Lose Weight and Keep It Off

Proven Strategies to Keep Weight Off for Good

If 2011 was a successful year for slimming down, now comes the tricky part: maintaining your weight loss. Here, we reveal the secrets of those who have shed 30 pounds or more and kept if off
By Hollis Templeton fitbie
 

Stay Strict on Special Occasions

Allowing a little wiggle room in your eating and exercise plan during weekends, holidays, and vacations might make your weight loss plan easier to stick with for the long haul. However, flexibility also makes it easier to fall victim to high-risk situations, like overindulging during a weekend outing to the movies.

A study in the International Journal of Obesity involving 1,429 members of the NWCR examined whether it was more effective to stick to the same diet over the course of a week or diet more strictly on weekdays. Results show that those who reported being consistent with their eating plans all week were 1.5 times more likely to keep their weight within 5 pounds of their previous year’s weight, compared with those who allowed more wiggle room on weekends. A similar trend was observed with dieting consistency over the course of a year.

Another study examined winter holiday weight control strategies among 178 NWCR members and 101 individuals who had never been obese. NWCR members reported having greater difficulty controlling their weight over the holidays, and more NWCR members than never-obese individuals reported making plans to be extremely strict in maintaining their usual eating plan (27% compared with 0%) and exercise routines (59% versus 14%) over the holidays.

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