Maintaining weight is possible with these tips

Losing weight is not that complex, you just need to start a healthy diet and stick to it for several weeks, combining it with exercise, rest, less stress and sleeping the necessary hours.

However, the most complicated thing is not the weight loss itself, but how to maintain the weight in the long term while stabilizing it.

The real question is no longer how to lose those extra kilos, but how to lose weight sustainably with complete peace of mind?

Just so you understand: stabilizing your weight is essential to not recover the kilos you lose after finishing a diet. The so-called « stabilization phase » is essential to protect yourself from the rebound effect caused by a diet that is too strict.

How to avoid the rebound effect after a diet?

When you suddenly and severely restrict your diet, the body goes into resistance. Only after normal eating is restored does the body stock up for another period of restriction. This is when the rebound effect and weight gain appear.

On the contrary, when we follow a stabilization phase after our diet, we begin to gradually teach the body to acquire new eating habits in the long term .

Thus, the body does not store fat for possible future restrictions, but gets used to eating better for longer.

What are good habits to maintain weight?

It's not just the rebound effect that can cause weight gain after a diet. There are also bad eating habits! You probably already know that eating a healthy, simple, balanced and varied diet helps prevent weight gain.

It is enough to return to old eating habits to recover all the weight (or more) lost during your diet.

Principles to follow, even in the stabilization phase, to strengthen weight loss:

• Give preference to slowly absorbed sugars (legumes, starches, etc.), vegetables and fruits, fish and raw vegetables during meals.
• Replace trans fat with the so-called good fats. Preferably use olive, coconut or avocado oil.
• Avoid quickly absorbed sugars (candy, cakes, soda, unrefined white sugar, etc.).
• Reduce the consumption of alcohol and drinks with a high sugar content.
• Eat a full breakfast that includes fruit, dairy, cereal, and a hot or cold beverage.
• Limit snacks; Instead, choose a snack made with fresh and "raw" products (apple, natural yogurt, a handful of almonds, etc.). You can also take a protein shake like ourFit&Slim that only provides 100 calories.
• Eat light food for dinner (soup, green salad and turkey ham, etc.).
• Eat at regular times or choose a diet (intermittent fasting, OMAD, among others).
• Avoid forcing yourself to eat if you are not hungry.
• Drink at least 2 L to 3 L of water a day.

Not eating enough is counterproductive

Many people think that eating less will help them lose weight in the long run, but that's a lure. The body needs a certain amount of energy to function properly.

By not eating enough you will slow down the basal metabolism, that is, the energy that a person needs while at rest.

As soon as you start eating more, the body will quickly begin to store those extra calories and you will quickly gain weight.

Eating what your body needs and regular training will help you avoid this trap and keep the weight off.

eat smart

In the post-diet phase, there is no way to eat the same again. Without exaggeration, it's more about eating smart: eating should be a thoughtful and conscious act.

Therefore, if you want to maintain weight, avoid gulping down a plate of macaroni in two minutes in front of an episode of a series on Netflix.

When eating, it is better to focus on the tastes, the textures, the sensations, and do it calmly! 10 minutes is the minimum.

People who eat too quickly, without chewing in a controlled way, end up overeating. Take your time, enjoy and chew well.

A study published in the scientific journal Obesity found that people who eat slowly consume up to 10% fewer calories.

The reason is simple: it takes about 20 minutes for our brain to let the stomach know that we have eaten enough. If you eat too fast, you will continue to eat past this satiety threshold.

Get enough sleep

Too much stress in everyday life and at work will have a bad influence on your figure. Under stress, the body produces hormones that will cause your body to store more fat.

You've probably already noticed that when you're stressed you're more likely to crave sugary or fatty foods. So make sure you give your body enough time to relax and recover.

It is also important that you sleep between 7 and 8 hours deep. Doing so will prevent ghrelin (hunger hormone) and leptin (satiety hormone) from going out of control.

get organized daily

The best way to maintain weight and a balanced diet is to be organized. Also, to avoid compulsive snacking and excessive calorie foods, establish a menu in advance.

You can write the shopping list little by little, and plan ahead so that it does not take you by surprise.

If you know you have a busy week ahead of you, feel free to cook on the weekends and freeze some small dishes. Or consider buying foods that are easy to process and don't take too much time in the kitchen. Simple but effective!

keep a diary

A food journal is like a weight loss coach. It's proven, by the way: According to a 2012 study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , women who use one have less trouble than others maintaining their healthy weight.

How does it work? Each night, you can take five minutes to write down everything you ate and drank during the day, as well as the amount of physical activity you did.

Excel board, mobile notepad, notebook eraser, post-it, etc. All means are good: the idea is to be able to take a step back in our caloric intake and, therefore, be able to identify excesses more easily. In short, an effective and non-restrictive way to keep track of weight maintenance.

Does sport to maintain lost weight work?

Staying active with physical exercises is essential to stabilize weight and combines perfectly with the rest of the good eating habits.

Thanks to the calories burned during sports sessions, the energy intake of your daily meals will not have a major negative impact on your figure. Of course, the idea is that you keep your diet balanced and do not exceed the portions.

It is advised to try swimming or cycling if you are a beginner. The goal is to practice while having fun , not get demotivated.

The most experienced will practice the sport of their choice as a source of training.

In any case, take advantage of softer activities walking (at least 30 minutes a day) or climbing stairs (instead of taking elevators) to move more without realizing it.