I was out for cocktails one night last fall with Tony’s sister (a.k.a. Sister Sarah), Nana Heather, and a good friend of theirs who has been very successful at maintenance after a big loss. Her advice? You can relax a little once you reach your goal, but if the number on the scale goes up ten pounds, you’d better get back on that weight loss horse and ride it hard.
Well, maybe she didn’t put it exactly like that, but you get the idea.
Interestingly enough (or maybe not...your choice), I am taking part in a weight loss maintenance study conducted by our former heath insurance provider’s research foundation and the Obesity Prevention Center at the University of Minnesota. The study was for healthy adults who had lost at least 10% of their body weight in the previous year, and is being used to test two different “Keep It Off” programs.
As part of my program, I report my weight weekly and speak with a personal coach every other week. Also, as part of the program, I was given a course book based on lessons learned from the National Weight Control Registry, a research study tracking “over 5,000 individuals who have lost significant amounts of weight and kept it off for long periods of time.” (NWCR Website)
What has been interesting to me about these maintenance strategies is that they are the same as the weight loss strategies. Every chapter in my course book could be the outline for a Weight Watchers meeting: Physical Activity, Menu Planning, Overcoming Barriers, etc.
The “Keep It Off” strategies for successful weight-loss maintenance? Here we go:
- Be physically active; take part in 60 to 90 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day.
- Write down your weight, physical activity, and eating on a regular basis, preferably daily.
- Eat a diet that is moderate in calories and allows you to maintain your weight.
- Eat breakfast every day.
- Enlist social support to help you eat healthfully, be active, and maintain your weight.
- Don’t let lapses turn into full “relapses”—restart your weight-loss plan if you gain two to five pounds.
- Appreciate the progress you’ve made, even if you haven’t achieved your “dream” weight.
That’s what makes maintenance so difficult. When you have been significantly overweight for a long period of time, you believe that once you lose the weight, the struggle will be over.
Guess again.
Eventually, I came to the realization that there is no reward at the end of the journey. Or, more correctly, there is no “end” at the end of the journey. At the risk of sounding trite, the reward is truly in the journey itself.
So, as a response, I am learning to enjoy the struggle. And that, in a nutshell, is my strategy for weight loss maintenance.
At least I sound like I know what I'm talking about, right?
4 comments:
This is a great post! It echoes something I've been struggling with myself. In the past I've been good at losing but not maintaining because I tended to reward reaching goal by celebrating with food.
No more. Healthy lifestyle for life!
Rock on, andrewe! And thanks for the support!
I know I talk a good game, but only time will tell whether or not I can put it into practice.
I agree, there is no end to the journey but there are many great rewards along the way. You stay healthy, have energy to play with your kids, be there to watch your kids grow and develop into adults. And yes, someday watch your grandkids grow and still have the energy to play with them. These are just a few of the rewards along the journey. They all beat laying on the couch with the remote because you are to tried to do anything else, ( although sometimes you need that, but it should not be the majority of the time).
You are doing great on your journey, keep it up. It is worth the trip.
Bob
Wow! What a journey you have been on. My problem has always been the maintenance part. I can lose the weight but have always regained. Like you, I'm hoping I can finally figure out how to keep it off.
Looking forward to going through the archives. I'll be back!
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