Nutrition and Diet for Maintenance: Staying on Track After Weight Loss  

Focusing on good diet that's not just nutritious but enjoyable enough to keep your tastebuds and your muscles satisfied is one of your most powerful long-term tools for maintenance.

Maintenance is all about staying consistent for the long term and keeping the motivation you built during your weight loss journey. It’s about finding healthy eating habits that fit into your life, help you stay energised, and make it easier to stick to your goals without slipping back into old routines.

Let’s explore the best strategies to help you keep reaping the rewards of your success in the long-term. 

Three key takeaways:  

• Maintenance isn’t about restriction but balance, consistency, and confidence. Your eating habits will need adjusting slightly now that your goal is stability. 
• Smart nutrition, portion awareness, and planning ahead help prevent weight regain while still allowing you to enjoy occasional treats. 
• Regularly checking in with your prescriber is key to ensuring you’re eating the right amount and tolerating your maintenance dose well while maintaining your new, healthier weight.  

From weight-loss mode → maintenance mindset what changes? 

As you transition from weight loss to maintenance mode, you’ll need to make some changes to your mindset and lifestyle.  

If you’re on a lower maintenance dose than you were on during your weight loss phase, you may notice that some hunger cues begin to return.  

This is normal and is something you can manage. Think about it, you’ve already completed the hardest leg of your weight loss journey. This phase is about keeping up those wins.  

Knowing you’ve already reached your weight loss targets should be a big confidence boost. You can feel reassured that you’re capable of making the tweaks to the healthy habits you’ve been building that will help you sustain that success.  

You may feel some hunger returning, but the reassuring news is that, although you’ll still need to eat mindfully and stick to a balanced diet, you won’t need to restrict your calories as much as during your weight loss phase. Think moving from a ‘strict weight loss’ mindset to a ‘lifestyle rhythm’ that’s more relaxed, yet controlled.  

How many calories to eat during maintenance phase 

To maintain weight loss, you shouldn’t go back to eating the same calories you were consuming before you started treatment.  

You should eat to maintain your current weight, which means you’ll need to calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR) in order to know your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). 

Your BMR is the number of calories you need to maintain bodily functions at rest (like breathing, growing hair and nails, and digesting food). Your TDEE is this number plus the calories burned from physical activity. This is the number of calories you’ll need to eat to stay at your new, healthier weight.  

For most people, hitting your calorie needs for maintenance will mean eating a few hundred calories more per day than you were during your weight loss phase.  

Using this extra calorie allowance to eat high-protein, high-fibre, nutrient-dense whole foods should comfortably enable you to manage any additional hunger you might feel at your maintenance dose, by keeping you feeling full and energised. 

To figure out your TDEE, you can use our handy BMR calculator and add an estimate of how many calories you burn each day through moving. Just make sure you don’t overestimate how many calories you’re burning every day through physical activity, so if you’re unsure, err on the side of caution.  

Portion sizes and smart meal planning  

As with your weight loss phase, having a strategy for how and what you eat is key to success during your maintenance phase. One way to ensure you don’t overeat and regain weight is to control portion size.  

The good news is you’ll already have developed this skill during your weight loss phase. And if you’re eating to maintain your new weight rather than for further weight loss, those portions can get a little bigger within reason, so long as they’re made up of a balanced mix of unprocessed whole foods. 

Plate method 

A good rule of thumb when loading your plate is to fill it in sections. You can do this by eye without the need to weigh and measure your food. Just aim for the following: 

• Fill half your plate with high-fibre veggies: like broccoli, brussel sprouts, carrots, beetroot, cauliflower, aubergine, and dark leafy greens. 
• Fill a quarter of your plate with lean protein: like beef, fish, turkey, chicken, tofu, or tempeh. 
• Fill a quarter of your plate with complex carbs: like brown rice, wholemeal pasta, sweet potatoes, or quinoa. 
• Add a tablespoon or two of healthy fats: like olive oil, avocados, coconut, nuts, or seeds.  

For proteins and carbs, aim for a hand-sized portion of each. 

Weight stability vs further weight loss 

For some people, weight loss may continue during the maintenance phase. If you’re looking to keep losing weight while on a maintenance dose, you’ll need to adjust your calorie intake so that you’re still in a deficit, but that calorie deficit can be smaller than during your active weight loss phase. 

A calorie deficit is when you burn more calories than you eat, so your daily intake falls below your TDEE, allowing you to keep losing weight 

During the active weight loss phase of your treatment, experts recommend an average calorie deficit of 500-750 calories a day to help you reach your weight loss goals.  

If you’ve already reached them, you can adjust that number to stay in a slight calorie deficit and keep steadily losing weight or re-add those calories to your food intake to stay at your new, healthier weight in the long run. 

When calculating your calorie needs for your maintenance phase, it’s important to remember that your daily calorie needs will be different now that you’re at a healthier weight than when you started.  

If you were to go back to eating the same number of calories you ate before hitting your weight loss goals, you’d likely regain some of the weight you’ve lost, as that calorie amount was to maintain a less healthy weight. 

Your prescriber can help you figure out your calorie needs for your long-term goals. 

Dealing with cravings and emotional eating  

Now you’ve put in the hard work of achieving visible weight loss to reach the maintenance phase, it’s time to start thinking about long-term weight management strategies.  

This includes developing healthy coping techniques for anything that could potentially derail your progress – things like food cravings and emotional eating. 

Everyone gets food cravings. For some people, they pass whether or not you act on them by eating. For others, they can be a little more difficult to manage.  

The important thing to remember is that you can develop strategies to bring your food cravings under control and that eating the occasional off-plan meal here and there won’t undo all the progress you’ve made, so long as you get straight back to your diet and exercise plan. But it’s important to be prepared when food cravings arise. 

To deal with food cravings, it helps to know what your triggers are. Triggers are anything that sets off a craving in you. Research shows hunger cues can be physical, triggered by hormones, or they can be caused by external cues like emotional stress.  

It’s important to understand that sometimes when you feel like eating, it may be your mind responding to a negative emotion, rather than a signal that your body actually needs more calories. 

Strategies you can develop and practice to help you cope with emotional eating cravings include: 

• Keeping a diary of your triggers: these could be life stressors like pressure at work, family responsibilities, or negative emotional states like boredom, sadness, or anxiety.  
• Having alternative coping strategies for when cravings strike: this could be going for a walk, calling a friend, listening to some inspirational music, or distracting yourself with a fidget spinner or a few minutes playing your favourite game. 
• Try talking therapy: behavioural therapies like cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can help you understand and reframe your thoughts and feelings around food. 
• Seek out support: there are plenty of groups online and in real life for people who struggle with emotional overeating, sometimes having a trusted group of friends and likeminded individuals can help you stay accountable and motivated, so find your community. 

To deal with physical hunger cues you can try: 

• Practice mindful eating: eat slowly and eliminate distractions like TV and your phone whilst eating so you can concentrate on your food, this will help you feel fuller sooner. 
• Wait a while: it takes time for your digestive system to signal to your brain that you’re full. If you notice yourself eating more than usual try taking a break and waiting 30 minutes to see if you still feel hungry. 
• Eat fibre first: Eating fibre first, then proteins and fats, and refined carbs last, helps you feel fuller for longer to reduce your chances of overeating. 
• Drink calorie-free drinks with meals: Sometimes your body confuses hunger and dehydration, making sure to stay well-hydrated by drinking lots of water throughout the day, including with meals, helps wash away urges to snack and help you stick to your meal plan. 

Eating out and social eating 

Sticking to your meal plan at home is one thing, but eating out and at social functions can be more challenging when you’re trying to stick to a calorie budget, as you have less control over what’s on the menu. 

If you’re trying to keep your calorie intake down while eating at a restaurant or party, try: 

• Looking at the menu online: do this before visiting to see what you can order with a couple of small changes - like a salad or steak with dressing or sauce on the side, or a burger without the bun, or with salad instead of chips as a side. 
• Ask for two spoons: if you want to order yourself a treat, like dessert, try splitting it with someone else.  
• Have your starter at home: if you’re going somewhere where you can’t check what’s on the menu, like a party, try having a small amount of salad or soup before you leave, to help fill you up with nutrient-dense food and reduce the urge to overeat when you get there. 
• Practice your plate ratio: While eating out, you can still make sure half your plate is filled with healthy veggies and fruits, a quarter with lean protein, and a quarter with carbs, as well as a couple of tablespoons of healthy fats. 

“Eating out can be tricky as you shift from weight loss into maintenance and can begin carefully re-introducing the occasional treat back into your diet. The key here is to allow yourself the occasional indulgence without going overboard. Too many treats will lead to weight gain but being too hard on yourself is unlikely to be sustainable in the long term. Just try to save the treats for special occasions like eating out and parties and keep your cupboard stocked with healthy options to limit temptation at home.” 

Ayesha Bashir, Prescribing pharmacist

Nutrients that matter in maintenance  

It’s important to fuel yourself properly during your maintenance phase to give you the energy to stay active and keep hormonal hunger cues in check. Here’s what’s important: 

Protein 

Protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle. This is important during maintenance as muscle helps your burn more calories even while resting. Research shows you need at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilo of bodyweight for weight loss. So, if you weigh 100kg, you should aim to eat at least 80g of protein a day.  

Healthy lean protein sources include: 

• chicken 
• turkey 
• beef 
• fish 
• dairy products like Greek yoghurt and cottage cheese 
• tofu 
• tempeh 

Fibre 

Fibre helps you feel fuller for longer, aids digestion, and reduces side effects like constipation. Healthy fibre sources include: 

• aubergine 
• artichokes 
• dark leafy greens like kale, chard, or spinach 
• potatoes 
• cauliflower 
• broccoli 
• beetroot 
• artichokes 
• brussels sprouts 
• carrots 
• legumes and beans like lentils, chickpeas, butter beans, and kidney beans 

Complex carbohydrates 

Complex carbs don’t go through a refinement process that removes fibre, so they help keep you feeling fuller longer and reduce blood sugar spikes. Try: 

• brown rice 
• wholemeal bread and pasta 
• quinoa 
• barley 
• buckwheat 
• oats  

Do people on maintenance need supplements?  

You don’t necessarily need to take supplements for weight loss medication during maintenance. Experts agree that it’s better to get your nutrients from food.  

But if reduced appetite from your medication is makes it difficult to eat enough to meet your nutrient needs, you can try supplementing the following: 

• vitamin D 
• vitamins B12 
• protein powders 
• iron 
• magnesium glycinate 
• omega-3 supplements, like fish oil 

Frequently asked questions   

Do I still lose weight on maintenance dose? 

This varies from person to person. You can, but it depends on your maintenance dose strength, starting weight, hormones, genetics, and diet and exercise plan. Though it is possible, the goal of the maintenance phase is to keep weight off, not to keep losing it.  

Can I eat more once I reach maintenance?  

Yes, most people will be able to increase their food and calorie intake once they reach a maintenance phase. However, it’s important not to overeat as you may regain lost weight. Your prescriber can help you figure out the right calorie intake for your maintenance. 

How do I know if I’m eating too much again? 

If you’re worried you might slip into overeating, you can talk to your prescriber about the right calorie amount for your maintenance. To be sure, calculate your total daily energy expenditure and use a calorie tracking app to make sure you’re sticking to your goals. 

What if my appetite starts coming back?  

If you find your hunger returning, you can try habit changes like eating fibre first and increasing protein to help you feel full, or you can talk to your prescriber about titrating up to a higher maintenance dose to suppress hunger cues. 

Should I track calories in maintenance or just portions? 

The best strategy is the one you can stick to, and that produces results. If portion control allows you to maintain your weight, stick with that. If you find it hard to control portions, tracking calories using an app is a better strategy for you.  

Is weight fluctuation normal?  

Yes, weight changes are normal during a maintenance phase. This could be due to water weight, increasing calorie intake, hormonal changes, or your body storing glycogen differently. If you’re worried about weight fluctuations, speak to your prescriber. 

How much regain is okay? 

This is a personal decision and how much weight regain feels tolerable is up to you. You should aim to stay within the healthy BMI range, even if you regain weight. Talk to your prescriber if you’re worried about weight regain. 

Sources: 

• Carbohydrates-Last Food Order Improves Time in Range and Reduces Glycemic Variability (2025) Diabetes Care [Accessed 27 October 2025] 
• The Effects of Soluble Dietary Fibers on Glycemic Response: An Overview and Futures Perspectives (2022) Foods [Accessed 27 October 2025] 
• Nutritional Considerations During Major Weight Loss Therapy: Focus on Optimal Protein and a Low-Carbohydrate Dietary Pattern (2024) Current Nutrition Reports [Accessed 27 October 2025] 
• Tackling Cravings in Medical Weight Management: An Update on Pathophysiology and an Integrated Approach to Treatment  (2024) Nutrients [Accessed 27 October 2025] 
• The Role of Lifestyle Modification with Second-Generation Anti-obesity Medications: Comparisons, Questions, and Clinical Opportunities (2023) Current Obesity Reports [Accessed 27 October 2025]