many studies use scales, pedometers, smart watches or diet records to help participants control their life behaviors.
Recording should not just focus on the weight number every day, but more importantly, find out the patterns in life: "I feel hungry very easily at four o'clock in the afternoon. Is it because I don't eat enough protein at lunch?", "I tend to gain weight on weekends. Is it because there are more dinner parties, or is the amount of activity significantly reduced?", "I have been craving sweets recently, do I happen to sleep less?" Through these records, you can gradually find the areas that really need adjustment.
Xue Xiaojing suggests starting with a simple way:
Measure your weight 2 to 3 days a week, along with photos of your meals and step records for the day.
There is no need to record all calories and nutrients from the beginning.
You don’t need a lot of information, the key is to be able to look back, find out the reasons, and correct the next step.
Xue Xiaojing mentioned that research has also found that "teaching how to implement" and "directly modeling behavior" may be related to better long-term weight results. Xue Xiaojing believes that in addition to imparting nutritional knowledge, weight management also needs to help everyone transform principles into real choices in life.
For example, many people’s lunch boxes mostly consist of white rice. First, make sure there is a palmful of protein food and at least half a bowl of vegetables. If the side dishes are not enough, you can add an extra serving of blanched vegetables or braised eggs to make the meal more complete, instead of waiting until you are hungry in the afternoon and then relying on cookies to satisfy your hunger. Breakfast can be paired with an egg, sugar-free soy milk or plain yogurt to increase protein intake and help prolong the feeling of satiety. If you often crave snacks in the afternoon, you can prepare tea eggs, sugar-free yogurt, or fresh fruit with a small amount of nuts in advance to reduce the chance of buying high-calorie snacks when you are hungry.
Are you tired just thinking about what to have for dinner every day? Losing weight also requires saving some energy for your brain!
Another technique worth noting in the study is called "conserving mental resources," which is to reduce the cognitive resources and decision-making burden required to perform healthy behaviors.
I don’t start thinking about what to eat for dinner until 7pm every day. At this time, it is often easier to order delivery, buy on the go, or choose the food I am most accustomed to. Options can be narrowed down in advance to make healthy eating easier:
There are 2 to 3 sets of breakfast combinations that rotate regularly.
First, find 3 convenience stores near the company that offer healthy meals.
The refrigerator is always stocked with eggs, tofu, and sugar-free soy milk.
Freezers prepare vegetables for easy heating.
Fix two exercise periods each week first, so you don't have to make a new decision every day whether you want to exercise or not.
Xue Xiaojing suggested that when healthy choices become convenient, you have a better chance of sustaining them in your busy life.
Why is it easier to give up when your weight loss plan is full?
There is another noteworthy result of the study: adding more behavior change techniques does not necessarily mean that the weight loss effect will be better. Requiring yourself to record calories, count protein, walk 10,000 steps a day, train hard, go to bed early, give up sweets, and weigh yourself every day at once may make the entire plan difficult to implement. Even the familiar "forming habits" did not show good results in this analysis.
Xue Xiaojing said that it does not mean that developing habits is not helpful. The study mentioned that this may be related to the intervention method, length of time, and how different techniques are combined. It is not yet possible to directly determine which combination is most effective. In addition, although the reward mechanism in the study showed a positive trend, some analyzes did not reach statistical significance, so it is more suitable as an auxiliary strategy rather than a method to ensure successful weight loss.
Weight maintenance after weight loss also requires long-term attention, especially appetite regulation, emotional stress and living environment, which may affect whether original habits can be sustained.
Xue Xiaojing suggested that if you want to lose weight for a longer time, you can practice these 5 things first.
1. Set only 1 to 2 behavioral goals at a time: for example, first achieve "vegetables for lunch every day + walk for 15 minutes after dinner" for two weeks, and then add other goals based on your performance.
2. Keep a small amount of records regularly: record your weight 2 to 3 times a week, along with photos of your diet for one day. The key is to find your own patterns, rather than letting numbers affect your mood all day long.
3. Do a review once a week: Check which period of time you are most hungry and which meal is the most difficult to control, and then make adjustments to that aspect. There is no need to start from scratch every time you encounter difficulties.
4. Turn healthy meals into a fixed option: Prepare 2 to 3 sets of breakfast, lunch and snack combinations in advance to reduce the number of temporary decisions and reduce the chance of out-of-control choices when eating out.
5. Focus on behavioral changes, not just kilograms: Are you eating more vegetables in a week? Is protein intake enough? Has the number of steps increased?
These behaviors are important abilities that still need to be continuously developed after weight loss. You don’t need to achieve perfect weight loss every day. The important thing is to find a method that suits you and is sustainable.
