A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has found that even if older, post-menopausal women are successful at losing weight, keeping the weight off for a long time is a bigger challenge.

Lead investigator Bethany Barone Gibbs, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh department of health and physical activity, explains that a number of factors work against long-term weight loss.

“Not only does motivation decrease after you start losing weight, there are physiological changes, including a decreased resting metabolic rate. Appetite-related hormones increase. Researchers studying the brain are now finding that you have enhanced rewards and increased motivation to eat when you’ve lost weight,” Gibbs says.

These findings demonstrate that post-menopausal women need special strategies against regaining weight.

Eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat and cheese may be especially helpful.

“If the goal is to reduce the burden of obesity, the focus must be on long-term strategies because changes in eating behaviors only associated with short-term weight loss are likely to be ineffective and unsustainable,” Gibbs says.