If you took the diet and exercise approach to weight loss and you have finally slimmed down to your target weight, then congratulations! It may have been a long and arduous process but well worth it. But of course it does not end there. Although you can certainly relax a little bit now, the work is not over. If you want to stay trim, it will be a continuing process. What you do need to do next is go on a weight maintenance program.
Statistics say that 92% of people who achieve their target weight gain back what they lost within a year's time. Be careful then that you don't end up being one of them. To help keep you from becoming a retrograde dieter, here are some tips to help stay at your best weight for good.
1. Discover the root cause of your weight gain. Do you eat when you are depressed or anxious? If so, then you are an emotional eater who seeks comfort in food. It would not be such a big problem if an emotional eater only consumes a sensible amount of food. Unfortunately, emotional eaters eat uncontrollably. It is not surprising then that a lot of people gain excessive weight in this way. Finding out what emotions trigger your overeating is the first step to putting an end to this destructive behavior. Seek the help of a professional. Once the trigger has been identified, then it can be dealt with accordingly and you would not be overeating the next time you experience that dreaded emotion.
2. Practice portion control. We do not mean that you measure and weigh every morsel of food you eat. This is tedious and impractical. All you need to do is to be more conscientious about adjusting the portion you eat based on the caloric value of the food. For instance, a sliver of a pie is okay, but a huge chunk is an absolute a no-no. Pizza can be very fattening but a slice or two plus a salad is not harmful although it would be better if you could do some physical activity after dinner just to balance out the calorie count. Also, you can cut down the amount of fatty foods you eat by making it a habit to include a salad in your lunch or dinner meal. Before going to a dinner date or party, have something healthy to eat at home. This way you wouldn't have to consume the fattening fare served by your host. Keeping a food journal will help you monitor your food intake and determine whether you need to offset the amount of calories you have consumed with exercise or more salad.
3. Keep a food journal. A food journal is much more than just a list of the foods you have been eating. If you are conscientious in your journaling, you would be able to have a better idea of your eating behavior and patterns. A journal can help you discover your strengths and weaknesses as a dieter. With this insight, you would be able to make the necessary adjustments that would help you better manage your weight.
4. Prepare healthier versions of your favorite foods. With a bit of research and creativity, you would be able to create low calorie versions of your favorite dishes. There are books that feature healthy substitutes for common ingredients and low calorie versions of popular recipes. You can check out cooking shows and food websites as well.
5. Keep the Golden Rule of Weight Loss in mind: You must burn off more than you consume. You need to make exercise a regular part of your everyday routine. It should be 30 minutes in duration and challenging enough to make you sweat without being breathless. Walking is a great and simple form of exercise that works effectively. If you like sports, you can go swimming, play badminton or golf. Getting your friends or family involved will make it more fun and motivating.
Use your journal to identify your destructive eating behaviors. For instance, if you like eating at night, you have to stop because the calories you consume would only be stored in your body as fat. When you eat as well as how often also have an effect on whether the calories you consume would be effectively burned or not.
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