Unfortunately, too many assume that, once they’ve lost the amount of weight they’ve been working hard to lose, the hard work is over. After month’s of hard work dieting and exercising, the worst thing which could happen is that the pounds start to pile back on, however unless a conscious effort is made to maintain the new, healthy weight, that’s what will start to happen.
Weight management, when you think about it, is in some ways as difficult as weight loss, if not more so. Unless lifestyle changes are made, the reality is that weight will slowly creep back up, however there’s a whole host of small, but significant, changes which can contribute significantly to maintaining a healthy weight without having to place too much of an emphasis on it, as was likely the case when trying to lose the weight in the first place.
As such, below are five top tips to help with weight management, all of which are simple, but effective lifestyle changes.
1. Weigh Yourself Daily
By getting into the habit of getting weighed every day and recording your weight so that you can compare both daily and weekly, you’ll very quickly notice if your weight starts to creep back up, allowing you to make the changes needed to both bring it back down again and keep it down. If you only weigh yourself weekly or monthly, there’s a much bigger gap between weighs, allowing your weight to increase far more than if you get weighed daily.
All it takes to get yourself into the routine of getting weighed daily is to place the scales in a location which reminds you (next to the bathroom sink is always a good bed) and before long, you’ll be subconsciously getting weighed whilst you carry out an already everyday routine task such as brushing your teeth. It doesn’t take long to get into the swing of things and it’s probably the smallest but most significant change which you can make to help maintain your weight.
2. Continue The Exercise
Just because you’ve lost the weight it unfortunately doesn’t mean you can stop regular exercise. As a matter of fact, keeping up an exercise routine is more important than ever, especially if you want to maintain your weight. Your approach to exercise doesn’t need to be excessive and you certainly don’t need to be running miles everyday, however making small changes to your daily routine can provide the exercise which you need.
Why not walk to work instead of taking the car or join the gym with a friend as a regular social activity? It’s important to remember that exercise can be fun and that, if possible, you should try and encourage the whole family to exercise with you…you’ll not only have that added level of motivation, but a fun family activity as well. Whether it’s cycling, playing football in the park or going swimming; exercise is exercise and it’ll all help to keep that weight off.
3. Maintain A Balanced Diet
The trick, when you’re trying to maintain a healthy weight is to focus on eating a balanced diet and making small but significant changes to what and when you eat. Try, wherever possible, not to snack in between meals as that’s ultimately when the temptation to eat foods such as crisps and chocolate usually lies, however that can, in many instances, be easier said than done. So long as you’re eating properly at meal times, however, you should slowly be able to reduce the cravings for fatty and sugary snacks and if you are feeling a little peckish; reach for an apple or another piece of fruit as an alternative.
It may be difficult at first to swap out something sugary for a piece of fruit, however it shouldn’t usually take too long for the change to feel normal and before you know it, you’ll see sweets and crisps as treats.
When it comes to what you eat, you need to make sure you’re eating healthily in general and that what you are eating is in the right amounts. Overeating is one of the most common causes of weight gain as it’s so easy to consume far more calories than you think you are when eating a larger than usual portion and, as such, knowing what size portion you should be eating and sticking to it goes a long way to helping to ensure your weight doesn’t slowly creep back up after putting in the time and effort to lose it previously.
Above all, a few small changes to your lifestyle and daily routine can make all the difference and hopefully by putting the above into practice, weight management will simply become something you’re subconsciously aware of as opposed to spending every day worrying that you’re weight may slowly start to pile back on.
About The Author:
Alison is responsible for the marketing of Medicx Online Pharmacy, a leading UK based high street pharmacy chain and online pharmacy dedicated to offering not only a fantastic range of products and services but also completely free advice to those who need it, direct from their team of Pharmacists.
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