BRIEF REPORT Weight control behaviors of highly successful weight loss maintainers: the Portuguese Weight Control Registry Ine ˆs Santos 1 • Paulo N. Vieira 2 • Marlene N. Silva 1 • Luı ´s B. Sardinha 1 • Pedro J. Teixeira 1 Received: May 4, 2016 / Accepted: August 13, 2016 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2016 Abstract To describe key behaviors reported by partici- pants in the Portuguese Weight Control Registry and to determine associations between these behaviors and weight loss maintenance. A total of 388 adults participated in this cross-sectional study. Assessments included demographic information, weight history, weight loss and weight maintenance strategies, dietary intake, and physical activ- ity. Participants lost on average 18 kg, which they had maintained for *28 months. Their average dietary intake was 2199 kcal/day, with 33 % of energy coming from fat. About 78 % of participants engaged in levels of moderate- plus-vigorous physical activity exceeding 150 min/week (51 % above 250 min/week), with men accumulating 82 more minutes than women (p \ 0.05). The most frequently reported strategies for both weight loss and maintenance were keeping healthy foods at home, consuming vegeta- bles regularly, and having daily breakfast. Greater weight loss maintenance was associated with higher levels of physical activity, walking, weight self-monitoring, estab- lishing specific goals, and with reduced portion size use, reduced consumption of carbohydrates, and increased consumption of protein, (p \ 0.05). Results indicate that weight loss maintenance is possible through the adoption of a nutritionally-balanced diet and regular participation in physical activity, but also suggest that adopting different (and, to a degree, individualized) set of behavioral strate- gies is key for achieving success. Keywords Weight loss Á Weight maintenance Á Strategies Á Behaviors Á Weight Control Registry Introduction Long-term weight loss maintenance is a critical yet elusive goal for many individuals (Stevens et al., 2006). Inter- ventions combining diet, exercise, and behavior change strategies show some success but weight lost is typically regained within a few years (Powell & Calvin, 2007). However, up to 20 % of individuals with excess weight are able to lose at least 5 % of their initial body weight and maintain it for many years (Wing & Hill, 2001). The US National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) is one of the richest databases detailing the characteristics of successful weight loss maintainers, highlighting a number of psy- chological and behavioral factors which may serve as guidance for others attempting to lose weight (Catenacci et al., 2008; Ogden et al., 2012). With the exception of Germany (Feller et al., 2015), Portugal is presumably the only other nation with a comparable weight control registry (Vieira et al., 2012, 2014). The Portuguese Weight Control Registry (PWCR) was established in 2008 and consists of an ongoing voluntary registry of adults who have been successful at losing at least 5 kg and have kept it off for 1 year or more. Despite the specificities of each registry regarding the minimum amount of weight loss for eligi- bility [13.6 kg in the NWCR; 10 % in the German Weight Control Registry (GWCR)], all registries were set with the Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10865-016-9786-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. & Pedro J. Teixeira pteixeira@fmh.ulisboa.pt 1 Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Human Performance, Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon, Estrada da Costa, 1495-688 Cruz Quebrada, Portugal 2 Universidade Europeia, Quinta do Bom Nome, Estrada da Correia 53, 1500-210 Lisbon, Portugal 123 J Behav Med DOI 10.1007/s10865-016-9786-y