By I think this is the most challenging aspect of weight loss for many people. Once the weight comes off, which in itself can be difficult, is what we deem the “maintenance period” This is about unknown to many people, and it does require a bit of experimentation to hit your weigh maintenance sweet spot.
one thing I’d like to point out, is that once you lose weight, you must implement these strategies for life. Although I’m all for letting lose one in a while, it’s important to note that we have to keep ourselves under control. One cheat meal a week won’t harm us, it’s the constant Indulgence daily, or overeating beyond our macro-nutrient quota, that will surely see the scales tipping in the opposite direction.
Fortunately there are many tips and tricks I’ve used, which I’d love to share with you, that’s helped me transition from weight loss to maintenance stage. Consistency is key, so is self awareness.
6 tips for successful weight loss maintenance
- Always keep active on a daily basis. It’s not only about going to the gym for an hour each day. We must keep tabs on our daily activity expenditure as well. Are you sitting most of the day? Are you extremely active? If you have a sedentary job, then you need to think about more ways in which you can be active. Can you move around often in the office? How about walking to and from work instead of taking your car? Can you take the stairs instead of the lift or escalators? These little habits will make a hide difference over time. I’ve yet to see an overweight person that moves constantly during the day.
- Check your macro-nutrient ratio daily. Once you get into a proper routine when it comes to your macro nutrient count (carbs, fats and protein) it will become a lot easier to maintain your weight. It’s important to keep track of this daily, and it does help when you have a food tracking or food diary handy. Although it’s not a good idea to weight yourself constantly, I would gauge your progress by how well you fit into your clothes. As we know, a higher intake of carbs can increase fat storage. I would keep my eye on this macro-nutrient a lot more than fats and protein. You can afford to eat a little bit more protein, especially when you weight train. Keep track and make yourself accountable for all your food choices.
- Weight train. Make this a huge part of your training schedule. Although it does not burn as many calories as cardio sessions, it has the ability to build muscle and re-shape your body a lot more effectively. When we increase our muscle mass, our ability to burn calories at rest magnifies. This simply does not happen with cardio. There is a little but of muscle building in HIIT, but it’s not weight training. Seek the help of a trainer, or go online and learn as much as you can. It does help if you are passionate about it. This will develop when you start training, and see your body transition before your eyes. It’s a great feeling.
- Be vigilant about sticking to your eating plan at all times. When we make healthy choices on a daily basis, it becomes a positive habit. This can begin jarring when we start to consume snippets of junk food, here and there. Soon enough, we are back to a very negative diet and the fat starts accumulating again. Instill the best kinds of habits when it comes to your food plan daily, and then have one meal or treat per week. That’s it! Save indulgences for really rewarding things like a massage, going to a movie, seeing a show you love. Don’t reward yourself with food, we aren’t dogs after all. Structure your meals in advance, pre cook and prepare in batches, freeze if you need to, then defrost, heat and eat. It can be that easy, you just have to do it constantly.
- Drink lots of water. Sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger. Before you grab a bite to eat, drink 2 glasses of water and then wait. If you start feeling hungry shortly after, then it’s a good indication your grumbling is hunger. If not, just let it go and eat when you are hungry. Allow your body to become as hydrated as possible, as this will burn calories within itself. Hydration also keeps headaches and body aches at bay. When working out, make sure you are hydrated before your session. Drink one litre before you exercise, so that you can perform at your best. Drink about 3–4 liters of water daily, even more if you are sweating a lot.
- Control stress levels. A lot of people find stressful events a time to start snacking uncontrollably. When you are under a lot of stress, you will also be more inclined to make poor food choices. Keep these feelings at bay by adopting some positive and deep breathing exercises, as well as meditation and yoga. You will be very surprised how effective something like meditation is. Don’t let the feeling become so overwhelming that it triggers impulsive eating. One really great way to stop yourself is to call a friend, tell them what’s happening and let it out. Resorting to food will only make you feel even worse. Find what works for you and keep at it.
I do hope these help you out. Let me know if you need more information.
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