Goal Weight…AGAIN!

How many of you have reached your goal weight only to gain it back? It is easy to do. We lose weight. Gain it back. Lose weight. Gain it back, and sometimes more. Have you done this? I’ve done it.

How do we stop this cycle?

Many can lose weight. That can sometimes be the easy part. But most gain it all back, and then a little more. It would stand to reason it is better to not try and lose weight at all, and just stay where we are.

Roughly 4 years ago I set out to reach my goal weight once and for all. I ended up going under my goal. I loved it. After many years of agonizing, going to the gym, a slew a various diets, I had finally done what I thought seemed impossible. Then one day, and what seemed like out of nowhere, my clothes didn’t fit. See my post When Your Pants Don’t Fit for the full story.

I set out to reclaim my too small clothes! And I’ve reached my goal once again. And now after years of trial, tears, sweat, and error I would like to share with you secrets to maintain weight loss.

1. The scale is not your friend. I used to think the scale was my friend, but I have discovered it is my archenemy. In “this round” my husband said he would support me in my diet venture as long as I stayed away from the scale. When you are eating right you don’t need the scale to tell you.
2. Maintain the habits you adhered to in order to drop the weight. What you did to lose, you need to keep doing! After you reach your goal you cannot let up on healthy eating. You may need to add in more calories, but keep the habits you followed when you were losing.
3. Eat a lot of vegetables. The experts disagree on many things but they all seem to agree on one simple point. Vegetables are good for you. Vegetables are low in calories and full of necessary vitamins and nutrients for optimum health. Begin an affair with veggies. You’ll be glad you did. I discovered a new way to cook vegetables which changed my veggie life! My son told me one day, “Mom, I thought I hated vegetables. But then I realized I hated the way YOU cooked vegetables. I love the way my wife cooks them.” While staying with Jenny she passed her cooking secrets on to me. Take a baking sheet and cover with tin foil. Spray with non-stick spray. Put veggies on baking sheet and you can either spray them with non-stick spray or sprinkle with olive oil. Salt & pepper. Roast at 425 degrees for about 30 to 45 minutes. Asparagus, cabbage (sliced in wedges), zucchini, kale, brussel sprouts…pretty much any vegetable. The trick with broccoli and cauliflower is to wash the day before and make sure they are dried out before cooking. Delicious! Why didn’t I know this?
4. Only eat when you are hungry. Simple but hard to do at times. Before eating always ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” If not, don’t eat. Period.
5. Don’t eat after 8:00 at night. 7:00 is even better.
6. Do some form of exercise. Even walking will have huge benefits. Any movement at all will add to your overall health.
7. Drink a lot of water. I start the day with a large glass of water. Usually lemon water. There are huge benefits to drinking water with the juice of a fresh lemon.
8. Elicit the help of family and friends. When it comes to fitness being a Lone Ranger only leads to falling off the horse.
9. Avoid sugar. Soda will kill you.

We cannot fully care for those that we love if we are not in good health ourselves. Taking care of our temple (our body) is a critical factor in overall health and fitness. Stay active and be good to yourself. You know when you overeat foods that are bad for you, you feel terrible. I believe many illnesses can be cured by proper diet and exercise.

Don’t ever give up on good health. I’m soon to be a grandma and I’m still working at it. My goal is to play sports with my grandkids and I won’t be able to do that if I neglect my body.

How about you? Are you where you want to be with regard to fitness? It is never too late to begin. Don’t ever give up on striving for good health.

Until next time, live well, live & love all out, and always extend grace.