I never thought I'd be hearing these words, but I'm hearing them now: You don't need to lose any more weight.
It's nice to hear it, and I know I'm getting very close to my goal. So there's that. But I believe I have just a few more pounds and inches to go yet. Not many, but some. I'm wearing 34-inch waists now, down from 52. I'd like to be wearing 32s.
That said, I'm going to have to transition soon to a maintenance lifestyle. And just how do I do that? I know how to lose. And I never want to gain. So how do I maintain?
There are three main reasons why people regain the weight they've lost and then some, according to this excellent article by Brad Pilon on Livestrong.com. They are, The Imposter Phenomenon; Learning Maintenance; and Negative Social Pressure. If you've lost or are planning to lose weight, this is a must-read, but I want to take a look at the second problem in this post.
It seems true from experience that most dieters have no plan for maintenance. It's like planning a trip down to the last detail, but having no idea what to do once you arrive at your destination. One thing should be abundantly clear, though: You cannot go back to eating as you did before and expect to keep the weight from coming right back. So you absolutely must have a plan.
I lost weight by first ridding my diet of simple carbs, then restricting calories, maximizing nutrients, and getting exercise. So how will I maintain? Staying away from simple carbs, adding a limited number of calories, maximizing nutrients and getting exercise. You'll notice only one thing will change: Eating a bit more. Funny thing, that's almost exactly what the article recommends: "To learn your maintenance diet and exercise lifestyle start by doing everything you did to lose weight but add 20% more food, and take away 20% of the exercise." I'll have to see about the reducing exercise part.
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