How to maintain weight loss

Now that you have put in the hard work to lose weight.  Have you stopped to think “How am I going to maintain weight loss?”  You have probably heard the stats of how many people regain the weight after a diet.  If you want to keep that weight off and never see it come back, you are going to have to make some lifestyle changes.  So what is it going to take to keep the weight off?

There are a few things which would seem obvious to help maintain weight loss. Things like

  • make healthy living a priority for yourself and your family;
  • choose to eat good, healthy food;
  • drink water instead of sugary drinks;
  • shop to be healthy – and help your budget too;
  • change to healthy recipes that are quick to make and delicious too;
  • limit alcohol intake;
  • make healthier choices when eating out;
  • eat breakfast everyday;
  • swap big serves for smaller ones;
  • go for healthy snacks.

When you have been losing weight, the focus has been to burn off more calories than you consume daily.  Now in order to maintain weight loss you have to balance the input versus output equation.  What are some key habits in getting this right?

ENERGY INTAKE

Keep portion in check

Counting calories isn’t necessary to maintain weight loss.  Are you unsure about how much you should be eating now to maintain your weight loss?  Individuals who have the greatest success at maintaining weight loss keep a food diary.  MyFitnessPal is a free resource for keeping a food diary and counting calories.

Know why you were over eating

Do you know what caused you to overeat and gain weight in the past?  What are the triggers?  Is it stress or depression?  Understanding this can help you put together a plan to overcome these issues.

Plan for success

Sit down at the start of each week and plan your meals for the week.  Make a list before you go shopping, and only buy what’s on the list.  This plan should include good lean sources of protein and a variety of fruit and vegetables.  Having a plan might help reduce the temptation to grab something not very healthy.

Use your scales

Not something that you expect to hear about maintaining your weight.  But I cannot tell you how many people I have met who have said “One day I saw myself and I was overweight”.  Getting on the scales every week helps you to keep an eye on your weight before it creeps up again.

Eat Breakfast

Eating breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your day. So start out with something that gives you nutrients, not empty calories. For instance, you could have oatmeal topped with fruit and nuts, or low-fat yogurt with berries , or an omelette loaded with veggies and some whole wheat toast on the side.

ENERGY OUTPUT

Exercise

Yes that’s right, you have to keep up your exercise.  Research shows that exercising for 30-60 minutes per day is a great strategy to maintain weight loss.  Burning off extra Calories give you a little leeway on those days you may have a blow out!  Don’t go overboard because it takes a lot more than 30-60 minutes of walking to burn off 500 calories.

Reduce Sitting time

Besides the adverse health effects of prolonged sitting, it also makes your metabolism slow and sluggish.  What does that mean?  Well the more you sit, the less energy you burn off.  Moving more during the day boost your metabolism and your energy levels too.

It may appear there are a lot of things to do to make sure you maintain weight loss.  However, i’m sure you did most of these things when you lost weight.  So, keep positive.  Don’t get down on yourself if you have an unhealthy meal.  Reward yourself along the way for maintaining your weight loss.  And remember WHY you want to maintain your new healthy weight.