20 Ways To Maintain Weight Loss Effortlessly
Jess Wharton is Registered Nutritionist based in Auckland, New Zealand. She works with clients around the world to help them reach their health and wellness goals. She believes that food is medicine and proper nutrition is healing and essential for well-being and quality of life.
Read full bio of Jess Wharton
Charushila is an ISSA certified Fitness Nutritionist and a Physical Exercise Therapist. Over a span of 6 years, she has authored more than 400 articles on diet, lifestyle, exercises, healthy food, and fitness equipment. She strives to inform, educate, and motivate her readers via authentic, straightforward, and fact-checked information.
Read full bio of Charushila Biswas
Does your weight fluctuate between “almost right weight” and “need to lose weight”? That’s because losing weight is tough, but maintaining the weight loss is an entirely different game. American researchers have found that about 80% of dieters were not able to maintain their weight loss (1). So, does that mean that you will never be able to reach your ideal weight? Not if you take charge NOW. Here are 20 best ways to stop your body from gaining the weight back. Follow these sincerely to enjoy a healthy and fit life forever. Let’s begin.
20 Ways To Maintain Weight Loss
1. Keep Yourself Hydrated
Drink at least 3-4 liters of water every day as it can help you in many ways. Firstly, it will prevent you from feeling hungry when you are actually feeling thirsty. Secondly, it will keep the cells turgid and active, thereby firing your metabolism. Thirdly, water helps flush the toxins, such as harmful reactive oxygen species and wastes, out of the body. So, make it a habit of sipping water throughout the day to keep off the extra pounds.
2. Avoid Sugar
The second most important thing to do is to avoid sugar and sugary foods. If you have reached your target weight, you may crave for rewards in the form of food. But celebrate your achievement by taking up the next big challenge, like preparing for a competition, instead of going back to your old habit of consuming unlimited amounts of sugar. Check your carb intake as carbs are also broken down into sugar in the body.
3. No Processed Food
The crunchy, sweet, and salty junk demon is everywhere in different forms. Fried chicken, chicken nuggets, fries, cookies, and sausages are processed and contain a high amount of sugar and salt. In fact, these foods balance the salt and sugar in such a ratio that your brain tells you to eat more of them. That is why people are spellbound by these cleverly created and marketed processed foods. But they are an absolute weight gainer. So, the next time you get drawn to processed food, remind yourself what it took for you to reach your current weight and if you are ready to go through the same ordeal again. Or best, keep processed foods out of your sight. Find out how, next.
4. Kitchen Makeover
Yes, your kitchen needs a makeover. Toss the unhealthy foods like processed, sugary foods, unhealthy fats like animal fat, dalda, flavored yogurt, ice cream, milk chocolate, etc. out. Pack your kitchen and fridge with veggies, fruits, low-calorie yogurt, full-fat milk (yes, that’s right! full-fat milk will help you lose weight instead of the skimmed variant), olive oil, ghee, nuts, seeds, legumes, lean protein, dark chocolate, and high-fiber biscuits. This way, you will be able to avoid unhealthy temptations.
5. Consume Greens And Veggies
Veggies and greens are rich in antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other phytonutrients that help the body heal, rejuvenate, and function properly, increase metabolism, support digestion, boost immunity, prevent fat accumulation, make your body insulin sensitive, control blood pressure and blood sugar levels, and improve your health.
6. Eat Protein With Every Meal
Proteins are the building blocks of your body. From genes to your hair – everything is protein. So, provide your body with the adequate amount of lean protein in the form of eggs, lentils, beans, soybean, chicken breast, turkey, fish, mushroom, tofu, etc. Protein is tough to digest and will create an energy deficit in your body. This, in turn, will help you burn more calories. Moreover, consuming protein will help you build lean muscle mass and make you look toned.
7. Drink Green Tea Or Oolong Tea
Green tea and oolong tea are the best beverages for promoting weight loss. Both green tea and oolong tea are obtained from the plant Camellia sinensis, but they differ in the way they are processed. They are rich in antioxidants that help prevent DNA damage and metabolic slowdown. Drinking green tea also helps you relax and keeps stress at bay. Since stress causes you to gain central fat, you must drink at least three cups of green tea or oolong tea every day to maintain your weight loss.
8. Choose High-Fiber Foods
High-fiber foods are your friend if you are trying to lose weight or maintain the weight loss. Here is a list of best high fiber foods for weight loss. Including high fiber foods will keep your digestion, absorption, and excretion processes healthy. Moreover, your metabolic rate will increase, and the fiber will also help prevent fat absorption and keep you fuller for a longer duration.
9. Fruits Work Wonders
Craving for something sweet? Why not have fruits for dessert? Fruits are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. The antioxidant property of fruits helps flush the toxins out, fiber helps keep you full and prevents fat accumulation, and the fruit sugar satiates your sweet tooth. Plus, fruits are great for your skin and hair. However, be careful with the portions. Consuming excess of fruits can also lead to weight gain.
10. Exercise Regularly
Regular exercising can have an immensely positive effect on your physical and mental health. So, it is always good to lose the flab by consuming healthy foods in the right proportion and incorporating cardio and strength training in your weight loss routine. Workout at least 5 days a week. You should also increase the intensity and duration of your workout routine if you hit a plateau.
11. Enjoy A Cheat Day
After so much of hard work, you deserve a cheat day. But hey, don’t overdo it. Choose Friday or Saturday as your cheat day and consume 500 calories more than you do on other days. Do not exceed the 500 calorie mark.
12. Social Support Is Important
Social support is very important. You can build your social support by making your friends and family understand why losing weight and maintaining weight loss is important for you. Choose restaurants that serve healthy food or request the chef to make a customized salad or entrée. You can join groups that are currently on the same mission as you. Talk to your trainer in the gym and ask him if he can get you a workout buddy so that you don’t lose your focus.
13. Eat Frequently
It’s a myth that not eating or starving yourself for too long will help you lose weight. It’s the other way round. Starving can switch your body to the “starvation mode”, and it will store every bit of food as fat thinking there’s a dearth of food. It’s your body’s survival tactic. So, eat small portions of food every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism going and burn the fat.
14. Participate In Marathons/Triathlons
If you think you have hit a plateau as far as losing weight is concerned, you can start participating in marathons/triathlons or any other competition requiring a high level of fitness. This will help you train yourself in a way where you will not only be losing weight but also gaining muscle strength, power, coordination, stamina, balance, etc. Because the ultimate goal is to be fit and agile.
15. Get Good Rest
Fitness experts advise getting proper rest so that your muscles can rebuild themselves and the risk of injury is minimized. Take one or two days off from your workout routine and restrict yourself to just stretching. You should also meditate so that your brain gets rest.
16. Walk/Stand When You Can
Most of us have desk jobs, and we sit for more than 8 hours. The end result? Potbelly, lethargy, fatigue, etc. To beat this, keep moving every one hour or stand up, stretch, and walk around a bit. You can also request a standing desk at work.
17. Check Food Labels
Do you know what the supermarket-bought salad dressing contains? Or the amount of sugar the ketchup contains? Sometimes, we consume invisible calories through sauces, dips, dressings, etc., which hinder weight loss. So, check the labels to see what you are consuming. Moreover, in general, it is good to be aware of what you are putting into your body.
18 Reduce Stress
Stress is the new smoking. It creates negative energy. The stress hormones kick in and stall metabolism, accelerate fat accumulation in the belly region, prevent the body from healing, inhibit proper digestion, absorption, and excretion, and affect your mood, skin, and hair health. So, try to stay relaxed and stress-free. Make it a ritual to spend some time alone and do things that you love the most. You should also take a break and travel, visit friends and family, meet new people, spend time with both the young and the young-at-heart or learn a new skill.
19. Weigh Yourself
Keeping track of your progress will help you understand if you are able to maintain the weight or are gaining weight and need to tweak your current lifestyle. Weigh yourself every two weeks. You should also click pictures of yourself from different angles as a visual image will help boost your confidence and keep you committed. Also, measure your body fat percentage every month. Ideally, you should lose 1% fat every month. Talk to a registered dietician to find out what your body fat percentage should be and aim to get there.
20. Setbacks? Set Them Back!
No one can avoid setbacks. What matters is how you deal with them. Do not get disheartened, just set your lifestyle right. That is all you need to do to get yourself on track. Take one step at a time and ask your doctor for help if you need it.
These 20 ways will help you maintain your weight loss. Follow these tips, and you can see the results for yourself. Cheers!
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Read full bio of Jess Wharton
Read full bio of Charushila Biswas
