As you may know, I belong to several Facebook weight loss and maintenance groups. Oftentimes the questions I read there are the inspiration for my blog posts. This happened recently, when I read about a dieter who is near her weight loss goal. She wanted to know what comes next. And that is exactly where I was last year. Hunting for how-to books that didn’t exist…starting this blog to learn more…
It is like you’ve reached a precipice. You have hiked up the mountain which is the weight loss phase of your journey. You’ve reached the heights – almost there! Then you arrive at the pinnacle and it’s a fabulous view. But now what? A steep cliff is before you. Where is the guardrail? Wait, there isn’t one? Don’t fall off the edge – don’t gain that weight back!
Somehow, the solution to this problem crystallized in my mind today. It was so obvious, yet for 40 years I’ve overlooked it. To maintain weight loss, you must maintain all the good habits you’ve adopted.
This means that if you were on a healthy diet to achieve your newfound level of fitness, you would basically continue what you were already doing. Yes, you can have a bit more to eat, but it’s likely that your rate of weight loss had already significantly slowed as you approached your ideal levels of weight and exercise.
What if you lost your weight using methods that are not sustainable? Have you given up eating entire food groups or have you used fasting excessively? Have you been taking a diet medication that you can no longer use? If this is the case, you may want to develop some new habits for your long-term health. Perhaps do this gradually, so that you don’t regain any of your hard earned weight loss. Speak to your doctor or a registered dietitian for any suggestions that could be helpful.
And I want you to know that it’s very possible to maintain weight loss even if your plan had been unhealthy. I lost weight in a very unproductive way at age 54 and maintained that loss for 7 years. In fact, I have to credit that unhealthy diet, in part, for my success this past year. Because I started at a much lower weight, it was easier for me to finally reach my goal.
It’s true that with slow and steady weight-loss you are more likely to maintain your healthy weight (1). But maintenance is always possible, regardless of how you lost weight. Let’s keep at this together!
Maintain Weight Loss 