Tips on Losing Weight & Keeping It Off

Battling the bulge doesn't have to get the best of you. Losing the weight and keeping it off is in your control if you start with a healthy diet and regular exercise routine and you uncover the underlying reason why you gained weight in the first place.

Lose Weight, Getting Started

• Confronted with having to lose 10, 20 or more pounds can be daunting. However, if you take weight loss in small steps with weekly goals, you'll reach your big goal in a healthy way.

  Decide on a healthy weight loss plan once you've determined the total amount you need to lose. For example, diet plans such as Weight Watchers are excellent ways to lose weight because they help you shed the pounds while educating you on how to eat healthy for the rest of your life.

  Avoid crash or fad diets if your desire is to keep the weight you lose at bay. Quick weight loss often results in packing the pounds, plus some, back on when the dieter abandons the program.

  With any sensible weight loss plan, eat only whole, healthy foods such as whole grains, nuts, fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meats, fish and healthy fats. Run away as fast as you can from sugar, processed foods, alcohol or foods containing artificial coloring or sweeteners.

  Integrate caloric cycling a few weeks after you begin your plan to maximize weight loss. For instance, eat 1,500 calories per day for one week, then eat 1,800 a day during the next week. Go back to 1,500 for the following week. Caloric cycling creates metabolic confusion, which keeps the fuel pumping through your metabolism, ultimately aiding in shedding the weight.

  Meal examples include 3 oz. of grilled chicken and 2 cups of grilled or roasted vegetables for lunch or dinner, oatmeal or two eggs for breakfast, and a small apple, 2 cups of hot-air popcorn, or cheese or nuts for snacks.

  In addition to eating healthy you need to exercise at least four to five days per week. Plan on sweating between 45 minutes to one hour doing cardio and weight training. Try a cardio routine such as running, swimming or biking two or three days a week and then weight lifting at the gym with machines or free weights at home two or three days per week. Alternate the workout days.

Reaching your Goal

• Celebrate when you've reached your goal, but understand that if you want to remain that weight, you'll need to go into maintenance mode.

  Maintaining your weight means that you need to continue to challenge yourself in the gym or on the track the same number of days. Exercise not only keeps your metabolism pumping but also strengthens your muscles, heart and organs.

  Stick with your caloric cycling; however, bump up the calorie intake. Instead of cycling 1,500 to 1,800, try 1,800 to 2,000 for maintenance. If you find the scale increasing, go back to cycling 1,500 to 1,800 until you come to a balanced number of calories for maintenance.

Staying the Course

• Keeping the weight away is more mind over matter than anything. To keep it off, you need to integrate the healthy eating and exercise plan into your life. Your day should feel incomplete without an hour of exercise, and keep the processed foods out of the house. No one, not even the kids, needs to eat junk food.

  If eating was your old hobby, get a new one. Learn a new sport, or redecorate your house. Try or learn something new that will enrich your life and keep you away from the refrigerator. When you celebrate your or your family's successes, don't celebrate with food, but instead go see a concert or visit a park.

  You also need to find the root of why you gained weight in the first place. Meet with a professional therapist if you find yourself falling off the wagon to pinpoint where the weight gain started and why. Uncovering any psychological reasons will help you maintain your weight and fitness goals.