Losing weight is only half the equation in body transformations - the main challenge is sustaining those results once the weight is off.
Now, researchers believe the answer may lie in walking, with 8,500 potentially the magic number of steps dieters need to keep unwanted pounds off.
The findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul will soon be published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Walking is accessible and easy to sustain over time
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Professor Marwan El Ghoch, of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy, who led the study, said: “Around 80 per cent of people who are overweight or obese and initially lose weight tend ot put some or all of it back on within three to five years.
“The identification of a strategy that would solve this problem and help people maintain their new weight would be of huge clinical value.”
Researchers comparing individuals who diet and exercise to people who diet alone found daily walks to be instrumental in preventing weight regain.
The study, led by Professor El Ghoch and colleagues in Italy and Lebanon, analysed 14 previous studies to identify the patterns.
The studies included 3,758 overweight or obese people with an average age of 53, including people in the UK, the US, Australia and Japan.
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A total of 1,987 participants were on lifestyle-modification programmes promoting healthy eating and walking.
A further 1,772 respondents acted as the control group, as they were either dieting alone or not receiving treatment.
The programmes have a weight-loss phase followed by a weight-maintenance phase, where the aim is to keep the weight off in the long term.
Both groups had a similar step count at the start of the study. The control group, whose step count was 7,180 at the start of the study, did not walk more. It did not lose any weight either.
The second group increased their step count from 7,280 to 8,353 steps a day and lost an average of 4.39 per cent of their body weight, or about nine pounds.
Walking is a simple and affordable weight loss strategy
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At the end of the weight-maintenance phase, these people were still walking and taking 8,241 steps a day, leading research to conclude there was a clear link between increasing step count and preventing weight gain.
Professor El Ghoch noted: “Participants should always be 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.
“Increasing the number of steps walking to 8,500 each day is a simple and affordable strategy to prevent weight gain.”
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