So, you lost the weight. Here’s How to Keep it Off

You did it. Through dedication, hard work and being ultra-aware of what you ate you lost 15 pounds. Now the hard part begins. You’ve got to keep those 15 pounds you lost, well, lost…out there wherever lost pounds go (maybe they just move around, jumping from one person to the next). The last thing you want to become is a yo-yo dieter or weight cycler, someone who is constantly losing weight and then putting it back on like Oprah Winfrey. Here are a few tips to help you keep those unwanted pounds (like unwanted house guests) from returning…

• Be ever vigilant. Continue doing what you did to lose the weight in the first place. It’s a never-ending battle to keep that weight off and the sooner you realize and accept that fact the sooner you can get busy keeping that weight off. The last thing you want to do is celebrate achieving your weight loss goal by rewarding yourself with milkshakes, pizza and ring dings…do they even still make ring dings? Continue to pay attention to what you eat and in what amount. Continue to count calories. Continue your physical exercise routine. Simply continue doing what you did to lose that weight, whatever it was.
• Continue to set goals even/especially if that goal is to keep the weight you lost from returning. Set daily/weekly/monthly exercise and calorie goals.
• Adopt a new form of exercise in order to keep your physical activity routine from becoming just that, a boring routine. Just be sure that whatever exercise you try burns calories at about the same rate as your old exercise. Try swimming, kayaking, hiking, yoga, Pilates, tai bo, boxing, roller blading, cross country skiing, dancing, team sports…whatever gets your out there and excited about exercising.
• Cut back your screen time and devote that time to making healthy meals or exercise. We tend to spend hours in front of a screen for no other reason than entertainment and then we complain about not having enough time to exercise or prepare and cook healthy meals. Track your screen time during a normal day, then figure out what percentage was for fun and what percentage is necessary…you know, work related and stuff. Then, cut your for-fun screen time by 20%-25% and use that time to help you keep off all that weight that you just lost.
• Become a mindful eater if you aren’t already. Avoid distractions while eating, especially a screen. We tend to eat more when distracted by a sporting event or The Bachelor(ette). Eat and chew slowly and enjoy, not only the taste of your food, but the aroma as well. Ditch the fork and start using chopsticks to slow down your eating process or keep the fork but use your non-dominant hand. Finally, before you go for seconds or dessert, wait a few minutes for your stomach to signal your brain that you are, in fact, full.
• Keep your motivation high by enlisting friends and family members for help. Also, use whatever app you can find to help you reach your goals, there are hundreds of them out there. This summer I’ve taken to walking laps around whatever baseball field my sons happen to be playing on. I downloaded a step-counting app and was totally surprised how dedicated I became to reaching the daily goals I set for myself…just sayin’.

Always remember that losing that initial weight is only one battle in the weight loss war and that this is a long-term war. That is why I believe that temporary dieting really serves no purpose if you simply put the weight back on later. Losing and keeping weight off is all about lifestyle changes rather than temporary diets.