5 Weight-Maintenance Tips That Work

Some say maintaining weight loss is harder than losing it in the first place, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are five go-to tips you can start using today:

Re-evaluate Your Daily Calorie Budget 

As your body weight drops, you need fewer calories to maintain your weight. So that daily calorie goal might need some tweaking. Here’s a great calculator that takes your height, weight, gender, age and activity level and helps you determine how many calories you need to lose, maintain, or gain weight.

Keep What Worked 

If you followed a weight-loss plan to reach your ideal weight, you probably have a good idea of what helped you hit that goal. Don't throw out the good habits just because the weight-loss part is over! Incorporate the meals, snacks, and behaviors that made you feel great and satisfied. Whether it’s having frequent mini meals, packing giant salads for lunch, or always carrying smart on-the-go snacks, what worked for weight loss will work for weight maintenance.

Embrace The 80/20 Rule

If you try to live your entire life by a set of rigid dietary rules, you run the risk of burning out and giving up. Instead, just pick and choose your treats wisely. Make healthy choices most of the time (80%) and loosen the reins and treat yourself occasionally (20%). This philosophy also makes it easier to recover from food splurges, so you can get back on track and not beat yourself up!

Be Your Own Accountability Buddy

You are only hurting yourself if you stop paying attention to the scale or pretend your pants aren’t getting tighter. I am not saying you must weigh yourself daily, but it’s a good idea to hop on the scale and check in once a month or so. And while you don’t have to track every calorie, keep a log of your food intake so you know what you are getting into and what’s getting into you!

Don’t Stop Rewarding Yourself

It can be hard to find the motivation to stick to a healthy eating plan when you don't have the encouragement of a shrinking number on the scale. But even if you're not purchasing pants in a new size, that doesn’t mean you can’t give yourself little rewards for maintaining your health and workouts!

Weight loss and weight maintenance is all about balance (healthy eating, occasional treats and regular exercise). Some days will be better than others, and on the days when life gets in the way of your healthy routine, remember these tips to help you stay on track and until next time, stay happy, healthy and beautiful!