Maintenance, Staying on Course
Once you’ve lost the weight that you want, it’s important to keep working to maintain that weight loss. Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do to make sure that you are managing your weight for the long term. One of the things to keep in mind is that weight loss and then weight management have to involve lifestyle changes, not temporary diet or exercise plans.
Choose Filling Foods
If you’re eating the right foods, you’ll feel full for longer, and can avoid eating calorie-heavy snacks in between meals or over-eating when it’s time for the next meal. This means that you need to eat foods like fruits and vegetables which are high in fiber, plenty of whole grains which contain complex carbohydrates, and lean sources of protein.
Keep Building Muscle
Once you’ve lost a bit of weight from focusing on intense, calorie-burning cardio exercises, you can back off of these slightly (go from 2 hours a day to just 1 hour), but should keep working on building your muscles. This will help you keep your metabolism at a higher rate whether you’re moving or resting since muscles burn more calories than fat.
Keep Counting Calories
Since apps make it so much easier to keep track of your calories, there’s no reason why you can’t keep counting your calories even after you’ve reached your weight loss goals. In fact, there have been several surveys done recently that found that people that used calorie-counting apps were able to maintain their weight much better than those who didn’t.
Resist Temptation
The temptation to eat sugary foods is something you will face every day, but there are some things that you can do about it. Rather than completely forbidding yourself from enjoying the sweet treats that you love the most, choose to limit that amount of these that you eat, and how often you eat them. By allowing yourself to occasionally have something sweet, you can resist the temptation to binge when you’ve gone a long period of time without it.
Start Meal Planning
One of the reasons that many people struggle with their weight is that they have to make fast decisions when it comes to eating which doesn’t give them the time they need to make sure that the food they’re choosing has the right balance of macronutrients or number of calories. However, by planning your meals in advance, you not only save time and money, but you can also take the time you need to make sure that your meals will help you maintain your weight loss.
Cut Back on TV Time
There are plenty of studies that show how much damage spending more time in front of the TV does to people, such as increasing your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and death. One study in particular showed that people who watched less than 10 hours of TV every week were able to lose more weight loss and better maintain that weight loss compared to those who watched more TV.