Weight Loss Tips

7 Weight Loss Tips: How to Keep the Weight Off

No doubt about it, it's hard to lose weight.  You've spent a lot of time and effort getting rid of those unwanted pounds.  Congratulations!  But your job is not done because if you're not paying attention, that weight can creep back on.  What should you do then, to keep the weight off for the long-term? 

1. It's a lifestyle:
Watching what you eat and making healthy food choices plus limiting your portion size is an ongoing thing.  Realize this is a lifestyle change, not something you did temporarily while on a diet and can forget about now.

2.  Start every day with breakfast:
If you eat a healthy breakfast every day, you're starting the day out with the fuel your body needs.   If you skip breakfast you might find you're okay for a short bit, but then you get overly hungry, which can lead to overeating and a downhill spiral the rest of the day.  Even if you screw up everything else with your weight loss maintenance, be sure to eat a nutritious breakfast.

3.  Incorporate planned cheat days:
No weight loss or weight maintenance success story should be without a planned cheat day.  Schedule your cheat day for once a week or once every two weeks and don't stray from that schedule.  It's a relief to know you can cheat and that can help you say no to foods on the naughty list until it's your cheat day.  Don't entirely get rid of forbidden foods or it will backfire; just give yourself a day to cheat, but not too often.

4.  Keep exercising:
Fast walking is an excellent way to help maintain our new weight.  If walking isn't your thing, find some other activity that will help you keep the weight off.  Exercise needs to be part of your lifestyle; it should become such a habit that your day will feel incomplete without exercise.

5.  Weigh Yourself Weekly:
Weigh yourself at the same time of day, preferably first thing in the morning, no more than once a week.  If the pounds start to come back on, you can attack your problem and manage it before it gets out of hand.  Stay consistent with your diet and exercise and your weight should stay consistent too. 

6.  Know what pushes your emotional-eating buttons:
By now you are probably well aware of what causes you to overeat or eat mindlessly.  If being around your sister-in-law stresses you out and makes you reach for the Halloween candy, then limit your time with her.  If you eat a bag of chips because you're bored, get out of the house and do something constructive like taking a walk or planting some flowers.

7.  Turn off the TV:
Not only does mindless eating happen in front of the TV and you're not totally aware of it, watching TV means you're spending all your time doing something passive when you could be active with exercise or fun activities.  Limit your TV time and you have a better chance of keeping the weight off.

The period of time right after your weight loss is the most critical.  This is when you have to realize the changes you made while losing the weight need to be permanent rather than temporary.  Make healthy eating with portion control, once a week monitoring, exercise, and cheat days a part of your ongoing weight maintenance to help you keep the extra weight off for good.