You counted calories and you exercised for months to lose weight and now it’s time to figure out how to keep the weight off.
You don’t want to blow all your hard work!
Maintaining your weight will be pretty easy if you follow the tips below:
1. Move That Body
Successful dieters exercise for at least 30 minutes a day to maintain their weight. You need to balance your calories in, and calories used.
Regular exercise helps you burn off some extra calories and increases your metabolism putting you in an energy balance, where you burn the same number of calories as you consume.
2. Write Down What You Are Eating Everyday
Recording what you eat every day helps to keep you accountable and motivated.
It also helps you keep track as it is easy to forget what you had for breakfast a few days later.
3. Eat Breakfast Everyday
Eating breakfast will boost your metabolism. Breakfast eaters usually exercise more and consume more fiber and micronutrients.
Those who’ve maintained weight loss successfully had eating breakfast in common as one of the daily behaviors that helped them maintain.
4. Weighing In
Weigh yourself at least once a week. Keeping tabs will let you know if you start gaining, and then you can fix it before it gets bigger.
Weighing in keeps you accountable, motivated, and committed to your maintenance goals.
5. Add Activity to Watching TV
Being sedentary is part of what contributed to your weight gain, right? Limit your television watching or do your yoga, stretches, or walking during your favorite shows.
6. Protein
Eating protein can help reduce your appetite because it decreases levels of the “hunger hormone,” Ghrelin and promotes hormones that make you feel full.
7. Pay Attention to Carbs
Refined carbs like white bread and fruit juices are stripped of their natural fiber. Eat whole grains and whole fruits because they have their natural fiber, which is key to helping you feel full.
8. Work Your Muscles
Lifting weights or resistance training at least twice a week will preserve your muscle mass, which keeps your metabolism strong.
9. Ditch the “Cheat Day” Mentality
This mentality leads to regaining weight. Loss of control can end up in a binge that sabotages your maintenance efforts.
You could end up gaining all the weight you lost and then some.
10. Water is Your Weight Maintenance Friend
Drinking water helps you feel full, which can have you eating 13% fewer calories and increases your metabolism.
11. Get Eight Hours of Sleep
Getting the right amount of sleep is important to your energy and hormone levels. If you don’t sleep well, you won’t be motivated to exercise and eat well, either.
12. Manage Your Stress
Stress can make you eat more impulsively and keep your belly fat in place because stress releases cortisol, which is responsible for belly fat.
13. Don’t Go it Alone – Find Support
It can be difficult to maintain your weight goals alone.
Support helps you with accountability. A partner is great for motivation and maintenance as well.
14. Fill Up on Veggies
Vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber. The fiber and large portions are a bonus in keeping you feeling satisfied. Plus, you get tons of good-for-you nutrients.
15. Stay Consistent
Consistency is key to keeping weight off. You need 21 days to make a habit. Consistent healthy habits will soon become a habit that will make your weight maintenance easy and simple.
16. Practice Mindful Eating
Taking your time eating, chewing thoroughly to savor the taste is mindful eating. Eating this way gives your stomach time to tell your brain you are full.
You may even be able to skip counting calories by eating mindfully.
Other Things to Consider
Quick Fix Weight Loss vs. Long-Term:
When you think of a diet as a quick fix, rather than a long-term solution to better your health, you will be more likely to give up and gain back the weight you lost.
If you find you have tried all of these tips and want a quick fix that will be long-term, consider bariatric surgery.
You may have concerns around lap band complications which are normal. You can always contact a bariatric surgeon to discuss your concerns and options you may have.
Check out this list of lap band complications.
Temporary Willpower vs. Lifelong Healthy Habits:
Many diets are based on willpower rather than habits you can incorporate into your daily life. They focus on rules rather than lifestyle changes, which may discourage you and prevent weight maintenance.
The number one reason people regain the weight they lost is because of unrealistic dieting that is too hard for the long haul.
Maintaining your weight loss comes down to making and utilizing changes in your lifestyle that you can sustain for life.
Take time to figure out the food, exercise, sleep, and mental health requirements you’ll need for success.
