Losing weight is a challenge, yet keeping it off can be even more difficult. When you reach your goal weight or are close to it, it can be difficult to sustain the lifestyle that helped you get there. For this reason, maintaining your goal weight is a matter of long-term planning: selecting a method of weight loss that becomes a lifestyle instead of a temporary fix.
Calories In = Calories Out
While researchers cite a number of complex math equations concerning your body type, genetic predisposition, etc., that determine how you lose weight, the basic math is that you must burn the same number of calories you eat each day to maintain your weight. If you eat less, you lose weight.
Many people believe they are eating fewer calories than they actually are. To see if this is true for you, keep a food journal for three days. Write down every bite of food you eat and the corresponding calories. Then, determine your daily calorie needs by using an online calorie calculator, such as the American Cancer Society's, that uses your body weight and activity level to determine how many calories you need to maintain your weight. Use the same calculator with your goal weight to determine how these two numbers differ. The goal weight calculation represents the number of calories you should eat to hit your weight-loss goal.
Eliminate Roadblocks
According to HelpGuide.org, attempts to maintain long-term weight loss fail for a number of reasons. These include feelings of deprivation or restriction, using a costly weight-loss program you cannot continue to afford or feelings of isolation in social situations. Therefore, the secret to losing weight is to choose foods and exercises you can continue eating for a lifetime.
Change your mode of thinking from a diet and exercise routine as a temporary fix to a lifestyle. Instead of making drastic changes all in one week, make one to two small changes each week, such as drinking more water or adding a fruit and vegetable to your daily food intake. By doing this, you will turn small changes into healthy habits.
Find an Exercise You Love--And Stick With It
Exercise not only burns calories, it helps relieve stress and tension that can lead to overeating. Getting your heart pumping causes your brain to produce endorphins--feel-good chemicals in the body that elevate your mood. When you feel good about yourself, you are more likely to stick with a diet and exercise routine.
Losing weight and keeping it off depends upon finding an exercise or exercises that you love. Whether it's dancing, running, taking an aerobics class or intramural sports, if you love doing it, you'll stick with it.
Member Comments