Maintaining weight loss can be challenging, but it’s crucial to adopt healthy habits that you can sustain over the long term. Here are 15 strategies to help you keep off the weight you’ve lost:
1. Set Realistic Goals
Make sure your weight loss goals are achievable and sustainable. Rapid or extreme weight loss methods are less likely to lead to long-term success, and will almost certainly lead to binge eating from stress.
2. Consistent Physical Activity
Continue to engage in regular physical activity even after reaching your weight loss goal. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise per week, along with strength training exercises at least two days a week.
3. Balanced Diet
Maintain a balanced and nutritious diet that includes a variety of foods from all food groups. Focus on portion control, and avoid restrictive diets that are hard to sustain over time.
4. Monitor Your Intake
Keep an eye on your daily calorie intake, and be mindful of portion sizes. Consider keeping a food journal or using a tracking app to help you stay on track. Make sure to log every meal and snack!
5. Regular Meals
Eat regular meals and snacks throughout the day to help control hunger and prevent overeating. Skipping meals can lead to unhealthy food choices and overeating later in the day.
6. Stay Hydrated
Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Sometimes, thirst can be mistaken for hunger, leading to unnecessary calorie consumption. Aim to consume half your body weight in ounces of water daily
7. Mindful Eating
Pay attention to what you eat and savor your food. Avoid eating in front of the TV or computer, as this can lead to mindless snacking and excess caloriie consumption.
8. Limit Processed Foods
Minimize the consumption of highly processed and sugary foods, as they can contribute to weight gain. Focus on whole, unprocessed foods. The shorter the ingredient list, the better!
9. Regular Weigh-Ins
Regularly monitor your weight to catch any fluctuations early. However, don’t become obsessive about the numbers on the scale. Body composition and how you feel are also essential indicators of your progress. Muscle is more dense than fat, so you can still be gaining weight even as you’re replacing fat with muscle.
10. Seek Support
Enlist the support of friends and family or consider joining a weight maintenance group. Having a support system can help you stay accountable and motivated.
11. Celebrate Achievements
Celebrate your successes, whether they are big or small. Recognize and reward yourself for sticking to your healthy habits. This will undoubtedly motivate you to stay on track.
12. Manage Stress
Stress can lead to emotional eating and weight gain. Practice stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, or engaging in hobbies you enjoy.
13. Sleep Well
Prioritize getting enough quality sleep. Poor sleep can disrupt hunger hormones and lead to weight gain. It can also make it more difficult to have enough recovery to be able to grow quality muscle. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep daily.
14. Plan Ahead
Plan your meals and snacks in advance, and have healthy options readily available. This can help you make better choices when hunger strikes. Meal prepping on a Sunday is a smart move to set yourself up for success throughout the week, by ensuring you don’t eat unhealthy foods when in a pinch.
15. Be Patient
Weight maintenance is a lifelong journey, and there may be occasional setbacks. Don’t get discouraged by small fluctuations in weight; instead, focus on long-term trends. Remember why you started. You didn’t get out of shape in a week, so you won’t get in your ideal shape in a week, either!
Conclusion
Maintaining weight loss is about creating a sustainable and healthy lifestyle rather than relying on short-term diets or extreme measures. It’s okay to enjoy occasional treats, but the key is moderation and balance. If you find yourself struggling to maintain your weight loss, consider consulting a registered dietitian or healthcare professional for personalized guidance and support.
Getting a food scale can also be a worthy investment. Weighing out your food ensures you’re not over consuming calories, which is necessary to avoid when maintaining your lost weight or attempting to lose even more weight. A high quality and highly rated food scale is the Amazon basics digital kitchen scale with LED display. It is Amazons choice for food scales, and has a 4.7 rating out of 5 on almost 80,000 reviews. Link to buy is below, if interested.