How To Maintain Your Weight Loss
Once you have started losing
weight, it is crucial to think of how
to maintain that weight
loss in the days ahead.
It may seem hard to believe, but taking the weight
off is the easy part. Maintaining weight
loss for good is where the real challenge
lies. If you are like me, you have tried countless
diets only to gain the weight back. People lose lots
of weight on diets everyday, but 95% of them gain
it back because they have focused only on the weight
loss. They follow the diet until they get to a particular
number on the scale and then shortly after, they go
back to the old lifestyle that made them overweight
in the first place. Of course, over time the weight
comes right back.
The truth is, almost everyone can
lose weight but only 5% keep it off.
These are the Weight Loss Registry's figures, not
mine. The WLR followed highly successful dieters and
came up with seven reasons why people were able to
keep the weight off.
Here are the seven reasons the dieters were successful.
1. The dieters accepted failure and kept on trying.
2. The dieters did not deny themselves--they indulged
from time to time.
3. They weighed themselves often.
4. They exercised one hour a day.
5. They added little bits of activity into their
daily life.
6. They followed a high carb and low fat diet.
7. They ate 5 meals a day.
When I compare my own weight
loss success to the list above, I would
say I learned how to maintain weight loss due to the
following: I do the best I can with what I have available.
Sometimes I am not always in a perfect situation with
the healthiest choices, but I make do with what is
there and I stick to the plan. If I make a not so
healthy choice, I don't beat myself up for it.
I eat YUMMY and whole foods. Using the finest ingredients
makes the most delicious meals and has helped me stick
to Living Well. If I wanted to indulge, I would make
it from scratch using the healthiest ingredients possible.
To me, indulging does not mean eating junk.
I use a tape measure to keep tabs on my weight and
occasionally weigh myself.
I really struggle with exercising regularly and I
have NEVER exercised for one hour a day consistently.
I will do heavy housework and other activities around
the house to get my heart rate up and I try different
forms of exercise all the time because I get bored
easily.
I think it is vital to get moving every day, somehow,
and it doesn't always mean you have to be in an aerobics
class or on some sort of machine to get your heart
rate up.
I eat organic whole foods and healthy oils. I am
not sold on the idea that low fat and high carb is
the way to go. High fat is not the answer either,
but healthy oils are not the enemy. The rights oils
will actually speed up the metabolism.
I eat only 3 meals a day and rarely snack. I do better
when I don't snack or graze on food all day. BUT,
you may be different. You have to do what works best
for you and your unique body.
This is the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL I think of the
health I have now and my future health EVERYDAY. I
really want to enjoy my older years and I want to
be healthy. I don't want to sit in a rocking chair,
talking about all my symptoms and the things that
ail me when I am in my golden years.
The Weight Loss Registry tips and my maintenance
tips are not the only path for everyone, but instead
are some ideas you can use to come up with your own
way to keep the weight off once you have lost it.
Ultimately, I think it is crucial to focus on your
health when changing over to a healthy lifestyle.
So many people are in a hurry to lose weight. They
spend their entire lives putting on the weight, losing
the weight temporarily on diets and just want to get
rid of it as fast as possible not taking in consideration
their state of health. I know you have heard this
many times before but if you don't have your health,
you don't have much. Being thin will mean nothing
to you if you compromise your health along the way.
Even if you are losing weight slowly, good for you!
The idea here is to take off the weight and keep it
off for good. Even just a couple of pounds a month
adds up over the course of a year. And for those that
were doing everything they could and continuing to
gain weight, just stopping that weight gain is a measure
of success.
With these tips, you now know how to maintain weight
loss. Give yourself time to adjust to a new and healthy
lifestyle and enjoy yourself along the way. A year
from now your body will be thanking you for it!
About the Author
Christopher Guerriero, is the founder
of the National Metabolic & Longevity Research
Center and a best-selling author, speaker, and coach
to millions. He is creator of the award-winning 'Maximize
Your Metabolism' system. To learn more about this
step-by-step program, and to sign up for FREE how-to
articles and FREE teleseminars, visit: Maximize
Your Metabolism
