How do you maintain weight loss?

[jadedalways645]

I am 24 and I weigh 290 lbs. I my weight comes and goes all the time. One year I'll be 300 and then I will drop to 220. I used to lift weights and play football so I'll never get to what my recommended weight is. But i just got off of heroin and I gained 90 lbs. in 2 months. I would like to know how to lose the weight and keep it off.

[Outcast]

You have to adopt a healthy lifestyle and stick to it. This means eat food that's good for you and exercise. NO fad diets. No supplements. No tricks or secrets except learning to live differently. It takes a bit of work, particularly at the beginning as you need to spend time figuring out which healthy foods you enjoy eating but eventually if you stick to it, it becomes a habit like any other habit you've ever had.

[ReluctantRomeo]

Outcast is spot on, as usual. It takes a long time for the effects of a new diet to feed through fully - 2 years would not be unrealistic in your case. And on the way there will be good months and bad months.

 

The best thing therefore is not to get too hung up on the month by month loss, but to concentrate on creating the correct long term habits. And let the weight follow. In your case, good long term habits will include:

 

- stopping the junk food, especially desserts and sugary drinks

- eating plenty of fruits and vegetables. This is what you should fill up on.

- including in every meal a moderate amount of lean protein (eg turkey, lean beef, fat free milk or yoghurt) and complex carbohydrates (eg wholemeal bread, pasta)

- long, moderate exercise 3-5 times a week. One hour of brisk walking is probably best at your weight. You could jog once you have lost more weight.

 

If you can't implement all 4 of these points to your life right now, pick the one or two that seem most attractive to you. Practise them for a couple of months, be encouraged by the results, then come back to the other points.

[sophia34]

I also agree with what's been said. Absolutely don't think "diet" ... if you think of yourself as going on a "diet" you'll go off it again, and regain whatever weight you've lost.

 

You've got to do what ReluctantRomeo suggests and think of making permanent changes in how you eat and exercise. Do them one at a time, each for two weeks or a month, so that each change seems manageable before you move on to another.

 

You might attack the "big ones" first--that is, the ones that might help you lose the most weight in the beginning, so you'll be motivated to continue. Look for the biggest calorie wasters in your diet.

 

So, you might decide to do something like the following:

 

1st month: Drink more water. Give up high-calorie drinks like soda, fancy coffee drinks, etc. Replace with water, skim milk, or unsweetened tea.

2nd month: Start a new exercise routine. Shoot for 30 minutes, 3 times a week. Choose something that's fun for you, so you're more likely to stick with it.

3rd month: Swap out high-calorie dairy (full fat milk, for instance), with lower-fat versions, such as 2% or skim milk or cheeses made from 2% or part skim milk.

4th month: Add another day of exercise to your week and/or lengthen each session to 45 minutes...

 

And so on. Only you know what your biggest calorie wasters are in your diet, and you can make small changes, a little at a time. The more gradually you make them, the more likely they are to become permanent habits. Once they become permanent habits, your weight loss will also be permanent.

[mrs.sarah]

I have tried numerous diets. The one that worked for me is weight watchers. You can eat what you normally do. It's about portion controll. Also I frequent their website message boards a lot when I feel I need a little support. Good luck! I also heard that the south beach diet is similar to ww.