Now what? What now?
It can be difficult to know how to maintain weight loss.
Many of the same healthy habits you can use to lose weight will also help you maintain your weight loss.
Jessica Tilton, a senior clinical dietitian, shares her tips on how to make weight loss last.
Reevaluate your body needs
Let’s first discuss why weight gain is so common after weight loss. Tilton says that when your body has less mass, it needs less energy, which is fewer calories.
As weight loss proceeds, energy requirements decrease. She says that most people struggle to maintain their lower energy levels once they reach their goal weight.
She suggests using a Body Weight Planner in order to determine the number of calories you should consume per day, depending on your height, weight, age, gender and level of activity.
Check the calories or portions sizes
A caloric surplus is required to lose weight. This means eating fewer calories than the body needs. You no longer have to maintain a caloric surplus after you lose weight. But if you return to your old eating habits, it could lead to weight gain.
To maintain your weight, it’s important to stick to a caloric target. Tilton says that the most important thing to remember is to keep track of your diet, exercise and weight.
If tracking calories is not the right approach for you, then don’t worry! Following the tips in this article, such as choosing healthy foods and keeping an eye on your portion sizes, can help you maintain weight loss.
Regularly eating is important.
You’ll understand why Tilton recommends eating regularly in order to maintain weight loss if you’ve ever felt so hungry that you overate when you were finally able to eat.
If you eat too much at once, your glucose levels can spike. This is followed by a crash. If you eat 3 meals instead of 1, you will be less hungry and therefore able to consume fewer calories. “You can plan your meals and have a more balanced glucose level if you control them,” says the expert.
Healthy Foods and Drinks
After we have covered when to eat let’s discuss what to eat.
Dietitians at MD Anderson recommend healthy eating. This means that you should fill two-thirds of your plate up with whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and beans.
Tilton recommends that you eat more vegetables, especially non-starchy ones, and choose fewer high-calorie foods such as fast food, processed food, and deep-fried foods.
You can also affect your weight by what you drink. Be sure to count the calories of soda, sports drinks and energy drinks as well as sweetened coffees, teas, and alcohol.
It is best to avoid alcohol for cancer prevention. MD Anderson advises those who choose to drink to limit their intake to no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.
Prioritize physical exercise
Although Tilton claims that diet plays the biggest role in weight loss, movement is important for overall health.
Physical Activity is good for your heart, digestion and muscles. Physical activity can also help maintain a healthy weight and lower cancer risk.
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, 150 minutes of physical activity per week is recommended. You could dedicate 30 minutes a day to your favorite type of exercise, such as lifting weights or swimming, doing yoga, jogging or dancing, strength-training, walking, taking group fitness classes or playing sports. Find out what you enjoy!
Start slowly if you haven’t done so already.
You could do this by increasing your physical activity gradually over a period of weeks. In the first week you might add three times 15 minutes of physical exercise, such as walking or cycling, to your daily routine. Next week, add 20 minutes to your routine. In the third week, you should aim to exercise for 25 minutes 4 times. By the fourth week, you should exercise 30 minutes 5 times.
Set a goal of standing up and moving for one or two minutes each hour that you are awake.
Sleep enough
Sleep is just as important to weight loss as diet and exercise.
Tilton says that studies have shown that getting enough sleep is linked to weight loss. She also says that sleep is important for the brain-gut link and too little sleep increases inflammation.
She says that sleep is important because “there’s a strong brain-gut link”.
Adults should sleep between 7 and 8 hours each night.
Keep track of your progress
Tilton’s best advice to anyone who wants to lose weight is to track progress.
You can do this by weighing yourself daily, weekly, taking photos of your progress, or noting the fit of your favorite pants.
Tilton says that self-monitoring will give you insight into lifestyle factors which may influence your weight. It could be as easy as noting you ate more than usual over the weekend, or that you haven’t had time to exercise.
Tilton acknowledges, too, that weight loss is a long and difficult process.
Weight loss is difficult to maintain. It is never linear. “I always remind people to lose 5 to 10 percent of their weight, as it has shown positive effects,” she says.
Tilton recommends that if you’re struggling to maintain your weight loss, you consult a dietitian. It can be helpful, especially if you are not sure you will stick to the changes you initially made to lose weight.
Bahmann Coaching says that “the changes needed to lose weight will take time.” They’re ones that the client can live with forever. It’s not just a six-month project.