Weight
Losing weight is one thing, but keeping it off is a totally different monster. You all know a friend (or perhaps yourself), who lost 30lbs in a month and looked fabulous, only to gain it all back plus another 10lbs in less than a year.
Strong nutrition and fitness regiments are key to sustaining any long term weight loss, but it’s a very detailed plan that many people don’t know about.
Metabolically, people who have lost a great deal of weight are not the same when it comes to burning their fuel sources as someone who has never lost the weight. What does that mean? Simply this…
Sally and Megan have been best friends for years, Sally is of average height and weight for her age and is considered to be in good health. Megan on the other hand is over weight. She decides to lose her extra weight and goes with Sally to the gym and learns about proper fitness and nutrition.
After all her hard work, Megan is successful in losing 25lbs. Now, whenever she and Sally go out for their weekly lunches Megan orders whatever Sally does, usually a very healthy lunch and eats everything on her plate, just like Sally. Megan slowly starts to notice her weight creeping back up and can’t figure out why, since she is exercising and eating the same way her friend does. Here’s why….
Fitness and nutrition play a large roll in keeping the weight off but there is also a little known secret. People who have lost weight, like Megan, require 20% less calories than someone who never lost weight, like Sally. So even though Megan thinks she’s being extra vigilant with her fitness and nutrition, she’s taking in an extra 20% of calories and doesn’t even know it.
Make sure you know exactly how many calories you are taking in and how many you are burning during your fitness routine. Remember, if you have recently lost a significant amount of weight, your metabolism is not burning food the same way it does for someone who never lost weight, even if your nutrition is great…reduce your calories by 20%, to help the weight stay off.
Tips for Weight Loss
- Cut out the Sugar
- Don’t skip meals
- Food journal
- Eat healthy snacks only if hungry (limit 150cal)
Tips for keeping Weight Off:
- Group exercise classes (people motivating each other)
- Exercise the same time daily (becomes a routine)
- Remind yourself WHY you are doing this (health/social reasons)
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