How to Keep Weight Off After Losing It

Track Progress
Even if hesitant to do so, take those notorious before and after pictures. Snapping those pictures not only tracks all the progress made, but can spark ongoing motivation. Also note mood and energy levels to reassure just how maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle transpires beyond physical appearance.

Keep A Food Journal
One of the most invaluable ways to keep weight off after a diet is by keeping a food journal, or at least after following a rigid meal plan and in the beginning stages. Writing down all meals, snacks, and desserts can keep you mindful and accountable about the foods and drinks chosen to consume, or perhaps even urge individuals to rethink that second scoop of ice cream. Food journals can also help individuals consider and watch both portion and serving sizes.

Start the Day with A Balanced Breakfast
Touted as the most important meal of the day, consuming a balanced breakfast can heighten energy levels, subside those pesky cravings throughout the morning, and keep you motivated to make healthy choices throughout the day and time ahead.

Be Active
Beyond dietary recommendations and considerations, dismissing a sedentary lifestyle is extremely important to keep weight off forever. The combination of both aerobic exercise and resistance and strength training not only expends calories, but can help nurture and grow lean body mass to increase metabolic weight. But whether you enjoy swimming, kayaking, lifting weights, or yoga, the focus is not particularly on how you get active, just that you do on a regular basis.

Be Prepared
While it is irrational to plan out every futuristic detail, you can be equipped and prepared to make healthy choices in a number of situations and settings. For instance, practice meal preparation to limit drive thru runs after work, keep healthy snacks on hand to overcome the risk of purchasing chips and other innutritious snacks from the vending machine, have a water bottle handle to encourage the recommended 64-ounces of daily water intake, look at restaurant menus and construct a game plan before dining in, and lay out workout clothes the night before to motivate your morning exercise routine.

Manage Stress
Since life can get busy, stressful, and flood out healthy choices, it is important to recognize and strategize ways to manage such stress. Honing on negative feelings can cause a number of hormones to go haywire, ultimately heightening the risk of emotional eating, cravings, and fat storage in the body. So rather than succumbing to high stress, practice healthy and positive coping strategies, including taking a walk or jog, practicing yoga and meditation, calling a friend, relaxing in a warm bath, or listening and dancing to music.

Sleep
Weight can take a hit without adequate sleep and the importance of rest should not be slept on... Insufficient hours of shuteye may not only slow down your metabolic rate, but increase food cravings towards high-carb and fat foods and reduce energy levels to work out. Especially if regularly missing out on the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep each night, the compounding factors can start impeding on your weight loss and maintenance goals.

Stay Consistent
While enjoying a slice of birthday cake and binge watching your favorite television series is certainly okay on occasion, being consistent with healthy lifestyle choices truly is key when it comes to weight maintenance. And as time goes on and positive choices are made, weight losers find it easier and even more pleasurable to adhere to their newfound healthy lifestyle!