You’ve done it: you reached your goal weight. Congratulations! Now that the celebrations are out of the way, it’s time to deal with a very real issue: maintaining your weight loss. Many people know how to lose weight but they don’t quite know how to keep that weight off. The result? Over a period of months or even years, the weight slowly starts to creep back on. To avoid this, pay attention. These 4 ways to maintain your weight loss will make things a whole lot easier.
1) Reflect On Your Past
To make sure you’re keeping the weight off, it is important to look back. When you were at your heaviest, why were you overeating? Was it boredom? Emotional problems? Stress? Once you pin point the reason, you can do everything in your power to avoid getting back into that frame of mind. If stress was a factor, look for ways to reduce the amount of stress in your life and find some relaxing activities to do on the weekends. It’s all about finding solutions to make sure the changes you’ve made stick.
2) Don’t Stop Planning
After you’ve made it to your ultimate goal, you may start to think that your life can go back to the way it was. Wrong! The way things were before is what caused you to gain weight to begin with. That means you still need to keep up with your food journal, look for healthy recipes, avoid junk food whenever possible, and plan out your meals for the week. When you stop doing these things you set yourself up to fail. Maintaining your weight loss means including your lifestyle changes in your daily routine, even after you’ve shed the pounds.
3) Keep Track of Your Portion Sizes
Over time, you may find that your portion sizes start to get a little bit bigger and then a little bit bigger. It is easy to go into reward mode after you have lost all the weight you initially wanted to. Justifying that large piece of chocolate cake isn’t a good idea. Neither is that massive piece of steak. Despite reaching your goal, it is important that you make sure your portion sizes don’t change. An extra scoop here and there may begin to undo all of your hard work. Don’t let it!
4) Don’t Skimp On The Exercise
Exercise is always important. Whether you’re losing weight, maintaining it, or just trying to get healthy, you need to stay active. According to the National Weight Control Registry, studies have proven that men and women who exercised regularly kept the weight off. That means you still need to work up sweat! Aim for 30 minutes of exercise five to six times a week. You’ll stay fit and keep your weight exactly where you want it to be.
The last thing you want is to lose weight only to gain it all back. That is why it is so important to shift your focus on maintenance and taking care of your body. Remember, reaching your goal weight isn’t an excuse to slip back into old habits. Be sure to stick with a balanced diet and regular exercise. It will help you keep off the weight long term.
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