An estimated 20 percent of overweight and obese Americans have lost weight and kept it off — which might make you feel alternately inspired and a little underwhelmed.
There are a lot of opinions about losing weight, but what many dieters learn firsthand is that it can be just as difficult, if not more so, to maintain that weight loss, and yet the discussion surrounding maintenance is noticeably quieter.
The National Weight Control Registry was founded in 1994 to try to further that discussion. The Registry’s goal is to identify successful weight loss maintainers and study the habits, behaviors, skills and attitudes they share. Currently, the Registry tracks more than 10,000 Americans over the age of 18 who have maintained at least a 30-pound weight loss for a year or longer.