Weight Loss vs. Weight Management: Which is Harder?

Weight loss is something many people desperately want, but few have the drive to achieve it. It takes discipline and long-term lifestyle modifications to achieve, but results in increased self-confidence and improved health and wellness.

However, once the weight comes off, you're not done working; managing that weight loss also takes effort and discipline.

At Novell Primary Care and Weight Loss in Tallahassee, Florida, our team understands how tough it is to lose weight and keep it off. We offer various services to assist you along the way, including meal plans, appetite suppressants, and fat-burning shots.

Understanding weight loss

Weight loss is the process you go through to lose pounds and fat to achieve a lower body weight or BMI. It involves eating fewer calories than you burn throughout the day to create a deficit that results in weight loss.

Everyone goes through weight loss differently. People who have more muscle mass tend to burn more calories, and it's sometimes more difficult for women to lose weight than men.

The goal of weight loss is usually either to prevent chronic health problems or to feel better and boost self-esteem. In many cases, it's a mixture of both.

Weight loss happens when you burn more calories during the day than you consume with food. That creates a calorie deficit, which makes the body burn fat stores for necessary energy, resulting in slow weight loss.

To continue losing weight, you must keep up a calorie deficit. That means tracking what you eat and how many calories you're taking in while also engaging in regular physical activity.

What is weight management?

Weight management is the step after weight loss, where you try to maintain a stable weight. It's an all-encompassing approach to your health and weight, requiring lifelong lifestyle changes to keep excess weight off.

To maintain your weight, you must continue to eat a healthy diet without over-consuming calories or fatty foods. It's also essential to stay physically active daily to continue burning calories.

Another necessary step in managing your weight is stress reduction. Stress triggers the hormone cortisol, which often leads to weight gain, especially around the abdomen.

Whether you've recently lost weight, are looking to lose a few pounds, or have kept it off for a few years, weight management is a critical step in maintaining a healthy body weight and preventing rapid weight gain.

Is weight loss or management harder?

Neither weight loss nor weight management is easy, but in general, managing weight loss is more difficult than simply losing weight. Many people can shed a few pounds by simply watching what they eat or trying fad diets – but keeping it off is a little trickier.

There are many reasons that weight management is more complicated than weight loss, and they include:

Biological factors

Biological factors like metabolism and hormone production make it difficult to sustain long-term weight loss. After losing weight, the body's metabolism slows, and hunger hormones ramp up in an attempt to gain back lost weight.

Sustainability

Weight loss through fad diets or quick fixes is tough to keep off because they don't take into account long-term sustainability. Restrictive dieting may lead to overeating and more weight gain without a solid long-term plan.

Commitment

Losing weight and keeping it off takes extreme commitment, which not everyone has. You must adhere to eating a healthy diet and continuing to exercise even years after losing weight.

Mental factors

Stress and other mental factors make it challenging to sustain weight loss long-term. Many people find it difficult to maintain a regular exercise routine or eat a healthy diet over the long term.

We can help you manage your weight after weight loss with personalized meal plans, fitness plans, and accountability appointments. We also provide IV hydration and wellness injections to boost your health and metabolism.

To learn more about our weight management treatments, please get in touch with our Tallahassee, Florida, office today to schedule an appointment or book a consultation online.