Maintaining weight loss and fitness demands following a nutritious diet, low in calories. In addition, you should be active every day, combining aerobic exercise with workouts that improve your strength, flexibility and range of motion. Effective diets give you flexibility in your food and exercise plan so you can stay in shape even during times of stress or changes in schedule. Speak with your doctor about diet goals if you have health concerns.
Food Swaps
One of the simplest ways to strike a balance between the calories you consume and the calories you burn involves making healthful food swaps. Start your day with a breakfast of steel-cut oats topped with berries or dried fruit. The high fiber content will make you feel full and give you energy for several hours. Rather than go low-carb with your lunch and dinner, switch to whole grains like polenta, unsweetened whole-wheat bread, brown rice, whole-wheat pasta, quinoa, wild rice, couscous or tabouleh for your side dishes. Eliminate processed meat, fried meat and red meat and get your protein from beans, nuts, grilled fish and skinless poultry instead. Cut out trans fat and use healthy fats from olive oil, nuts, canola oil, avocado, olives and seeds.
Flexible Diets
The most effective diets for losing weight and staying in shape are those you tailor to your schedule, taste preferences and lifestyle. A Mediterranean diet features diverse whole foods naturally low in calories. Eat fresh leafy greens, vegetables roasted in a splash of olive oil, herbs, spices, berries or other fruit at every meal. Each meal and snack can feature a single portion of a whole grain or legume, such as lentils, white beans or hummus. Eat grilled, steamed or baked seafood at least twice a week. Replace sugary desserts with fresh fruit and sweetened drinks with plain water.
Behavior Modification
Stay in shape by training yourself to eat only when you are hungry. Eat several small, fiber-filled snacks each day to keep you feeling satisfied. At meals, set your silverware on the table between bites and sip water to slow down your eating so you feel fuller sooner. When you feel the impulse to eat due to sadness, stress or anger, breathe deeply and visualize yourself in a calm, beautiful place. Try meditation, a walk or yoga rather than eating mindlessly.
Exercise
Doing regular cardiovascular and strengthening workouts burn calories, and help you maintain weight loss for the long term. People who exercise moderately to vigorously every day for at least 30 minutes improve their cardiovascular health and reduce their chance of getting certain types of cancer. If you do muscle-building activities, such a challenging yoga poses, pushups, pumping hand weights while walking or squats, you build lean muscle mass. Your body burns more calories to maintain dense muscle, raising your resting metabolic rate.
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