New research to be presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, Turkey (May 12-15) suggests that walking around 8,500 steps a day may prevent you from gaining weight back after dieting. The survey results will also be published in a magazine. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Many weight loss programs encourage people to walk more each day, but researchers say there is limited evidence to show whether increasing the number of daily steps actually helps people lose weight while dieting. It also remains unclear whether walking more can help maintain weight loss over the long term, and if so, which steps are most effective.
Why is it important to prevent weight gain?
“The most important and biggest challenge in treating obesity is to prevent weight gain,” explains Professor Marwan El Goho from the Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neurosciences at the University of Modena Reggio Emilia in Modena, Italy.
“About 80% of people who are overweight or obese tend to gain some or all of the weight back within three to five years, even if they initially lose weight.
“If we can identify strategies that solve this problem and help people maintain their new weight, it would be of great clinical value.”
To investigate further, Professor El Gogh and colleagues from Italy and Lebanon conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies focusing on gait and weight management.
Approximately 4,000 adults were included in the analysis
Researchers reviewed 18 randomized controlled trials. Of these, 14 studies involving 3,758 adults were included in the final meta-analysis. The average age of the participants was 53 years, and the average BMI was 31 kg/m2. The study involved people from multiple countries including the UK, US, Australia and Japan.
The trial compared 1,987 participants who took part in a lifestyle modification (LSM) program to a control group of 1,771 people who either dieted without additional support or received no treatment.
The lifestyle modification program combines dietary guidance with recommendations to walk more and track your daily steps. These programs included an initial weight loss phase followed by a maintenance phase designed to help participants maintain their weight over the long term.
Researchers measured participants’ daily step counts at the beginning of the study, after a weight loss phase (average duration 7.9 months), and after a maintenance phase (average duration 10.3 months).
At the beginning of the study, activity levels in both groups were similar. Participants in the LSM group averaged 7,280 steps per day, and participants in the control group averaged 7,180 steps per day.
Increased step count reduces weight regain
The control group did not significantly increase their daily walking volume or experience any weight loss during the study.
However, participants in the LSM program increased their daily step count to an average of 8,454 steps by the end of the weight loss phase. During that time, they lost an average of 4.39% of their body weight, or about 4 kg.
Participants mostly maintained high activity levels throughout the maintenance phase, achieving an average of 8,241 steps per day by the end of the study. They also maintained most of the weight they lost, with an average long-term weight loss of 3.28%, or about 3 kg.
Further analysis revealed a clear relationship between increased daily steps and decreased weight gain. Researchers found that people who increased their step count during the weight loss phase and continued that level of activity afterwards were more successful in maintaining their weight loss.
Interestingly, in the early stages of the diet, walking more did not lead to greater weight loss. Researchers believe this may be because factors such as calorie reduction have a strong effect on short-term weight loss.
A simple and affordable strategy
Professor El Ghosh said the findings show that lifestyle modification programs can support meaningful long-term weight loss.
He added: “Participants should always be encouraged to increase their daily step count to approximately 8,500 steps during the weight loss phase and maintain this level of physical activity during the maintenance phase to prevent weight regain. “Increasing the number of daily steps taken to 8,500 steps is a simple and affordable strategy to prevent weight regain.”
