How to stabilize a healthy weight

Losing weight can be difficult, but maintaining a healthy weight can be even harder. Discipline and determination are required to avoid regaining lost weight. A diet of healthy foods and exercise of 30 minutes five days a week are necessary. This regimen must become a new lifestyle for you to reach a stable, healthy weight. It may be easier to accomplish if you get a friend to join you or if you join a weight-loss group. Encouragement and support will help you stay on the path to a healthier you.

Instructions

• 1

  Building lean muscle with weights.

  Reduce fat more quickly, build lean muscle and stabilize---or speed up---your metabolism by exercising with weights. Squats, bench presses, chin-ups and barbell curls are among isolation exercises that build lean muscle. Talk to a fitness trainer or purchase training DVDs to guide you.

• 2

  Eat foods high in fiber to help fight off hunger. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins will help you feel full. Consider boneless, skinless chicken breasts, nuts, apples, grapefruit, romaine lettuce, whole-grain wheat bread and whole-grain pasta.

• 3

  Avoid temptation. Keep walking when you approach a bakery. Say "no" to your neighbor's freshly baked cheesecake. It is OK to indulge once in a while, but if your goal is to lose weight and keep it off, avoid such potential pitfalls.

• 4

  Count calories. Read food labels, purchase a calorie-counting book or go online to determine the number of calories in foods. Keep a journal of everything you eat each day. Jot down the caloric intake for each food. Use a calculator to add up all the calories consumed in a day. To lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, set a daily limit of 1,500 calories.

• 5

  Plan your meals to avoid the urge to eat sugary or fatty foods. Planning enables you to figure out what foods are healthy, the number of calories in each, and the correct portions to avoid over-eating. Create a daily meal menu balanced with proteins, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and whole grain carbohydrates.

• 6

  Add minutes to your exercise plan gradually.Thirty minutes of cardiovascular exercise five times a week is sufficient at the start. After two weeks of regular workouts, with each successive week increase your daily workout by five minutes. Sixty to 90 minutes of exercise each day will help burn fat and excess calories.

• 7

  Measure food portions.

  Measure your portions. Meat portions should be no more than 3 oz., which is the size of the palm of your hand. Whole-grain carbs should take up one-quarter of your plate and portions should be no more than the size of a CD. The rest of your plate should consist of fruits and/or vegetables.

• 8

  Weigh yourself daily. Checking your weight regularly helps you keep track of your progress. Weight loss will be slow in the beginning, but after a week or so, you should begin to see results. Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are weight-training and you see you have gained a couple of pounds, don't be discouraged.

• 9

  Include dairy products in your diet. Dairy products contain iodine, which regulates the body's rate of metabolism. Metabolism is how fast, or slow, your body can burn off fat. Dairy also includes vitamins and minerals that strengthen bones and joints and help muscles function and repair quickly.

• 10

  Drink water. Water helps you feel full while flushing impurities from your body. Drink six to eight 8-oz. glasses of water daily to help regulate your weight and make you feel refreshed and healthy.