Descrption:
The challenge of "keeping it off" is frequently overlooked or underestimated by health care professionals as well as those who are losing weight. Keeping off lost weight is difficult, and those who think it won't be are setting themselves up for failure.
If you have failed to keep weight off in the past, or if you are planning to start a weight-loss program, you should keep the following in mind:
1. Most people regain lost weight. But there is a way to tilt the odds in your favor: exercise.
Many people find that they can maintain a lower body weight more easily, and with less hunger, if they exercise more. Even if it's not part of your weight-loss regimen, moderate exercise, such as three daily 20-minute walks, may help you keep weight off over the long run.
Most health care professionals agree that people who diet and exercise greatly increase their chances of keeping lost weight off. For example, a recent study at the University of California compared people who successfully kept weight off to those who didn't. The results indicate that the people who kept weight off were almost three times more likely to be steady exercisers than those who gained back the weight.
2. Weight-loss diets do not cure the tendency to be overweight. If you were overweight once, you may gain weight again after you've finished dieting. This is especially true for those who resume their old habits.
3. Being overweight is not a felony offense or even a misdemeanor, and there's no need to feel guilty about regaining lost weight. You can't atone for extra pounds by short stints of dietary punishment or hard physical labor.
If, however, you want to lose weight and keep it off, you do have to accept responsibility for your decision.
4. Advertisements for popular diets nearly always claim that results come easily and are permanent. Remember, it's advertising, not the Surgeon General's report; maintenance is difficult for millions of dieters, no matter what advertising claims are made.
Maintaining your weight requires a long-term commitment to changing your eating and exercising habits. Maintenance routines are pretty boring, not like the drama of actively losing weight. So, trying to maintain weight loss is at least as difficult as losing weight, with none of the thrills.
5. Diet and exercise programs for people who've lost weight should not be viewed as punishment for the formerly overweight. Most offer nutritional advice that's similar to that given to the general public: Lower your fat intake and consume more complex carbohydrates and fiber. Eat lots of grains, fruits and vegetables. Limit sugar and salt. Exercise aerobically for 20 to 30 minutes three or more times a week. This is good advice for everyone.
Change is never easy, and changing long-term behaviors is particularly hard. But that's what it takes to keep lost weight off over time. With the right combination of knowledge, support, and determination, you can succeed. In fact, the longer you stick with a weight-maintenance program, the easier it will become.
When you lose weight, it's more like starting a new job than winning a race or earning a medal. Weight maintenance is not a job that anyone really wants. But just think of the benefits. |