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Medically reviewed by Dr. Unsa Mohsin.
Weight loss doesn’t stop when you’ve reached your desired body weight. it’s even more difficult to keep the weight you lost from returning. It’s the primary source of frustration for people who want to stay fit. Often, it’s the reason why they just stop trying to lose weight altogether.
It goes on until you can healthily maintain your weight, which means it’s a commitment to sustaining a healthy lifestyle. That fact makes it more challenging for people to exercise regularly and eat right in the long run.
Weight maintenance involves consistency in doing the things that helped you lose weight. That’s easier said than done, which is why it’ll take your best efforts to achieve it. Here are tips that you can follow to prevent regaining the weight you lost.
Control your urge to eat when you’re stressed
Dieting and weight maintenance are also a mental battle as much as it is physically. When it comes to your eating habits, you need to watch both what you eat and how much you eat. How much you eat is the total calories you consume every time you feed yourself and its frequency.
Besides that, people have different triggers that urge them to eat. How you feel triggers eating, and you have to acknowledge that to keep the weight you lost from returning. Here are some healthy alternatives to your eating triggers:
- If you eat when you’re stressed, find other ways to calm yourself down, like meditation or read a book.
- If you eat when you’re low on energy, try taking a short nap or listening to energizing music.
You should also practice mindful eating, meaning don’t eat when you’re occupied by something else. Focus on eating your food, especially when it’s a meal. You should also choose to eat healthy foods to snack on for satisfying your hunger between meals. Curbing your appetite before eating another meal makes you eat less, but if you eat junk, it won’t matter how healthy your meal or diet plan is. Snack on nutritious food just like you’re in a tailored medical weight loss program.
Find ways to stay motivated
Finding the motivation to keep making efforts to eat right and stay active makes weight maintenance so difficult. The good thing about losing motivation is that it’s normal. Something as challenging as weight loss and weight maintenance does take a toll on you.
That’s why you must find ways to motivate yourself when you don’t feel like working out or eating healthy food. You have to know how to refocus your mind back to your goals. Here are good ways to stay motivated to stave off gaining back the weight you lost:
- Surround yourself with good people – Good people mean a circle that wants you to succeed and inspire you to get back on track when you get derailed.
- Take it slow – Don’t rush anything. Do things at your own pace, and remember that there are many factors affecting weight loss and weight gain.
- Track your progress – Seeing where you are and what you’ve accomplished puts things in perspective. If you’ve achieved your fitness goals before, you can maintain your weight. Keep track of your progress to build your confidence and see what things you need to improve.
Take charge of your food environment and keep on moving
It doesn’t hurt to reiterate the importance of eating right and staying active. These are the basic requirements for being physically fit. You should be consistent in eating healthy and exercising or working out.
Basic healthy eating requirements to stave off gaining back the weight you lost include cutting back on sugar and refined carbs. You should also eat fruits, vegetables, and other fiber-rich foods to improve your metabolism. You should also make it a point to eat on time, plan your meals and snacks, and drink more water.
For staying active, keep in mind that anything is better than nothing. Even the simplest activities like cleaning your room can burn calories. You also shouldn’t let time restraints prevent you from getting in a good workout. Thirty minutes is enough to exercise and sweat.
Final words
Keeping yourself from regaining the weight you lost may be difficult, but it’s not impossible. It may seem like it at times, but it’s not. Losing weight isn’t a linear experience, and there are things you can do, such as these tips to maintain a healthy body weight.
Author’s Bio:
Though not a medical professional, Hodge Racter knows a lot about medical topics, including testosterone replacement therapy (having undergone the procedure himself). Today, he remains spry and energetic despite his age, and on his free days, he spends time with his wife and two dogs.
