All it takes is a little Rearranging.
Bite This: Research has shown that about 20% of overweight individuals are successful at long-term weight loss maintenance when losing at least 10% of their body weight and maintaining that weight loss for at least 1 year.
You may notice that I write a lot about losing weight and weight loss strategies. And if you did not notice, then maybe you should read more posts and pay more attention. Part of the reason why I write about weight loss is because my work (and therefore most of my life) revolves around helping people lose weight. I say that loosely because really, all that I am doing is giving them the tools and knowledge to lose weight; I am not physically there to slap that doughnut out of their hand. (I bet I would be a lot better at my job if I was physically there to do that.) Some of the strategies I discuss are the same strategies I use for myself- if I didn't I would likely be 500 pounds.
When it comes to losing weight, we all know how to do it -everyone believes they are a dietitian or nutritionist and just "knows". But what happens once you lose that weight? Do you know how to maintain that weight loss? Because of metabolic reasons, weight loss maintenance is harder than losing the weight, but by using the strategies below it can be a lot easier.
1. Self-monitoring. Write it down. Everything that goes into your mouth, every calorie, write it down. Or better yet, there's an app for that -My Fitness Pal and Lose It for example. When you keep track of how many calories you're ingesting, you are more likely to stay within your calorie range and say no to that extra helping.
2. Exercise. Regular exercise is even more important for maintaining weight loss than it is for losing weight. Current recomendations are 60-90 minutes most days of the week for weight loss maintenance.
3. Plan. Plan what you are going to eat tomorrow. Then plan for the next day. Plan for the times you are away from home, plan for the times you are at a party. Make a plan for hypothetical situations so that you can choose the healthiest option. Plan for dining out - look up the menu online and choose the healthiest option. I do this all the time so that when it comes to making a game time decision, I already know what I am having.
4. Get support. Having a tight support system is key. Everyone needs that cheerleader and that encouragement to keep going. Surround yourself with friends/family who will go on a walk with you rather than go to happy hour. (I personally do not know these friends, but I am sure they are somewhere!)
5. Rearrange. The other morning I did not have to go to work until the afternoon. So what did I do? I did what any other sane dietitian would do - I rearranged my pantry so that I would stop eating so much cereal. Besides sugar and candy, I am addicted to cereal. I eat it morning, noon and night. And I eat any type. I discovered that one of the reasons why I eat so much of it is because it's on the top shelf of my pantry -right in front of my eyes. So I moved all of it to the shelf below. Sure, I've still had my share of cereal since then, but not nearly as much as usual. I also store all of my bakery items like chocolate chips on the lowest shelf in the pantry. I suggest moving all of the tempting foods to the bottom shelf - out of sight, out of mind. Usually.
So there you have it. The tools to help you keep the weight off. Bam.
What strategies do you use to help you stay in shape? Besides eating only one meal a day. That doesn't count.
Sound Bite: If you have a cool phone like me, download an app to help you keep track of the calories you eat. If you do not want to keep track of the calories, you can at least look up certain menu items on the app and get an idea of how many calories it contains. You might be surprised.
You may notice that I write a lot about losing weight and weight loss strategies. And if you did not notice, then maybe you should read more posts and pay more attention. Part of the reason why I write about weight loss is because my work (and therefore most of my life) revolves around helping people lose weight. I say that loosely because really, all that I am doing is giving them the tools and knowledge to lose weight; I am not physically there to slap that doughnut out of their hand. (I bet I would be a lot better at my job if I was physically there to do that.) Some of the strategies I discuss are the same strategies I use for myself- if I didn't I would likely be 500 pounds.
When it comes to losing weight, we all know how to do it -everyone believes they are a dietitian or nutritionist and just "knows". But what happens once you lose that weight? Do you know how to maintain that weight loss? Because of metabolic reasons, weight loss maintenance is harder than losing the weight, but by using the strategies below it can be a lot easier.
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1. Self-monitoring. Write it down. Everything that goes into your mouth, every calorie, write it down. Or better yet, there's an app for that -My Fitness Pal and Lose It for example. When you keep track of how many calories you're ingesting, you are more likely to stay within your calorie range and say no to that extra helping.
2. Exercise. Regular exercise is even more important for maintaining weight loss than it is for losing weight. Current recomendations are 60-90 minutes most days of the week for weight loss maintenance.
3. Plan. Plan what you are going to eat tomorrow. Then plan for the next day. Plan for the times you are away from home, plan for the times you are at a party. Make a plan for hypothetical situations so that you can choose the healthiest option. Plan for dining out - look up the menu online and choose the healthiest option. I do this all the time so that when it comes to making a game time decision, I already know what I am having.
4. Get support. Having a tight support system is key. Everyone needs that cheerleader and that encouragement to keep going. Surround yourself with friends/family who will go on a walk with you rather than go to happy hour. (I personally do not know these friends, but I am sure they are somewhere!)
5. Rearrange. The other morning I did not have to go to work until the afternoon. So what did I do? I did what any other sane dietitian would do - I rearranged my pantry so that I would stop eating so much cereal. Besides sugar and candy, I am addicted to cereal. I eat it morning, noon and night. And I eat any type. I discovered that one of the reasons why I eat so much of it is because it's on the top shelf of my pantry -right in front of my eyes. So I moved all of it to the shelf below. Sure, I've still had my share of cereal since then, but not nearly as much as usual. I also store all of my bakery items like chocolate chips on the lowest shelf in the pantry. I suggest moving all of the tempting foods to the bottom shelf - out of sight, out of mind. Usually.
So there you have it. The tools to help you keep the weight off. Bam.
What strategies do you use to help you stay in shape? Besides eating only one meal a day. That doesn't count.
Sound Bite: If you have a cool phone like me, download an app to help you keep track of the calories you eat. If you do not want to keep track of the calories, you can at least look up certain menu items on the app and get an idea of how many calories it contains. You might be surprised.
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