The Secret To Maintaining Your Weight Loss
Most of your life, you’ve probably either heard of someone close to you wanting to lose weight or that person is you.
It’s so normalized in today’s society to hop on a diet trend or do something that would be considered a “quick fix” because you want to lose weight. That’s the common thing to do because most people don’t know there’s another way. Another way that is actually more sustainable that will help you for the rest of your life.
Most diets are either comprised of extremely restrictive rules OR a strict meal plan.
If you think about it, it makes sense. Having rules around things and/or a meal plan takes the guesswork out of it for the person doing the diet. However, the problem arises when something is outside of their control and they’re faced with something that doesn’t fit their plan.
Having this type of restriction might cause someone to go completely off the rails since they can’t be “perfect” that day. That’s not a great mindset to have and it’s not a great way to have a good relationship with food.
So, what’s the secret to maintaining weight loss and losing it in the first place?
Creating sustainable habits.
When you create sustainable habits, you don’t ever feel like you are “going off plan” because your habits should not be extremely restrictive. Life in general is not always what we plan for. Sometimes things happen and you should be able to navigate the changes as/if they come.
Not being able to deviate from a nutrition plan or a diet because it’s so restrictive is not a good way to live and it’s also not realistic.
When you learn more about food, what is in different types of food, and understand that you don’t have to take things out of your daily diet unless you’re allergic to them, you will find things a lot easier to stick to. You’ll also probably get rid of the binge/restrict cycle that is so common in folks who yo-yo diet.
Some examples of sustainable habits:
Eating mostly nutrient dense foods
Eating regular balanced meals throughout the day
Getting 7-8 hours of sleep
Drinking enough water
Regular exercise (in and out of the gym)
Healthy coping mechanisms for stress
Drop the all or nothing mindset
Focusing on things you can “add” vs take away from your diet
Losing weight is a balancing act. It the core of it, it’s about eating less calories than you’re burning. It’s a very simple concept but it’s obviously hard to implement due to the fact that changing habits, routines, and patterns is NOT easy.
That’s why hiring a coach is a great option because it takes the guesswork out of things and helps you understand how to make those lifestyle changes that will ultimately help you reach your goals in a healthy and sustainable way.
If you’re ready to work on your habits with me, I’m taking clients for 1:1 coaching and you can sign up here.