You've recently lost weight and don't want to see the number on the scale rise again. Although it may appear that regaining weight is unavoidable, it is not. Long-term weight maintenance is possible, as per a recent study by the National Weight Control Registry, if you follow six important habits. Dietitians and successful dieters share the secrets for keeping the weight it off.
Step 1: Increase your lean muscular mass. Continue to grow lean muscle to keep or even boost your metabolism. Emily Banes, RD, clinical dietitian at Houston Northwest Medical Center, adds, "Muscle has a greater metabolism than fat." Add weight training to your overall regimen today if you haven't done so already. If you do, gradually increase the weight you're lifting to keep yourself challenged.
Step 2: Fill up on more filling items to stave off hunger. A three-year University of Pittsburgh study of 284 women aged 25 to 45 found that those who ate meals that left them feeling full prevented weight gain the best. "Foods high in fiber, such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, might help you feel full," explains Jenna An ding, PhD, RD, of Texas A&M University's nutrition and food science department in College Station, Texas.
Step 3: Avoid succumbing to temptation. The University of Pittsburgh study also discovered that women who had the best weight control were better at resisting the urge to binge on banned foods. This doesn't mean you should never have a gooey dessert again; it just means you should pick — and limit — your moments. There are a variety of strategies for avoiding daily temptations, including planning ahead of time when eating out, eating out less, and removing your worst vices from the house.
Step 4: Calories should be counted. According to the University of Pittsburgh study, another hallmark of good weight maintenance is calorie counting on a regular basis. If you want to keep track of your calorie intake, use a journal like My Calorie Counter to record a running total throughout the day. The women who were most effective in the weight-control study consumed fewer than 1,800 calories per day and consumed less fat.
Step 5: Make a meal plan ahead of time. A weight-loss diet has many of the same components as a maintenance diet. Although it has more calories than your diet plan, having a meal-by-meal plan that you can stick to can act as a guide to keep you on track.
Step 6: Consider increasing the time you spend exercising. Experts recommend 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week, but stress that the more you exercise, the more likely you are to sustain your weight loss. Participants in a weight-control study walked for at least 60 minutes each day — or burnt the equivalent number of calories through other activities — so aim for 60 to 90 minutes of physical exercise each day.
Step 7: Measure out your servings. The largest variables in success, according to a Center for Disease Control (CDC) research of more than 4,000 U.S. people, were measuring quantities and fats, especially the highest caloric items. This doesn't mean you have to carry a food scale around with you all the time, but using it as often as possible at home can teach you how to eyeball portion sizes in restaurants and know how much to eat and how much to take home in a doggy bag.
Step 8: Dairy should be a part of your diet. A study of 338 people found that those who had three or more servings of low-fat dairy per day were more likely to maintain their weight loss than those who consumed one serving or less. This has the added benefit of boosting bone health for women in particular.
Step 9: Allow your plate to serve as a guide. When you can't count calories or correctly measure portions, Banes suggests adopting the "plate method" to keep track of how much you're eating. This is terrific advice for dieters, but it also works for folks on a maintenance diet. Simply put, at least half of your plate should be veggies, and the remaining space should be evenly divided between lean protein and whole grains when you serve yourself following this manner. Limit yourself to vegetables, fruit, or low-fat dairy if you go back for seconds.
Step 10: Reduce the amount of television you watch. Dieters who watched less than 10 hours of TV each week were more successful in maintaining weight reduction than those who spent more time vegging out in front of the tube, according to the National Weight Control Registry Survey. And watching less TV may have other advantages: a Harvard School of Public Health study indicated that watching too much TV increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and death.
Step 11: Weigh yourself every day. According to the same CDC study, those who weigh themselves once a day are twice as likely to maintain their weight loss as those who don't go on the scale as often. Daily weigh-ins, which might be depressing on a diet, can be a godsend during maintenance since they allow you to spot and stop any sluggish creep upward as soon as it occurs.
Step 12: Breakfast should be consumed. There's a reason it's called the most important meal of the day. Women who ate breakfast on a daily basis lost more weight over time than those who skipped the first meal of the day, according to the study. To avoid splurging or overeating on special occasions, eat similar healthy alternatives on a regular basis (think oatmeal, Greek yogurt, and fresh fruit) and always start the day with a nutritious breakfast.
Start your weight-reduction program right away now that you know the secrets to long-term weight loss success!
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