8,500 daily steps shown to sustain weight loss; brief online mental technique curbs snacking

A meta‑analysis of 14 randomized trials involving 3,758 adults from Italy, Lebanon, Australia, the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom found that walking about 8,500 steps per day helps maintain weight loss after dieting. Participants who increased their activity from roughly 7,200 to 8,500 steps during the weight‑loss phase kept most of the lost weight during maintenance, averaging a daily step count of 8,241. The findings will be presented at the European Obesity Congress in Istanbul.

Separately, a randomized study at the University of Granada in Spain evaluated a brief online group intervention using the mental strategy known as implementation intentions with mental contrasting (MCII). Among 148 adults with excess weight who also received standard nutrition, exercise and motivational counseling, the MCII group reduced snack frequency, intake of ultra‑processed foods and achieved a clinically relevant drop in body‑mass index compared with control groups.