Preventing kilo creep

3 mins to read

Do you weigh a little more than you did last year? What about compared to ten years ago? Instead of weight loss, maybe the focus should shift towards preventing weight gain, writes online personal trainer Andrew Cate.

Weight management

Kilo creep is a phenomenon where adults gain a small amount of weight every year. It’s estimated that women of reproductive age gain an average of 0.65 kilograms every 12 months.

Now that may not sound like much, but it adds up to 6.5 kg over 10 years. Kilo creep may be gradual, but you will certainly notice it when those jeans don’t fit anymore, or when that tight belt needs to move another notch.

That’s why kilo creep is also referred to as ‘middle-aged spread’, because people may not notice the extra weight until their 40s and 50s. There’s also the issue of people who lose weight successfully, but then fail to keep it off or gain even more weight afterwards.

So preventing weight re-gain is just as important as preventing weight gain. Even if you’re in a healthy weight range, preventing weight gain is an important strategy to avoid the health problems associated with excess body fat.

The research

Australian research reported in the British Medical Journal suggested that excess weight gain in women may be prevented by using a low intensity community based program that promotes self management and includes personal contact with ongoing remote support.

The study compared the changes in weight between two groups of women with young children over a 12 month period.

One group attended four one hour group sessions focused on diet, nutrition, goal setting, self monitoring, social support and training to prevent relapse. They also received ongoing text messages of support over the 12 month period.

The other group attended a single thirty minute group lecture about the benefits of healthy eating and regular physical exercise.

The subjects enrolled in the community-based program avoided weight gain over the 12 months, while the single lecture group gained an average of 830 grams – a figure in line with kilo creep.

The study results suggest a simple community support program may prevent women from putting on weight, and it could potentially prevent the gain of many more kilograms in the future.

Features of the group support program included group walks, monthly text messages to encourage a healthy lifestyle, and group meetings where a dietitian monitored their weight and discussed practical solutions to the barriers to weight loss. It was described as relatively low cost, and promoted self management through personal contact and ongoing support.

Preventive strategies

Fortunately, preventing weight gain can be easier than losing weight, because the changes needed are much smaller. Preventing weight gain involves the combination of a few simple strategies with a small attitude shift. Here are some tips that may help to keep kilo creep at bay.

Adjust your mindset – Instead of focusing on weight loss, place more emphasis on weight maintenance. Staying the same weight is an achievement worth celebrating.
Keep things in check – Because small weight gains can creep on before you know it, monitor your weight or waist circumference around once every month. This allows you to detect changes earlier and be proactive by adjusting your lifestyle accordingly.
Danger, beware – Be especially aware of kilo creep at certain danger times in life where physical activity may drop off, or when your diet changes. Some examples of this may include after finishing school or university, becoming a parent, getting married, getting divorced, during menopause, and retiring from work.
Once you’ve lost, don’t let go – If you’ve been successful at losing weight, try to stay on track. You’ll have to stick with the changes that helped you lose weight if you want to keep it off. This also emphasizes the importance of avoiding diets that are too restrictive in the first place.
Resistance movement – One of the most significant changes to your body as you age is the loss of muscle mass which lowers your metabolic rate. In other words, you don’t need as many kilojoules to survive as you once did in your twenties or early thirties. Regular participation in moderate exercise and a resistance training program may help to partially compensate for this age related loss of muscle mass and slowing of your metabolic rate.
Watch your portions – Slightly lowering your food intake to match your reduced need for kilojoules as you age will also help to prevent middle-aged spread. Increased or continued food intake that fails to adjust to reduced energy needs may contribute to kilo creep.
Walk together – Making physical activity accessible and easy makes it more likely to happen. Why not build on a connection and routine that’s already in place. For example, mothers could walk together after dropping their children at school, or co-workers could walk together in their lunch break. This also provides a good opportunity to discuss diet and exercise strategies.