Once you reach your weight loss goal, it won't end. The next step is to maintain a weight loss and a healthy lifestyle. But what is the best way to deal with weight loss? We discussed this with Andres Ayesta, the registered dietitian and founder of Planos Nutrition, who provide three expert tips that will help you as you continue to monitor and maintain weight loss for a longer period of time.
By losing weight and maintaining it slowly and sustainably while continuing to focus on established healthy habits and monitoring maintenance in different ways, you can make sure you are on the right path to weight loss.
Sustainability of weight loss is key
One important thing to remember when starting your weight loss journey is why you want to lose weight first. Ayesta said many times, people feel better, get more energy, be able to do more things and be easier to solve.
“Measure your energy level, sleep, ability to play with your kids, performance in the gym, these will be real signs of progress because when you start to increase these little wins and wins, you know you’re on the right path,” he said. These are things to keep you moving forward, not numbers that focus on scale.
Setting unrealistic expectations during weight loss can have the opposite effect on your long-term success. One of the mistakes people make is to strictly limit restrictive, fashionable diets, which can lead them to lose weight quickly, but make this weight more difficult afterwards.
“A more realistic and sustainable approach is to focus on building powerful habits like improving your lifestyle, getting enough sleep, ensuring you get enough protein and stay hydrated,” Ayesta said. While the results may take longer to achieve, it will be easier to maintain them.
Another thing to remember is that faster speeds are not better. “One of the biggest things people struggle with is that they want to eat more but can’t eat in a stylish diet, so it’s better to lose weight by eating a little rather than being so restrictive and losing weight too quickly,” Ayesta said. Generally, when it comes to weight loss, it’s recommended that you lose 1 to 2 pounds a week.
If a person loses weight quickly and doesn’t have a lot of spare weight in the first place, they not only lose weight, but also lose muscle. “Usually, when this happens, your metabolism is affected, which is called adaptive heat generation,” he explained. “Your body is used to various small amounts of calories, and when you get rid of this fashionable diet and add all the usual habits back to your life, usually your body bounces up and tries to restore your habits to a comfortable feeling.” That's how the yo-yo diet starts because it can cause you to go into a continuous cycle of losing and regaining your weight.
Having a strong support system can keep you accountable. Ayesta recommends focusing on your goals with supportive friends and family, as unsupported people can make it difficult to keep the path you need. Having a mentor who goes through a similar journey may also help because they can provide insight and skills to help you achieve your goals.
Finally, experts, such as registered dietitians, can be helpful around you. “Having people with academic background or knowledge that can point you in the right direction is key because they see people going through many different times and they know exactly how to do and what to make, especially when you’ve been through tough weeks.” Getting this type of support can also help during the maintenance phase.
Keep healthy habits
Assuming you have a slow weight, sustainably lose weight, and are healthy for your body’s healthy weight, maintenance is a simple question of maintaining good habits. You don't have to count calories or target perfect every day. Instead, Ayesta said focusing on continuing lifestyle changes is key to helping you lose weight in the beginning.
According to Ayesta, five healthy habits that can help you maintain your weight include:
- Get enough daily protein
- Maintain proper hydration
- Manage stress
- Enough sleep
- Get enough fiber through fruits and vegetables
Another thing to remember is that weight naturally fluctuates, so it is helpful to think of it as a range rather than a target number. Ayesta points out that your weight will also be affected by the life stages. For example, during the holidays, your nutritional choices may be more free, while in other times, you will pay more attention to consumption.“Whether it’s going up or down, creating a target that revolves around a plus sign or subtracts 5% is a good place,” Ayesta suggests.
When maintaining weight, looking at trends instead of unit numbers is a more realistic approach. “If you step on a certain day and see a number you don't like, it's very important to understand the trends and averages, not just look at one,” Ayesta explained.
If you do find yourself recovering all or most of your weight over time, that may indicate that your weight loss approach is working for your personal needs or medical factors. In this case, it is best to see a doctor or dietitian including weight to help you figure out what is going on.
Monitor maintenance in different ways
The scale is just one way to measure the weight loss and maintenance phases. “Other markers of success that I want to pay attention to include some objective and some subjective measurements,” Ayesta said. For example, it is helpful to look at the body measurements around the waist, legs, or hips in terms of weight loss. A more subjective way to observe how your clothes actually fit.
Another way to monitor maintenance is to view and compare photos. “We use a lot of photos to compare changing over time, which is a better way to measure success because if someone applies a little muscle mass and lowers a little fat, that's called body reorganization, and what happens is that your body will look different, but the weight may not change much.”
Bottom line
Losing weight and keeping it on can be difficult, but if you prepare yourself in advance, you can be ready for success. As Ayesta pointed out, it is important not to pay so much attention to specific numbers on scale, because our bodies are going to fluctuate. In addition to weight, there are other factors that need to be considered. If you feel healthier, more energetic and have enough sleep, it is your own victory and should not be discredited.
