If you’ve tried dieting in the past, you probably have realized that the hard part isn’t losing the weight, but keeping it off. Most diets are not sustainable long-term. As soon as you are no longer dieting, the weight begins to creep back on. Here are some tips to help you keep weight off for the long term in a way that is healthy and sustainable:
Find Exercise That You Love
If going to the gym feels like torture, you can’t expect yourself to keep doing it for long. It will actually get harder the more times you go, since you are in essence training yourself to dread exercise.
If you punish yourself every time you go to the gym, you’ll want to go even less the next time. To exercise sustainably, forget about burning as many calories as possible, and look for physical activities that you enjoy:
- Go for a long walk or a hike with your dog
- Take up canoeing or bicycling
- Join a sports team or club.
Get The Help of a Professional
It is easy to think about weight loss as being a simple thing that you just need to commit to, but that’s not always the case. Different people have different metabolisms and natural body types, and it can be much harder for some people to lose weight and keep it off than it is for others.
A professional at the institute for sustainable weight loss can tailor a diet to your needs, taking into consideration any particular food sensitivities that you may have to help you eliminate the foods that you are most likely to crave and which make you gain weight the most easily. They can help you establish a diet plan that you would enjoy eating for the long-term to keep weight off for good.
Be Positive
Don’t beat yourself up if you are not meeting your weight loss goals. Losing weight is hard. You have to change lifestyle habits and resist the urge to eat foods that have given you happiness and comfort in the past.
Losing weight isn’t just about the physical. It’s also a deeply challenging mental exercise. Making yourself feel bad about weight loss or the weight that you’re currently at is not going to help you lose weight and it certainly isn’t going to improve your quality of life. Stay positive, even when you cheat. Be kind to yourself and treat yourself like somebody that you love.
Keep The Weight Off For Good
With the right help from a professional, exercise that you enjoy, and a good mental attitude, you may be amazed by how well you can get the weight off and keep it off. You may find that you aren’t even thinking to weigh yourself or check your waistline as the days go by, but that weight is gradually shedding and you don’t notice negative changes in your lifestyle.