How to Keep the Weight Off

Well done for reaching your target weight! By using Exante Diet you’ve managed to shed the weight you wanted, and woken up to a new healthier you. Don’t forget how you feel now, the slimmer, trimmer, more energised you. Remember this feeling to help you in the days and months ahead for times when the going may get tough, so that you don’t slip back into old habits.

If you have been thinking of your weight loss as a journey, you may feel you’ve now arrived at your destination, but don’t forget all the good work you’ve done on the way. One of the pitfalls of dieting can be that you only focus on short term weight loss not on what will help you in the long term. Research has shown that people who keep the weight off do so because they learn new habits whilst dieting that they keep when they’ve reached their target weight.

The National Weight control Registry in the USA found that people who successfully maintained their weight had several things in common. Their seven tips for success were:

1)   They followed diets which were calorie controlled and lower in fat

a)   You've been learning about how much energy (calories) you need especially on the Stabiliser programme, so keep up the good work and stay within your limits.

b)    Use the information on food packets and calorie counters to help you and keep trying the recipes on the website which are calorie controlled.

c)    Remember that one gram of fat provides more than double the amount of calories to protein or fat so choose lower or reduced fat products where you can.

2)    They were restrained eaters

a)    Successful maintainers didn’t binge on foods, but were controlled about what they ate.

Try hard not to slip back into old ways of eating, and err on the stingy side when putting food on your plate. Try using a smaller plate if you feel that the portion looks mean. It may sound obvious but seems to work for many people.

b)    Remember it takes around 20 minutes for your brain to register that your stomach is full, so stop eating before you feel full.

c)    Be controlled but do allow yourself small portions of some treat foods, as making some foods completely off limits may make them even more attractive.

However if you know you really struggle to control particular foods, do avoid them

3)    They ate regular meals

a)    You practised having a meal plan in the Stabilisation phase, so keep up the good work and don’t miss meals.

You are much more likely to overdo it in the evening if you miss lunch as you will be tempted to snack whilst you

b)    Make a weekly meal plan and shopping list and stick to it as rigidly as you can.

If you are planning family meals involve them too, not forgetting to try out new ideas and recipes as you did whilst losing weight.

4)    They always ate breakfast

a)    Even if you get up late and are rushing to work have something to eat.

A bowl of cereal with milk is much more nutritious than a croissant and latte which may be all you can buy later in the morning.

Many long term maintainers will still have an Exante shake for breakfast knowing it supplies vital nutrients and fills them up.  

b)    Get into the habit of eating breakfast at the weekend as well to keep your eating ordered.

5)    They monitored their weight by weighing themselves once a week, and took action straight away if there had been any gains.

a)    Don’t let your hard work go to waste. Even gaining a few pounds is worth doing something about, so the weight doesn’t pile on again.

b)    Don’t go into denial! The scales are not lying and the sooner you deal with the added weight the more quickly it will come off.

c)    Either increase the amount of exercise you are doing so you burn more calories or reduce your calorie intake.

An easy way of doing this is to follow Simple Solution for a few days until you are back at your target weight, then stabilise your weight with the Stabiliser.

d)    Learn from the experience so that you can avoid it happening again.

6)    They were active every day

a)    When you were losing weight you were encouraged to become more active. Hopefully you will have now incorporated more activity into your lifestyle.

b)    Remember being active not only helps burn calories, but improves your muscle tone, heart rate and helps you feel better about yourself too.

Activity doesn’t just mean going to the gym, as walking, gardening, dancing and even housework all count so whatever activity you’ve started to do, don’t stop now!

If you haven’t managed to find something you enjoy or can fit into your day, keep trying, as being active is crucial for your overall health.

7)    Had learnt about emotional cues to eating and avoided them

a)    Successful maintainers know what their triggers to eating are, which may be caused by feeling down, bored, lonely, stressed or angry.

However they have learned not to use food to defuse these emotions, and can distract themselves by taking a walk, phoning a friend, listening to music or a host of other techniques.

b)    Successful maintainers also know how to avoid being in situations where they are tempted to eat just because the food is there.

So don’t loiter by the fridge if you don’t want to eat!

c)    It is always worth recording your mood whenever you eat by using a diet diary.

Looking back over your moods and the foods you ate at the time can help you understand your triggers to eating.

Building on this knowledge will make you less likely to relapse into emotional eating.

Don’t forget to be kind to yourself too!  Whilst you’ve been losing weight you may have had lots of compliments and encouragement that kept you going. This sort of support can fade away as friends and family get used to the new you, and if you’ve been the only one whose eating habits have changed it can be difficult not to fall into familiar unhealthy ways. So you may need to be strong and remind yourself of the journey you’ve made, perhaps keeping an old photo to boost your morale when you are feeling down. Then you can feel justifiably proud of your achievements.