Tips to maintain your weight

[JuanFitbit]

Hi everyone !

Hoping you all are achieving your goals!

After a lot of exercise, trying different diets, a long and very dedicated road you took, you got to your desired weight! Congratulations !!

Now another road opens that is to keep/maintain this ! This should not mean that's going to be as hard as to get to the desire weight. 

A lot of experts recommend :

• Not  to skip breakfast, as on this meal, you could take a lot of energetic food that will help you avoid having to snack during the day.
• Drink water during the day, as this gets reduces the feeling of being hungry. 
• Exercise, as this stimulates your metabolism. 
• Having a good sleep. Some experts mention this, as a bad sleep contributes to stress, and this could make you "hungrier".

Do you have more tips to share?

What has worked for you?

I'll love to hear your stories, tips, and recommendations. 

Moderator edit: subject for clarity 

[SunsetRunner]

I like to get at least half of my step goal completed first thing in the morning, whether it means going for a walk right after breakfast or hitting my recumbent cross fit. This way I know I will get to my daily goal. 

[njr61]

Losing weight for me involves counting calories and tracking what I eat, mainly because I need the reminder of how much is appropriate for me.  Then by trial and error, I can adjust to how much I can eat and maintain my weight.  I have a goal range and weigh myself every morning so that I can adjust what I eat if I see my weight is going up rather than just fluctuating.  

[Baltoscott]

I think regular weighing is a good maintenance habit too @njr61. I also weigh in every morning, though I don’t worry about daily changes — which have too much to do with changes in water weight and bowel movements —- but I do pay attention to the weekly average on the Fitbit app.    ‘

A couple of other habits I developed and stuck with after losing around 40 lbs about 4 years ago —- added veggies to every meal, breakfast included, as a way of filling me up and crowding out less healthy food; started planning my weekly alcohol drinking, making sure that about half of the days were ‘dry’ days. I do it a little differently now, but the down and dirty version I started with is that on even numbered days of the month I didn’t (and mostly still don’t) drink.

[njr61]

I like the way you plan for alcohol drinking.  I don't really care for alcohol, but can see that idea working with other foods.  I love sweets and haven't found a good way yet to incorporate them into my eating in a doable, responsible way.  I found mini ice cream treats and even though the calorie count is around 100 calories, I don't necessarily want that to be a part of daily eating from a nutrition standpoint. 

[Heybales]

I'd say biggest thing for maintenance was to use the weight loss time period for training.

In other words - didn't eat in the diet what I wasn't going to eat during maintenance. Too many eat totally different and have absolutely no plans to continue to eat that way, and therefore they didn't really learn anything about portions and calories, ect, for the way they would move forward.

So instead of just eating a tad more of the things they enjoy, a total swap.

Maintenance starts during the diet.

Also, the goal weight is NOT the goal.

Usually when you reach a goal you stop whatever you were doing. Reach your eating goal - stop eating. Run your goal 5K, you don't go farther (unless you create a new goal).

The goal should be to keep it - with using whatever got you there - eating habits and exercise.

Too many stop the exercise because they didn't really enjoy it - it was a means to an end. When the end was reached, the exercise was stopped.

To get/keep a healthy body still needs exercise, and it allows you to eat more as bonus.

So with the diet being training - whatever food timing schedule worked, whatever foods were satiating, whatever exercise program worked - the goal is to keep it, don't change what works, and confirm what is working can keep being done.

[Baltoscott]

@njr61 -- yeah, I think the whole planning approach can apply to anything you are trying to manage a bit.  The past couple of weeks I've planned out 4 'dry' days and six drinks a week.  Fridays and Saturdays tend to be a little more social so this week I've planned for 2 beers on Friday, and 3 on Saturday, and I had a glass of wine after dinner on Tuesday.  It was a little different last week, but having a couple of 2 day gaps in between drinking days seems to be working fine so far.  Not really that much willpower involved when it is only a couple of days.  I could see doing something similar if I working on cutting back on an ice cream habit 

[Heybales]

So does the ice cream go in the beer or the wine?

Hmmm, now I want ice cream. Wonder if I can make it fit? Haven't had it in the freezer for years. Wonder if I can make it last?

[Baltoscott]

Ha!  @Heybales — A commonly offered tip to stop late night snacking is to brush your teeth right after dinner.  I guess that antiseptic taste is pretty good an killing cravings.  I’m thinking an ice cream wine or beer float could be good way to put you off beer, wine, AND ice cream! Some things just don’t go with the other.