How to Maintain Weight Loss for the Long Term
Congratulations! If you are reading this, that means you have accomplished an incredible and challenging goal.
Weight loss isn’t easy. There were no shortcuts, but you put in the work, and it paid off. That’s something to be proud of, and make sure that you take some time to really celebrate that win.
That being said, we have had a lot of questions lately from patients who have reached their goals but struggled to maintain that weight loss long-term.
First of all, this is a common challenge almost everyone faces. Ask anyone who has lost weight, and they will likely agree.
That’s because maintaining weight loss requires a new outlook and a different set of habits than the ones you developed to lose the weight.
Today, we will spend some time covering how you can incorporate new habits, mindset, and motivations to maintain your goal weight long after you reach it.
These include developing the right mindset, nailing down balanced nutrition, continuing or growing your exercise habits, and knowing when to reach out for support.
Let’s dive in!
Why Weight Maintenance is Challenging
When we talk about losing weight, we always emphasize the need to make sustainable changes that you can maintain for life. And that’s because losing weight is just the first step.
If you go right back to old, unhealthy habits once you hit your goal, the weight will simply come right back. Instead, think of weight loss as building a new lifestyle, not just restricting so that you can get back to old habits that didn’t serve you in the first place.
Besides that, your body goes through many changes when you lose weight, both physical and mental. This means that old habits like overeating and skipping the gym might even have a bigger impact than they did before you lost weight.
Physical Changes
One major change that occurs when you lose weight is that your metabolism slows down.
Unfair? Yes. Inevitable? Also, yes, unfortunately.
This happens for a few reasons.
First of all, a smaller body needs fewer calories overall. This means that what was once your calorie deficit might now be your maintenance calories.
Use this online calorie calculator to make sure you are staying on track with your calorie goals.
What this metabolism slowdown means is that, though you are no longer dieting, you might still need to track calories for the first few weeks or months so that you can relearn how it feels to fuel your body while staying within your maintenance calories.
The next physical change when you lose weight is that you might also lose some muscle. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than fat, so losing muscle may contribute to an overall slower metabolism.
To fix this, incorporate more strength training to build that muscle back up and even increase your metabolism.
Finally, your body naturally wants to maintain homeostasis at whatever weight you started with. It actually registers weight loss as a bad thing because it falsely thinks you are starving.
Because of this, your body will try to conserve energy by burning fewer calories in a phenomenon called adaptive thermogenesis.
The best way to counteract this metabolic slowdown is by staying active with regular exercise and maintaining a balanced, nutrient-rich diet while your body adjusts to its new normal.
Have a little bit of patience with your body and understand that it will take time to adjust.
Mental changes
While you are losing weight, you have a big goal to focus on and are rewarded often as the number on the scale goes down, you reach new personal records in the gym, and your clothes start to fit better.
When you reach your goal, it is natural to feel a loss when you no longer have that big goal to focus on.
Setting new goals for yourself can be a great way to maintain focus and momentum beyond your goal weight.
You could start to focus on getting your mile time down, sign up for a marathon, or set some strength goals with weight lifting.
Continuing to have goals that keep you engaged and focused is great motivation to maintain those new habits you created.
Your old lifestyle and environmental pressures can also make it hard to maintain weight loss. When you have a big goal in mind, it’s easier to push through emotional and social triggers that cause you to overeat.
Over time, you become less focused overall on your weight—and that’s a good thing!
During weight loss, we talk a lot about developing mindfulness around your eating habits, and long-term maintenance is where you will see the benefits of this habit.
Try to stay mindful about when you tend to overeat, whether you are bored, stressed, or simply out of habit, and come up with things you can do to address those emotional needs without food.
Build Sustainable Eating Habits
When you were losing weight, you were focused mostly on cutting calories.
When you have reached your goals and are switching your mindset to maintenance mode, you don’t want to feel like you are dieting forever.
That’s why we always try to emphasize that the habits you are developing should serve you for the rest of your life.
That means being able to have the flexibility to enjoy treats, celebrate your birthday with a slice of cake, eat a hot dog at a sporting event, or go out for ice cream on a summer day.
You do this by maintaining balance by enjoying nutrient-dense, balanced meals, while still allowing flexibility for treats.
Meal planning can be a helpful tool to take the guesswork out of your day-to-day diet, but if that’s not your thing, mindfulness is a great tool to stay on track.
At the end of the day, you simply can’t keep eating the way that got you to your highest weight. These new habits are ones you have to be comfortable maintaining forever.
Keep Moving
Exercise is another area where you simply can’t cut corners.
Just like returning to your pre-weight-loss diet, if you quit exercising once you reach your goal, you’ll most likely see that weight start to creep back.
Although your focus may not be on weight loss anymore, regular exercise is essential for your overall health.
Exercise strengthens your muscles and bones to prevent injury as you age, promotes cardiovascular health to prevent stroke and heart attack, balances your hormones, strengthens your immune system, and stabilizes your mood.
You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete to see the benefits of exercise; you just need to move your body consistently.
A mix of strength training, cardio, and flexibility will keep you feeling strong and help you maintain your weight.
Experts agree that 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise plus 2 days of resistance training is all you need to see the benefits to your health and body.
Finally, choose a form of exercise you actually enjoy to stay motivated to keep it up long term.
If you hate running, don’t run!
If you love to dance, sign up for a class.
If all you can manage after work is a 30-minute walk, stick to that!
Whatever you choose, be consistent and make it fun.
Mindset and Behavioral Strategies
When your goal is to lose weight, it’s easy to define what success looks like, and you’ve already achieved that.
So, what now?
In order to stay motivated to continue caring for your physical health, it’s now time to redefine success, find new motivations, and develop self-discipline.
Your mental well-being is an overlooked but essential aspect of your overall health. It relates to everything from your motivation to your hormone balance.
Part of a positive mindset is being able to reframe slip-ups and setbacks as opportunities for growth rather than personal failures.
We all have times when we don’t make healthy choices. That’s just life! Learn to accept those times but use them as motivation to move you forward, not backward.
If success no longer means a number on the scale or on the tag of your jeans, then it’s time to go back to your why.
To remind you, your why is your ultimate reason for pursuing a healthy lifestyle, regardless of any numbers.
For example, my why is to be able to keep up with my active adult children and continue to be able to travel and experience life comfortably.
Defining your why can help to remind you why it is you are continuing to choose nutritious food and hit the gym, even when you’re tired and you just don’t feel like it.
Managing stress is another important aspect of maintaining a healthy weight.
Not only does stress physically change your body, making it hold onto fat and increase cravings for unhealthy food, but it also makes it harder to stick to the habits that best serve you and your health.
Stress management might become the biggest focus of your new maintenance mindset, because poor mental health is the most likely culprit when it comes to slip-ups.
Develop stress management strategies that work for you, such as journaling, getting outdoors, therapy, breath work, or hobbies that fill your cup.
Practical Maintenance Tips You Can Start Today
So, what are some practical tips that you can incorporate into your day-to-day life that will help to keep you on a positive path to lifelong health?
Start by setting new goals. You can set goals for non-scale victories such as strength, endurance, training for a marathon or sports competition, trying new recipes, or hitting your step goal every day for a month.
Plan ahead and make life easier with meal prep. Keep healthy foods and snacks visible and accessible in your pantry.
Keep junk food out of your house and reserve treats for special occasions, but don’t forget that coffee and a pastry at your favorite bakery with a friend is a special occasion!
Schedule routine check-ups with your healthcare team.
Consider continuing to use the tracking strategies you used to lose weight, to stay on track, such as logging and tracking food and exercise. This will help you to stay honest with yourself and hold yourself accountable.
Finally, medications like GLP-1s at a low, maintenance dose may help you to stay on track, especially when life gets tough and you are more likely to slip up.
A low dose of tirzepatide can help to curb your appetite and prevent you from overeating and undoing all of that hard work.
Life Goes On!
Losing weight is a huge accomplishment, and you should take time to be proud of yourself and celebrate this win.
With that being said, weight management is a lifelong journey, not a temporary program you get to quit once you reach your goal.
Maintaining a healthy weight is totally possible with the right tools and support; you just need to adjust your mindset from being focused on such a big goal to developing habits that you can sustain for life.
Continue to focus on balanced nutrition, regular exercise, taking care of your mental well-being, and use tools like GLP-1 medications as needed to keep you on track.
Weight management does take work, but tending to your health prevents a lifetime of health issues that impede your quality of life.
Remember your why and use it to motivate you to continue to build habits that support your higher purpose.
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