Sticking With a Weight Loss Program
Starting a weight loss program is challenging, but as veteran dieters can tell you, sticking with a weight loss program is the tough part. Think back on your own weight loss efforts. Have you lost weight at one point, only to regain it later? If so, what factors do you think derailed your success? Many people say that after a couple of months, the excitement of embarking on a new lifestyle faded, making it harder for them to stay motivated. Others claim that as they neared their goal weight, it became tougher to peel off the pounds and eventually, they stopped trying.
These Top 5 Sticking with Weight Loss Tips will help you stay with your program and deal with a weight loss plateau. The key to sticking with a weight loss program is finding ways to stay motivated. Each of these tips are aimed at building motivation.
Top 5 Sticking with Weight Loss Tips
1 – Create realistic and personally meaningful goals.
Goals fuel motivation, so it’s essential that you learn how to set realistic goals that spur you to stick with the program.
Don’t Expect Rapid Weight Loss
Although it can take years to become significantly overweight, it is understandable that once you make the decision to trim down, you want to see results immediately. But trying to lose weight too fast can backfire. Attempting to lose weight too quickly can not only be demoralizing when it doesn’t work, but it can be dangerous when it does.
You will need to burn off 3500 calories to lose a pound of body fat. Cutting a thousand calories a day out of your diet, which can take considerable discipline, will only result in a two-pound per week weight loss. If you have fifty pounds to lose, it will take six months to reach your goal. Expecting to see dramatic weight loss and changes in your appearance in just a couple of weeks sets you up for disappointment and that disappointment can crush your desire to stick with the process of change. Worse yet, some of the diets that promise quick results rely on partial dehydration and that can put you at risk for a variety of health problems. When you follow these types of diets, as soon as you eat or drink normally for a day or two, much of the weight returns.
It is possible to safely lose weight a bit more rapidly under medical supervision. If you have more than fifty pounds to lose, you may wish to enroll in such a program. Not only will you lose weight quickly and safely, but you will also learn the skills necessary to keep it off. Still, it will take 3-4 months to lose forty pounds or more.
Lose Weight for Yourself, Not for Others
It is essential that you lose weight for yourself, not because someone else in your life feels you need to be thinner. It is hard to sustain motivation during the tough times if you are changing your life for someone else. Losing weight to please others tends to foster resentment towards those people and can cause you to overindulge in food out of anger and frustration. It is also very helpful if your desire for weight loss is tied to a long-term goal not to a one-time occasion such as looking good in your wedding gown or for a class or family reunion.
If you are in the midst of a weight loss program and find your goals were not realistic or well founded, it is not to late to revise them. Consider the progress you have made, then list the reasons you want to maintain your progress. Pick the reasons that most strongly motivate you as the starting point for your new goals.
2 – Recognize that maintaining a healthy weight is a life-long process.
Expect that you will slip up from time to time, so have strategies in place. Learn how to forgive yourself for a weight management lapse since doing so will help you get back on track after a slip. Many dieters find it easier to cope with a lapse if they take it as an opportunity to learn.
3 – Build in rewards for sticking with the program, not just for reaching a particular weight goal.
Be sure to choose meaningful, non food-based rewards. For example, attend a concert given by a favorite performer. Get a massage or a beauty treatment such as a manicure or facial. Many female dieters say they find beauty treatments to be especially good incentives because procedures that help them look nice boost their self esteem and motivate them to stick with their weight loss program.
4 – Find ways to measure progress other than by the weight on the scale.
Weighing yourself regularly is definitely a valuable weight management tool. In fact, the majority of successful dieters surveyed by the National Weight Control Registry reported that they weighed themselves every week and, in some cases, every day. They reported that they take quick corrective action if they see the number drifting up. However, your weight is only one way to gauge success.
Remember: You may still be losing inches even when you don’t see big changes in body weight.
If you are sticking with a diet and exercise program and your weight seems to have plateaued, it is important to recognize that plateaus happen to most dieters. In the face of a plateau, you need to stick with your program to prevent weight gain and look for other signs of progress. Use a tape measurer to track changes in body girth. Measuring the circumference of your neck, upper arms, waist, hips, thighs, and calves can help you see that you are losing inches, even if you are not seeing a change on the scale. Chances are there are other signs of progress if you take the time to look for them. You may find that you are able to exercise longer and or harder. If you are building muscle, you may be becoming leaner. Perhaps you are thinking about food less frequently, or maybe you are using strategies other than food to deal with stress.
Above all, remember that while your goal is to lose weight, the ultimate goal of weight loss is not about the number on the scale or the size of your jeans, it is about your health.
5 – Identify physical activities that you enjoy and participate in them regularly.
Maybe an aerobic exercise class is not for you, but you love to dance. Perhaps you don’t like to jog, but you are more than willing to walk each day – especially now that you are a few pounds lighter and more comfortable spending time on your feet. Maybe you have a passion for gardening. The important thing is to find at least one activity (but hopefully a few different activities) that you are willing to do and to be diligent about participating in them. Not only does activity burn calories, but it also lifts your mood, making it more likely that you will feel good about yourself and stick with your program.
Bumping Yourself off a Plateau
If you find that you still have weight to lose and the scale seems to be stuck in one place, kick your activity level up a notch and pay extra close attention to your calorie intake. It is possible that you have gotten so used to your eating style that you have been less vigilant and have allowed extra calories to sneak into your daily routine. Or your body may have adapted to your workout routine and need something more vigorous to keep your calorie burning efforts going.
Seek assistance from a dietician and/or the exercise expert associated with your weight loss program to make sure you develop sound new food and activity practices.
Join a weight management support group. You will find others who have had similar weight loss challenges and who have persevered to reach their goals. The camaraderie, friendly competition, and support from other members who have walked the proverbial mile in your shoes will help keep you focused and motivated.