Take It Off and Keep It Off!

Trendy diets, skipped meals—these techniques may help you lose extra pounds, but they won’t help you keep them off.

“Most people regain the weight because they go for the ‘quick fix’ and then revert to their old ways. They don’t change their lifestyle,” says Jeffrey Brown, D.O., Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network family practice physician. “To maintain weight loss, you have to lose weight the right way.”

For the average person, that means eliminating 500 calories a day, Brown says. The best strategy is a combination of eating less and burning more. “Cut 250 calories from your diet by saying no to cream in coffee, butter on toast, sugary snacks or that extra side dish,” Brown says. “Then, burn another 250 with 20 minutes of aerobic activity. Good, realistic habits like these will help you keep the weight off for life.”

Those extra pounds don’t have to creep back, if you take control of your lifestyle

After you reach your target weight, add about 200 calories of healthy food to your daily diet. Weigh yourself at least once a week and stay within five pounds of your target. Reverting to old habits for a few days or a week is no cause for panic, Brown says. “Focus on why the relapse occurred and start over. Are you dining out too often? Stress eating? Going hungry?”

• If you snack in front of the television, designate one place in the house and only eat there.
  
• If you get bored with the same foods, try different colors and textures—“for example, carrot chips instead of carrots,” Brown says.
  
• If you feel the urge to snack, distract yourself by doing something else you enjoy instead. “If you still can’t stop thinking about that chocolate, don’t deny yourself. Have a small piece,” Brown says.
  
• If you’re often hungry, try smaller, more frequent meals. “This also keeps your metabolism revved up to burn more calories,” Brown says.
  
• If you lose interest in exercise, try a new activity. “Cross train by biking one day and swimming the next,” Brown says. “Join exercise classes or find a buddy to motivate you.”
  
• If stress brings on binges, find other ways to ease the tension. Take a walk, find a new hobby, do yoga or meditate.
  
• If you’re in denial about what you eat, write it all down. “You’ll see your patterns before you,” Brown says, “and it will help you make the right choices.”

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