I know. You think it's a fairytale, don't you, to think that once we lose weight, we really CAN keep it off for good?
Me too. I've lost weight before, with intention and dedication, and I've gained it back again, more than once. Many of my friends have been in the same situation. As we age, and especially as our hormones change, the numbers creep up on the scale, not to be denied. It's our own little morning horror film on the scale, especially if we've battled those numbers down in the past.
How does we finally keep that weight GONE FOR GOOD?
The people at Psychology Today want to help us. There's a great article in their archives (updated just last year) that boils it down to just a few things, from a study of 3,000 people who were successful at keeping 30 or more pounds off for more than a year:
1. Decide to eat breakfast. Every day. 80% of the successful ones do.
2. Decide that exercise is here to stay. We have to do this, or we might as well give up now. Those who were successful in keeping the pounds off had about twice the activity as those who weren't.
3. Decide that monitoring our weight is here to stay. Whether it's a daily weigh-in or a food journal, we can't go on auto-pilot and hope to sustain a loss, apparently.
That last one is key. Successful weight-loss maintainers (is that a word?) apparently keep "cognitive control" of their weight long after the diet ends. "They're always watching for changes and respond to them quickly," one researcher said. "They don't just let things go."
Here's the full article. It's full of interesting information, all of which will help motivate you:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200201/fit-life-keeping-the-weight
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Hi Diane,
Thank you for posting this link and sharing this great information with EmpowHer. I think the cognitive part of maintaining weight loss is probably the most important, or just being aware from day to day what we are eating. I am going to share this link with a dear friend of mine who lost 50 pounds over the last year. She has maintained it since March and I'm so proud of her. But she admitted to me the other day that maintaining is harder than losing, because your mental attitude shifts away from that constant "action" mode we have when we are trying to lose weight.
Thank you again Diane--I think this information will help a lot of people! Michelle
August 6, 2009 - 10:29pmThis Comment
I recently lost about 7 pounds after quitting the birth control pill. I am ALWAYS a bit heavier on it!
August 6, 2009 - 10:40amI eat raw vegan cereal with strawberries DRY for breakfast with my acidophalus drink and cod liver oil. During the week, I eat mostly raw vegan with some fish, rice etc. on weekends. I work out at the gym between 3 and 4 times a week and hike 6 days a week with my dogs. I LOVE hiking...I avoid exercise that I hate ...that is how I keep it up.
I am really starting to look very tight and firm. I now weigh 128lbs on a good day and am almost 5 foot 6.
I would love to be 120 but am realizing that to do this, you have to really cut out ALL salt and most treats which I am not prepared to do!
I think that one CAN keep youthful, fit and healthy if it's part of your life, like you mention. The hiking is the secret weapon for me as the dogs need it and I see it also as a spiritual experience.
I also just KNEW that quitting the pill would shed me of a few unwanted pounds too and indeed, that is what happened! I just turned 39 and I'll be damned if I let anything stop me from staying fit and firm!
And my 11 year old dog thanks me for it too with her trim waist after all those hikes and nothing but raw meat and veggies!
This Comment
I weigh myself every morning (naked, before my shower), and even at night, knowing full well that my weight can fluctuate 3-5 pounds over any 48-hour period.
I always eat breakfast, even if it's just a dry, toasted mini-bagel and OJ, with some fruit to follow as soon as I get to my desk.
I eat healthfully, organic and fresh.
I exercise like mad 5-6 days/week, especially when my trainer wants to push me to work harder.
But, after a few years of doing this and training for marathons without losing an ounce, I've given up on weight loss. I'm fit, without being too muscular. My body shape is changing, and I'm probably doing alright for someone just this side of 60.
So, I figure that my scale will start dropping if I stop obsessing over it. Think that will work? LOL!
August 5, 2009 - 6:52pmThis Comment