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"Lost Weight? Ten Tips for Keeping It Off Forever"

By Diane Catrambone

Congratulations! You have lost those unwanted pounds and you are a lean, mean fighting machine. Here are some tips for you to make sure you don’t revisit the weight gain cycle again.

1. Wear form fitting clothes! Nothing will bring you up short faster than realizing you can’t zip up your favorite pair of HOT ASS jeans again. Plan your attack immediately as soon as that happens.

2. Why did you diet to begin with? Think about your original motivation to lose your uninvited weight. Get rid of the larger sizes in your closet so you don’t slip into the mind set of having a “backup”. You are never going there again. Take some time to think about how you started on your road to success and get back on the path.

3. Do not bring problem foods into your home. The home should be a happy, secure place. Sometimes that works to your disadvantage. For some reason, some people think they can get away with cheating in their own home. You can’t. Don’t bring your problem foods in.

4. Pick a number…any number that works for you. Give yourself a number on the scale that you will simply not go above. Create a mindset and intention that you will not allow yourself to weigh more than that amount.

5. If you are in maintenance, it’s okay to weigh yourself every day. Just because it will tell you when you gain a pound or two. However, you should expect variations during the week, so be prepared to use the scale weight as a marker only and if you continue to gain pounds over a month period, then that is the time to become pro-active and figure out what is going awry.

6. Exercise. It gives you structure and control. It keeps you from obsessing about food and gives you a reason to eat healthful foods. Exercise will expand your need for calories too because it will burn higher caloric foods as fuel.

7. Keep a picture of yourself at your higher weight. Sometimes a visual aid is all you need to stay on track.

8. Keep a food diary. Don’t complain about it. For at least one year, you should be monitoring your food intake. The diary will serve as a daily reminder of the structure you are putting in place for your future successes.

9. If you have a cheat day, don’t sweat it. It has been my experience with clients, that if they stay on track most of the time and go off one day a week and eat whatever they please, it does not affect their ability to lose weight. ONE cheat day, though not 4 or 5.

10. Stop using food as a reward. Enjoy going out to dinners and restaurants for the shear pleasure of spending time with your friends and family. Reward yourself with something that feeds your spirit and soul. You have creating a vision for your life. Stay with it.

About the Author:

Diane Catrambone, Owner of Fitness Together in Chester Springs, PA has been a personal fitness and nutritional coach for over 20 years. Visit her website at www.ftchestersprings.com