Maintenance

So I read this tweet the other day that was a link to an article. The article was about how more than 80 per cent of obese dieters don’t maintain their reduced weight after one year of initial weight loss. Apparently there are some types of hormonal changes that take place after you lose weight that slow down your metabolism but increase your hunger. This is like the perfect storm for weight regain. There was a study done and the participants in the study were given a maintenance diet to follow after they lost the initial desired amount of weight and most if not all of them regained at least half of their weight back within a year. The participants reported feeling hungrier after 1 year of maintenance than they did before they lost the weight. As I was reading this article I got a little discouraged because I am basically in maintenance mode right now and gaining the weight back is not an option for me. However I read another article that helped me refocus, the more recent article stated that the findings were true but that the weight regain can be prevented. I always said that this was going to be something that I did for the rest of my life. This meaning, counting calories, eating healthier, and exercising at least 4 to 5 times a week. I knew that after this weight loss I could not just go back to life as it was before. The recent article gave some tips on how to make sure you don’t regain. Some were like having a diet rich in proteins like lean meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. Plus a diet which contains low glycemic-index (GI) carbohydrates, which are foods like; beans, lentils, nuts, pasta, brown rice and sweet potatoes. Meals that contain low GI foods are believed to cause changes to hormones and metabolism that can decrease hunger and help you avoid overeating. The other tip it gave seems really simple, like a no brainer; weigh yourself regularly. The thought behind this is simply that if you weigh yourself at least once a week you can see and immediately correct any small increases in weight. You bought the scale so you might as well get your money’s worth even after you meet your goal. I am happy I came across both of these articles because I needed to have that seed planted that weight regain is possible and that I must prevent it at all cost. I know those articles helped me and I hope this post will help some of you.