Maintaining Weight Loss

Dennis Hamming provides six tips to help you maintain your ideal weight.

After several months of eating healthy and exercising regularly to reach your ideal weight, it can be disheartening when the numbers on the scale start going upwards again.

Once you reach your ideal weight after a period of weight loss, you face another challenge: trying to maintain your new weight. If you are not careful, it is straightforward for those lost pounds to start coming back.

Losing weight is only half the battle when it comes to staying healthy. If you want to maintain your ideal weight and keep the pounds away, you should consider the following tips.

Weigh Yourself Regularly

Do not put that scale away just yet. The first tip to maintaining a healthy weight is to check your weight every couple of weeks to ensure that you are not gaining weight. While some weight fluctuations are normal, if you notice your weight steadily increasing, it could be a sign that you need to change your eating habits or develop a new exercise routine.

You can always use a TDEE calculator to estimate how many calories you should burn daily based on weight. TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

Keep Exercising

When you are trying to maintain your weight, it is still essential to burn a certain amount of calories each day. While you might not need to complete as rigorous a workout as you did while losing weight, you still need to do physical activity each day to maintain your weight.

Find ways to stay active throughout the week, even if only walking around your neighbourhood. Calculate how many calories you need to burn daily to maintain weight, find an activity you enjoy, and burn those calories.

Watch Eating Habits

Do not slip back into poor eating habits. You will still want to eat a balanced diet to maintain a healthy weight. It includes not skipping breakfast, getting plenty of protein, and eating leafy green veggies. Also, make sure to drink plenty of water so that you stay hydrated.

Try to avoid eating too many carbs or sugary treats. While enjoying these foods while maintaining a healthy weight is possible, you want to avoid eating them too often. It is all about finding the right balance between healthy eating and the occasional treat.

Find Support System

One reason some people regain weight after a period of weight loss is that they do not have a support system. When losing weight, most people tell friends and family so that they will be held accountable.

You will want a support system even once you are at your ideal weight. Find friends who will walk with you, find a fitness buddy with whom to go to the gym, or try new healthy foods as a family. Having the right people around you can encourage you to maintain healthy eating and exercise habits.

Develop a Plan

One of the best ways to maintain weight is to develop a clear plan for staying healthy. Then, make sure to stick to it! Sometimes, developing a plan means thinking through potential roadblocks and how you will handle them.

For example, it can be easy to eat unhealthily or not exercise over the holidays. Come up with a plan for what you can do after the holidays. If you plan on eating a lot of unhealthy food over Christmas, you could do additional exercise the week after Christmas.

Do Not Get Discouraged

Remember that some weight gain after a period of weight loss is normal. Do not get discouraged if you find yourself picking up a few extra pounds. Instead, think about what you need to do differently.

You may have started eating cake again and consuming too many calories, or you may have started drinking more soda instead of water. Think about what worked while you were losing weight and what has changed. Then, change your routine again. If you are struggling to keep weight off, you may need to contact a professional nutritionist or trainer.

Final Thoughts

Once you have lost weight, you must exercise, eat balanced meals, and live a healthy lifestyle! If you fall into bad habits, you may regain weight. Do not get discouraged! Instead, revisit your goals and determine what aspects of your life you must change to maintain a healthy weight.

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

HAMMING, D. (2019) Maintaining Weight Loss [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article545.htm [Accessed

About the Author

Dennis Hamming is a freelance journalist.


topics A-Z Page Index Article Library Coaching General Young Athletes Literature Reviews Coaching Conditioning Endurance Ergogenic Aids Evaluation Injury Prevention Nutrition Physiology Planning Psychology Skill Development Speed Strength Female Athletes Master Athletes Young Athletes Sports Specific Basketball Bodybuilding Boxing Cycling Golf Rowing Rugby Soccer Squash Swimming Tennis Triathlon USA Football Training Conditioning Endurance Ergogenic Aids Evaluation Injury Prevention Nutrition Physiology Planning Psychology Skill Development Speed Strength Anatomy & Physiology Articles Biomechanics Body Systems Cardiovascular Digestive Endocrine Muscular Neurological Respiratory Skeletal Body Type Energy Systems Maximum Heart Rate Movement Analysis Coaching Articles Assessment Communication Ethics Group Dynamics Methods Philosophy Process Principles Responsibilities Styles Skills & Roles Young Athletes Fitness Development Articles Agility Conditioning Core Stability Endurance Flexibility Skill Speed Strength Training Principles VO2max Fitness Testing Articles Blood Pressure Evaluation Tests Ideal Weight Nutrition Articles Basal Metabolic Rate Eating & Competing Eating Disorders Glycemic Index Healthy Eating Minerals Vitamins Planning Articles Athlete Profiling Creating a Plan LTAD Tapering Warm Up & Cool Down Programs Aqua Training Circuit Training CNS Training Complex Training Fartlek Training Heart Rate Training Hill Training Medicine Ball Training Personal Exercise Plan Plyometric Training Track & Field Training Weight Training Psychology Articles Competitive Anxiety Mental Imagery Relaxation Techniques SCAT Sports Psychology Stress Management TEOSQ Sports American Football Basketball Boxing Cross Country Cycling Fell Running Golf Rowing Rugby Soccer Squash Swimming Tennis Triathlon Ultimate Frisbee Sport Development Funding in Sport History of Sport Olympic Games Sport Structure Sports Injury Articles ACL Cramp Cryotherapy Dehydration Hot & Cold Baths Injury Prevention Muscle Imbalance Over Training Shin Soreness Stitch Sports Merchandise Books & DVD's Clothing & Shoes Training Aids Magazines Track & Field Combined Events Decathlon Heptathlon Hexathlon Octathlon Pentathlon Jumps High Jump Long Jump Pole Vault Triple Jump Running Hurdles Long Distance Middle Distance Sprints Steeplechase Throws Discus Hammer Javelin Shot Putt Track & Field Safety Training Aids Articles Ergogenic Aids Massage Sports Drinks Supplements Website Blog Website Updates Website Information Awards Disclaimer & Copyright Help - where do I find Link Exchange Policy Visitors Comments Visitor Feedback Visitor Statistics Web Master Web Links Coaches Corner Useful Links	Maintaining Weight Loss Dennis Hamming provides six tips to help you maintain your ideal weight. After several months of eating healthy and exercising regularly to reach your ideal weight, it can be disheartening when the numbers on the scale start going upwards again. Once you reach your ideal weight after a period of weight loss, you face another challenge: trying to maintain your new weight. If you are not careful, it is straightforward for those lost pounds to start coming back. Losing weight is only half the battle when it comes to staying healthy. If you want to maintain your ideal weight and keep the pounds away, you should consider the following tips. Weigh Yourself Regularly Do not put that scale away just yet. The first tip to maintaining a healthy weight is to check your weight every couple of weeks to ensure that you are not gaining weight. While some weight fluctuations are normal, if you notice your weight steadily increasing, it could be a sign that you need to change your eating habits or develop a new exercise routine. You can always use a TDEE calculator to estimate how many calories you should burn daily based on weight. TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Keep Exercising When you are trying to maintain your weight, it is still essential to burn a certain amount of calories each day. While you might not need to complete as rigorous a workout as you did while losing weight, you still need to do physical activity each day to maintain your weight. Find ways to stay active throughout the week, even if only walking around your neighbourhood. Calculate how many calories you need to burn daily to maintain weight, find an activity you enjoy, and burn those calories. Watch Eating Habits Do not slip back into poor eating habits. You will still want to eat a balanced diet to maintain a healthy weight. It includes not skipping breakfast, getting plenty of protein, and eating leafy green veggies. Also, make sure to drink plenty of water so that you stay hydrated. Try to avoid eating too many carbs or sugary treats. While enjoying these foods while maintaining a healthy weight is possible, you want to avoid eating them too often. It is all about finding the right balance between healthy eating and the occasional treat. Find Support System One reason some people regain weight after a period of weight loss is that they do not have a support system. When losing weight, most people tell friends and family so that they will be held accountable. You will want a support system even once you are at your ideal weight. Find friends who will walk with you, find a fitness buddy with whom to go to the gym, or try new healthy foods as a family. Having the right people around you can encourage you to maintain healthy eating and exercise habits. Develop a Plan One of the best ways to maintain weight is to develop a clear plan for staying healthy. Then, make sure to stick to it! Sometimes, developing a plan means thinking through potential roadblocks and how you will handle them. For example, it can be easy to eat unhealthily or not exercise over the holidays. Come up with a plan for what you can do after the holidays. If you plan on eating a lot of unhealthy food over Christmas, you could do additional exercise the week after Christmas. Do Not Get Discouraged Remember that some weight gain after a period of weight loss is normal. Do not get discouraged if you find yourself picking up a few extra pounds. Instead, think about what you need to do differently. You may have started eating cake again and consuming too many calories, or you may have started drinking more soda instead of water. Think about what worked while you were losing weight and what has changed. Then, change your routine again. If you are struggling to keep weight off, you may need to contact a professional nutritionist or trainer. Final Thoughts Once you have lost weight, you must exercise, eat balanced meals, and live a healthy lifestyle! If you fall into bad habits, you may regain weight. Do not get discouraged! Instead, revisit your goals and determine what aspects of your life you must change to maintain a healthy weight. Page Reference If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is: HAMMING, D. (2019) Maintaining Weight Loss [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/article545.htm [Accessed About the Author Dennis Hamming is a freelance journalist.