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Walk 8,500 Steps Daily to Keep Weight Off After Dieting, Study Finds

A new study presented at the European Congress on Obesity shows that walking 8,500 steps daily can help people keep weight off after dieting. Researchers found a clear link between increasing step count during the weight loss phase and preventing weight regain. Patients who increased their steps to 8,454 a day lost significant weight and maintained most of it by keeping up their step count. Professor Marwan El Ghoch emphasized that identifying strategies to prevent weight regain is of huge clinical value.

Key Points: 8,500 Steps Daily Prevents Weight Regain After Dieting

  • 8,500 daily steps helps prevent weight regain after dieting
  • Step increase during weight loss phase critical
  • Lifestyle modification programs lead to long-term weight loss
  • 80% of dieters regain weight within 3-5 years
2 min read

Increase daily steps to 8,500 and keep weight off after dieting: Study

New study shows walking 8,500 steps a day helps maintain weight loss. Key to preventing regain is increasing steps during dieting and keeping them up.

"The most important - and greatest - challenge when treating obesity is preventing weight regain - Professor Marwan El Ghoch"

New Delhi, May 10

Doing around 8,500 steps a day can help people keep weight off after dieting, according to new research.

To be presented at the 'European Congress on Obesity' (ECO 2026) in Istanbul, Turkey, from May 12-15, the study showed that there was a clear link between increasing step count and preventing weight regain.

Specifically, it was important to increase step count during the weight loss phase and maintain this increase during the weight maintenance phase. Patients who did so regained less weight, said the study published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

"The most important - and greatest - challenge when treating obesity is preventing weight regain," explains Professor Marwan El Ghoch from University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.

Around 80 per cent 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," he said

Professor El Ghoch and researchers from Italy and Lebanon conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing research to find out more.

Daily number of steps was measured at the start of the trials, at the end of the weight loss phase (average duration of 7.9 months) and at the end of the weight maintenance phase (average duration of 10.3 months).

Both groups of patients had a similar number of steps per day at the start of the trials (7,280 in LSM group vs. 7,180 in control group) indicating that they had similar lifestyles at baseline.

The control group did not increase their number of steps and did not lose weight at any time.

In contrast, the LSM group increased their step count to 8,454 a day by the end of the weight loss phase. They also lost a significant amount of their body weight (4.39% on average, around 4 kg)

They maintained this higher step count and, at the end of the weight maintenance phase, they were doing 8,241 steps daily. They also kept off most of the weight they had lost (average weight loss at end of trials of 3.28 per cent, around 3 kg).

Professor El Ghosh said that lifestyle modification programmes can lead to a meaningful amount of weight loss long term.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

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Jennifer L
Interesting study but 8,500 steps is quite a lot for people with desk jobs. I manage 7,000 on a good day and that already feels like a workout. Wonder if they factored in different lifestyles and urban environments where walking outdoors isn't always safe or practical.
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Kavya N
Finally some practical advice! 💪 I lost 5 kg during my wedding prep just by increasing my daily walks. Indian women understand - our maids and grandmothers have been walking 10,000+ steps daily for generations without even knowing it! The key is consistency, not crash diets.
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David E
This makes sense. The hardest part after losing weight is keeping it off. I think the 8,500 step target is achievable for most people with small changes - parking farther away, taking stairs, walking during lunch breaks. But we need more studies from different climates and cultures.
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Pooja D
Nice to see research on practical solutions instead of fancy gym equipment! My father walks 10,000 steps everyday at 65 and has kept his weight stable for 20 years. The Indian habit of evening walks (shaam ki sair) is truly underrated. 🇮🇳
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Matthew K
While the 8,500 steps target is useful, I wish the study also examined diet quality. Weight loss isn't just about steps - what we eat matters too. Especially in India, where many traditional foods are healthy but portion sizes have increased. Good data point, but not the whole picture.

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