Losing a lot of weight can cause your spirit to soar, but gaining it all back will send you crashing back into reality. Lasting weight loss is not about getting rid of some pounds and going back to your regular habits. In order to not gain weight after dieting, you need to uncover the factors that put the pounds on to begin with and make a concerted effort to eliminate them from your life.
Two different groups of research---the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) from the Universities of Colorado and Pittsburgh, and a study by California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) in San Luis Obispo---examined the lives of people who lost weight and found that people who were able to keep it off had some common habits.
Step 1
Keep burning calories and lots of them. Both groups of research found that people who lost weight and kept it off burned an average of 2,800 to 2,877 calories every week. This is about equivalent to walking 4 miles every day or cutting back a little over 400 calories per day through exercise. If you aren't a fan of walking 4 miles a day, doing step aerobics, playing racquetball, swimming and bicycling for 30 minutes a day can all burn off roughly the same amount.
Step 2
Cut back on hours in front of the television. The Cal Poly study found that people who maintained their weight loss had fewer televisions and more exercise equipment in their houses than people who had trouble burning off pounds. Having a house full of tempting sedentary activities such as television, with no healthier alternatives to replace them, can be a problem for people who are trying to get and stay fit. With that in mind, take the television out of view of your kitchen and put it in a dedicated fitness room. Make television time exercise time as well.
Step 3
Stock your cabinets with healthy food. This goes along the same lines of thinking of having fewer distracting televisions around. The more junk food that constantly surrounds you, the harder it will be to resist making unhealthy snack and meal choices. Replace the potato chips with whole grain crackers and stock up your fruit drawer so that you will have a handful of healthy sweet options to choose from when you start craving sugar.
Step 4
Stay in control. Ultimately, having great willpower is what separates those who keep off the weight and those who gain it back after dieting. Plan for temptation to arise in daily life (such as the inviting bowl full of candy that sits next to your desk at work) and come up with ways to keep yourself from giving in. Keep a daily food journal to maintain awareness of what you're eating and how you're feeling. Once you lose track, you may suddenly find yourself wondering why your skinny jeans don't fit you anymore.
Tips and Warnings
- Seeing a behavioral therapist can also help you find productive ways to maintain your individualized weight maintenance goals.
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