Invest in a reliable set of scales. Check your weight each week (don't weigh yourself too often as it's natural for your weight to fluctuate daily). It's normal for your weight to fluctuate by 1-2 kilograms, but if you notice your weight increasing on two or more consecutive weeks try one (or a combination) of the following three actions:
You should set an upper and a lower limit on your weight maintenance range (a Dietitian can help you set appropriate limits). If you hit your upper or lower limit, seek professional help from a Dietitian or Doctor as soon as possible. And don't procrastinate for too long - it's much easier to reverse a 1-2kg weight gain than it is to reverse a 5-7kg or more weight gain!
Keep a food diary to ensure that you are eating the right amounts of food from each of the five food groups. It may sound tedious, but a food diary helps you to check that you are eating regularly. Try to maintain a consistent eating pattern, including weekends and holidays.
To maintain your weight, you need to exercise at a moderate intensity (a rate at which your heart rate is elevated but you can still carry out a conversation) for at least 250 minutes per week. Try walking for 50 minutes on five days of every week. For the fitter members of the audience, you can try vigorous cardiovascular exercise such as jogging for 20 minutes a day on three days of the week.
If you want to change the shape of your body or strengthen your muscles, try resistance training, or performing exercise against an opposing force such as water, free weights, weight machines, a theraband, a fit ball or even your own body weight. Resistance training increases the proportion of lean body tissue (muscle) in your body contributing to a higher metabolic rate, as well as improving your posture, flexibility and strength. If you are interested in starting a resistance training program, it's best to have a program designed by an Exercise Physiologist.
The goal of weight loss is to see change, whereas the goal of weight maintenance is see no change. It can be hard to maintain your resolve when you don't see results for the effort you are putting in. To account for this, try setting other life goals that are better enjoyed at a lower weight (e.g. joining a community walking group or travelling).
When you were losing weight you were probably enjoying the associated rewards: compliments from friends, the excitement of fitting into smaller clothes and a dropping body weight. You'll have to devise a new set of rewards to keep you motivated during weight maintenance: treat yourself to a massage, buy a book or have a manicure or pedicure at the end of every month. You'll need to reward yourself for at least the first few years after weight loss.
While you were losing weight, it's likely that you received encouragement from family, friends and health professionals. Weight maintenance can be just as difficult as weight loss at times - and it can be a more isolated process. But it doesn't have to be that way. Tell the important people in your life that maintaining your healthy weight is important to you and that you'd like their support and encouragement for the long term.
It's easy to become complacent when you achieve your weight loss goal. People sometimes fall into the trap of thinking, "I can have an extra scoop of chocolate ice cream - I've lost a lot of weight and I'm feeling really good." Just because you've lost weight, it doesn't mean that extra calories don't add up anymore!
It's important to treat yourself from time to time, but it's also important to recognise when extra treats are creeping into your diet too often. By keeping a food diary (or just listing your treats on a notepad) you can identify how frequently you are indulging. You should consume no more than 2-3 treats per week and try to limit your treats to less than 200 Calorie portion.
It's hard to manage your weight when the rest of your life is in chaos. Leave plenty of time to relax, sleep, shop for healthy foods, prepare healthy meals and exercise.
Don't link how you feel about yourself to your weight. Be happy with your weight and proud of the weight loss that you have achieved.
If you are feeling stressed or upset, find a non-food related way of calming yourself - go for a walk or call a friend.
Lastly, don't forget that weight maintenance can be just as challenging as weight loss (if not more so in the first two years). But it gets easier with time and by following our advice you will be well on your way to success.
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