John McGran, chief editor at Diet-to-Go, has been covering the fields of diet, fitness and health since 2000. He writes from the perspective of a dieter rather than a dietitian.
They call it the yo-yo effect – losing weight only to gain back the lost pounds and more. It’s one of the most frustrating occurrences for dieters. But if you follow five simple tactics, you will avoid regaining lost weight.
1. React quickly – It’s natural for your weight to fluctuate a few pounds, but if you see the scale needle jump five pounds, take action NOW! Don’t wait until you find yourself on that slippery slope back to your old weight. Simply renew your commitment and pick up the calorie-burning pace of your fitness plan and you’ll see the extra weight come off again.
2. Plan your snacks – To combat out-of-control snacking, plan a couple of balanced snacks every day that you can measure out and enjoy. If you feed yourself a bit more frequently, you will be less likely to graze mindlessly. Choose snacks that are filling, but not fatty. Fruits and veggies work well in this respect.
3. Have a treat… occasionally! – You can have an occasional treat, but you need to balance it with healthy choices. Keep the treat small so that you don’t get a big sugar rush. If you must eat sugar or a refined carb, eat a little protein with it so that your blood sugar doesn’t crash and cause cravings for more of the same.
4. Avoid trigger foods – If all you have to do is look at certain foods to find yourself eating them, AVOID THEM! These are called trigger foods because they trigger binges. Don’t keep those foods in plain site around your house. Put them away. If you find yourself going to the cupboard or refrigerator often to “check out” snack items, you’ll need to keep these trigger foods out of your house altogether!
5. Use the tools that work for you – Maybe you hate the act of writing down what you eat. Maybe you dislike exercise. Or maybe you despise weighing and measuring your food, or bypassing sugar and refined carbs. Be honest with yourself. These tactics are proven to work and you need to find a way to employ as many of these tactics as you can to keep off the weight! It’s important that you use the ones that work for you.
Weight regain is not inevitable… not if you take consistent action to avoid it.
For more helpful insight from Diet-to-Go Chief Editor John McGran, check out these articles:
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