Life After Weight Loss: How to Retain Your Results

You have worked hard to lose weight. You’re enjoying the new clothes that you can fit into, and the last thing you want is to regain the weight. But you’re unfortunately at high risk of regaining the weight; some experts believe that 80-95% of people regain weight after successful loss.

But you don’t have to be one of the people who regains what they have lost, and you shouldn’t consider it inevitable. You just have to maintain some of the good habits that helped you lose weight in the first place. 

Here, the providers at Premier Physicians Weight Loss and Wellness explain how you can retain the results of your weight loss.

Maintenance Visits 

Long term maintenance of lost weight is the primary challenge of anyone who has lost weight.  Losing weight is one part of the challenge, keeping lost weight off is another challenge in itself.  Treatment of maintaining weight requires attention just like during active weight loss.  This is what makes obesity a disease.  Maintenance visits with your provider are necessary as a tool for accountability as well as continuity of care for a disease.  

Have a support system

You need to have a good support system to help you continue the good habits required to maintain weight loss. If you have a spouse or live-in partner, they are often a natural fit for support. However, if you don’t have a partner that you live with or if they’re not committed to weight loss, you can still benefit from healthy habits.

Keep up the exercise

Chances are good that you had to exercise to lose weight. But you can’t let the exercise habit slip now that you’ve lost the pounds. In fact, your metabolism changes when you lose weight, and you might need to exercise more now. You should aim to get 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise 3-4 times a week.

Check your mindset

You need to have the right mindset to maintain weight loss. If you lost weight by doing a restrictive diet, you might have started out with a mental attitude that was focused on losing weight at any cost. But that’s not sustainable for long-term weight loss. You’re most likely to have good results if you look at making a small series of lifestyle changes that you can maintain.

Maintain healthy eating habits

Whether or not you lost weight following a restrictive diet, it’s setting you up for failure if you plan on maintaining the same habits for life. You should try to make sustainable changes that you can stick to for the rest of your life. 

Plan on including a lot of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products. You can have an occasional treat from time to time — just don’t overdo it.

Include eating breakfast every day

Your chances of maintaining your weight loss are better if you make an effort to eat breakfast every day. Although one study found that people who lost at least 30 pounds were more likely to maintain their weight loss if they ate breakfast, this is ultimately an individual matter. 

If you can have a healthy, nutritious breakfast, it’s often a great start to your day. But some people find that they eat less overall if they skip breakfast, so you may want to use your own discretion.

Be mindful of your carb intake

You don’t need to go on a no-carb diet to lose weight, but you should be mindful of your carbohydrate intake. In particular, you should limit empty carbohydrates, which are made of refined flour and sugar. High-fiber sources of carbohydrates are fine and should be included in your diet but you’ll have better results if you skip cookies, crackers, and white bread.

Losing weight is a big achievement. But if you want to maintain your results, you may need some assistance. Contact the providers at Premier Physicians Weight Loss and Wellness or make an appointment online.