Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight
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Sure you’ve tried diets in the past, but if this isn’t the first time you’ve tried to lose weight then you know that keeping it off can be tough. Successfully achieving and maintaining weight loss means making real lifestyle changes, and this doesn’t happen overnight. Making changes isn’t easy but the benefits of leading a healthier lifestyle, and feeling more confident, energized and in control will make it worth the effort. Before cutting a single calorie, here’s what you need to know.
Think Long Term Don’t make the mistake of perceiving that what you will have to do to lose weight, will be different from what you will have to do to keep it off. The changes required to achieve and maintain weight loss, are one in the same. Too often people fail to keep the weight off because they say to themselves “once I reach my goal weight I can go back to eating the way I want to”, or “once I lose this weight at least I won’t have to go to the gym anymore”. This mindset creates a disconnect between the changes required to lose and maintain weight loss, and perpetuates a cycle of yo-yo dieting. |
Say Good-Bye to Dieting
Instead start thinking about making permanent healthy lifestyle changes. For most people dieting is a temporary process associated with feelings of deprivation and hunger. Going on a “diet”, especially if it’s extremely low in calories may help you lose weight, but in the long term slows down your metabolism and doesn’t help you develop any of the skills you will need to keep the weight off.
Make Changes Slowly
Don’t plan to change everything at once. Making an overly ambitious resolution to lose weight often means that people will start with a bang, but lose momentum quickly. Begin by making one permanent change to your lifestyle each week. Over time these small changes can add up to have a big impact! Here are some examples
i. Start walking 30 minutes a day
ii. Drink more water
iii. Eat a fruit instead of cookies or sweets as a snack
iv. Eat a well balanced breakfast every morning
Keep a Food and Exercise Journal
Writing down what you’ve eaten and how much you’ve exercise may be more effective than you think. Research has shown that people, who wrote down their daily food intake and exercise minutes over the course of 4 months, lost twice as much weight as those who did not. Writing it down makes you accountable, and may make you think twice about having that slice of cake, or extra scoop of ice cream. Tracking your eating and exercising habits can also help you pin point areas for improvement. It may not be fun, but it works! Looking back over your progress can also serve as a source of inspiration on days when you need a little encouragement to stay motivated.
Set Realistic Goals
One of the strongest predictors of long term weight loss success is starting with the right goal. By having unrealistic expectations about how much or how quickly you want to lose weight, you could be setting yourself up for failure. If you want to maintain the weight you’ve lost then it’s important to understand that the process of developing health habits is just as important as the outcome itself. Focus on making positive lifestyle changes and developing sensible eating habits, rather than just a number on the scale. A goal of losing 20, 30, or 40 lbs can often feel overwhelming. Instead, start by setting smaller short term goals such as losing 5 lbs, or dropping a clothing size to help you stay motivated. Keep in mind that you have a better chance of keeping the weight off if you lose it slowly. A healthy weight loss average is typically 1-2 lbs per week.
Instead start thinking about making permanent healthy lifestyle changes. For most people dieting is a temporary process associated with feelings of deprivation and hunger. Going on a “diet”, especially if it’s extremely low in calories may help you lose weight, but in the long term slows down your metabolism and doesn’t help you develop any of the skills you will need to keep the weight off.
Make Changes Slowly
Don’t plan to change everything at once. Making an overly ambitious resolution to lose weight often means that people will start with a bang, but lose momentum quickly. Begin by making one permanent change to your lifestyle each week. Over time these small changes can add up to have a big impact! Here are some examples
i. Start walking 30 minutes a day
ii. Drink more water
iii. Eat a fruit instead of cookies or sweets as a snack
iv. Eat a well balanced breakfast every morning
Keep a Food and Exercise Journal
Writing down what you’ve eaten and how much you’ve exercise may be more effective than you think. Research has shown that people, who wrote down their daily food intake and exercise minutes over the course of 4 months, lost twice as much weight as those who did not. Writing it down makes you accountable, and may make you think twice about having that slice of cake, or extra scoop of ice cream. Tracking your eating and exercising habits can also help you pin point areas for improvement. It may not be fun, but it works! Looking back over your progress can also serve as a source of inspiration on days when you need a little encouragement to stay motivated.
Set Realistic Goals
One of the strongest predictors of long term weight loss success is starting with the right goal. By having unrealistic expectations about how much or how quickly you want to lose weight, you could be setting yourself up for failure. If you want to maintain the weight you’ve lost then it’s important to understand that the process of developing health habits is just as important as the outcome itself. Focus on making positive lifestyle changes and developing sensible eating habits, rather than just a number on the scale. A goal of losing 20, 30, or 40 lbs can often feel overwhelming. Instead, start by setting smaller short term goals such as losing 5 lbs, or dropping a clothing size to help you stay motivated. Keep in mind that you have a better chance of keeping the weight off if you lose it slowly. A healthy weight loss average is typically 1-2 lbs per week.