HOW TO KEEP WEIGHT OFF

BY: FITZ-GEORGE RATTRAY

You knew how important it was to lose the extra weight, you started a program, did the work, perhaps even exercised regularly and took the weight off. Now slowly but surely the weight has come or is coming back on. Even when you believe you are doing your best, the weight just keeps coming back.

WHY IS IT SO EASY TO REGAIN THE WEIGHT?

• With dieting, over time your hunger hormone. Ghrelin begins to spike, and your satisfaction hormone leptin reduces. Now, you are persistently driven by urgent and real feelings of hunger.
• As you lost excess body fat, the necessary calorie deficiency triggered a physiological response producing ketone bodies resulting in a reduction of muscle tissue. Muscle is a high energy tissue. More muscle means more calorie consumption, less muscle means lower calorie consumption, even at rest. Now, sadly, you have a smaller engine, meaning you are using less energy than you did before you lost weight, increasing your fat storage potential
• Persistent metabolic adaptation. Blindly restricting calories for an extended time often results in persistent metabolic adaptation.  Your system has learned to survive on very little energy, adapting its metabolic rate to allow you to eat very little and still store fat.  Choose your diet programmes wisely. The ITK wave for example, is specifically calculated to avoid persistent metabolic adaptation.
• Not negative dieting.  If you are not a part of a system which includes a maintenance program, once you have reached your goal, you are probably guessing how to eat.  Your habits, and temptations will become very challenging very quickly.
• Only aiming for a weight not a lifestyle and mindset change.  Waiting to eat normally is the same as waiting to regain the weight.  If you, as many do, have lost your excess weight and looking forward to the day when you can eat “normally” again, in actuality you are just taking a break from being overweight.  You need to use the opportunity of the dietary change to learn about nutrition and your body, be prepared to make permanent changes to your eating habits and lifestyle.
• Using placeholders.  Placeholders are foods which are in all ways similar to the junk foods, snacks and fast foods you have always eaten, usually with the exceptions of reduced calories, sugar and reduced fat.  The fact is they only keep the place in your habits for the real, calorie full, sugary, and fatty items once you are properly triggered again. Perhaps a social event, stress, depression, anxiety, or even a celebration. Then, it is like getting a ball rolling.
• Thinking you have a magic trick which works.  Because you believe you understand a diet which worked for you and planning to just, get back on track” is a sure way to fall back into unhealthy habits. Remember new weight is not a new you, a new lifestyle is a  new you.

TOP TEN TOOLS TO KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF

1. Stop thinking diet. Change-based systems which should know better are often forced to use the word diet, because that is what most people who need the services will understand. But it is imperative that you throw out the dieting mentality.  Develop a complete healthy mindset and lifestyle change.  Optimize your outlook and your weight and wellness will follow.
2. Lift weights, build muscle. Aside from a long list of other life benefits, building muscle will keep your metabolism higher, making it easier for you to maintain your new size.
3. Stick to a routine of planning your meals. Believing that you have lost the weight and are ready to wing it is a sure way to regain the weight.
4. Join a support group or a weight management system like ITK, which offers support.  Shop silently protecting your challenges, habits and issues, don’t wait until your life becomes a tragedy, act early.
5. Get a hobby. Routine and familiarity is a strong trigger for habituation.  Change your routine, take up a hobby, it doesn’t matter how simple or how elaborate.
6. Make movement a habit. Walk even 10 minutes 3 days per week, dance, do yoga, Pilates, play a sport, lift weights, do all of the above, do any one, just move.
7. Learn more about de-stressing and proper sleeping habits. Poor sleep and stress are both strong causes of weight gain and illness. 
8. Keep weighing and journaling. There is much debate about the stress of weighing regularly, but the numbers show that people who stop weighing are more likely to regain all or more of their weight.  The important thing is, do not use your weight to condemn yourself, you do not deserve that treatment, everyone has to keep adjusting and try again.
9. Seek therapy, counselling, a psychologist. There is often much more going on than you realize, a professional can help you get to the root of your triggers, habits, addictions, stressors and depression.  This is not just something you see on TV, it is real and functional.

And most importantly:

10. If you fall, you must climb back on. Once you stumble, don’t stay there.   Once you get it right, it is forever. It doesn’t matter if you fail a thousand times, you only have to truly get and keep the right mindset once, then it’s yours forever, you are worth it, and you can do it.