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 help people avoid regaining weight after dieting. The findings will also be published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Many weight loss programs encourage people to walk more each day, but researchers say there has been limited evidence showing whether increasing daily steps actually helps people lose weight while dieting. It has also remained unclear whether walking more can help people maintain weight loss over time and, if so, what step count may be most effective.
Why Preventing Weight Regain Matters
“The most important — and greatest — challenge when treating obesity is preventing weight regain,” explains Professor Marwan El Ghoch, of the Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, 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.
“The identification of a strategy that would solve this problem and help people maintain their new weight would be of huge clinical value.”
To investigate further, Professor El Ghoch and colleagues from Italy and Lebanon carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of previous studies focused on walking and weight management.
Analysis Included Nearly 4,000 Adults
The researchers reviewed 18 randomized controlled trials. Of those, 14 studies involving 3,758 adults were included in the final meta-analysis. Participants had an average age of 53 years and an average BMI of 31 kg/m2. The studies included people from several countries, including the UK, US, Australia, and Japan.
The trials compared 1,987 participants enrolled in lifestyle modification (LSM) programs with 1,771 people in control groups who were either dieting without additional support or receiving no treatment.
The lifestyle modification programs combined dietary guidance with recommendations to walk more and track daily steps. These programs included an initial weight loss phase followed by a maintenance phase designed to help participants keep the weight off long term.
Researchers measured participants’ daily step counts at the beginning of the studies, after the weight loss phase (average duration of 7.9 months), and after the maintenance phase (average duration of 10.3 months).
At the start of the trials, both groups had similar activity levels. Participants in the LSM group averaged 7,280 steps per day, while those in the control group averaged 7,180 steps daily.
Higher Step Counts Linked to Less Weight Regain
The control group did not significantly increase daily walking and did not experience weight loss during the studies.
Participants in the LSM programs, however, 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, equal to roughly 4 kg.
Participants largely maintained their higher activity levels throughout the maintenance phase, averaging 8,241 steps per day by the end of the studies. They also kept off most of the weight they had lost, with an average long-term weight loss of 3.28%, or about 3 kg.
Further analysis revealed a clear connection between higher daily step counts and reduced weight regain. Researchers found that people who increased their steps during the weight loss phase and continued that level of activity afterward were more successful at maintaining their weight loss.
Interestingly, walking more was not linked to greater weight loss during the initial dieting phase. Researchers believe this may be because factors such as calorie reduction have a stronger effect on short-term weight loss.
A Simple and Affordable Strategy
Professor El Ghosh says the findings show that lifestyle modification programs can support meaningful long-term weight loss.
He adds: “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. “Increasing the number of steps walked to 8,500 each day is a simple and affordable strategy to prevent weight regain.”