If you’ve met your weight loss goal, congratulations! You’ve completed a great accomplishment and should be proud of yourself. What now? Many people find after meeting their weight loss goal that they can go right back to their old eating habits, but we know that’s not the case. That will only bring you right back to your previous weight.

So long as you’ve set a reasonable, healthy weight loss goal, you should work to maintain that weight for the future. Dieting should be a long term, sustainable lifestyle that you can be happy with. Dieting should not mean a lifetime of deprivation and hunger.

Eat Breakfast Every Day

Studies have shown over and over that those who eat breakfast tend to weigh less than those who don’t. It seems that skipping a meal, any meal, makes us that much more likely to overeat later in the day due to hunger. A healthy breakfast is a good way to jump-start your day and your metabolism. Don’t deprive your body of food ever; be sure to eat when you are hungry. If you skip breakfast because you’re in a rush, be sure to eat within a few hours. Keep a protein bar or other source of nutrition on hand for emergencies.

Exercise Regularly

Be sure to maintain your exercise regimen, don’t slack off. Try to get as much exercise as you did during your weight loss. Many people figure they can stop exercising once they’ve lost the weight, but if you don’t maintain that level of discipline, it’s easy to fall off that weight-loss wagon.

Stick With It

As with exercise, once we’ve lost our goal weight, it’s easy to cut ourselves some slack and indulge a little. Be careful not to fall back into old habits, you’ll undo all the good you’ve worked so hard to achieve. You’ll need as much determination to keep that weight off as you did to lose it in the first place.

Track Your Weight

Just as you did during your weight loss period, track your weight in the months after. Many people keep a chart on their bathroom wall by the scale. Continue to weigh yourself once a day and maintain a visual record of the weight. This helps you to celebrate your accomplishment daily and monitor any extra weight gain. Even if it’s only three or four pounds, if you notice extra weight immediately, you’ll be more able to deal with it right away.

Remember Why You Lost It

After you’ve met your weight loss goal, keep in mind why you worked so hard in the first place. Keep a before and after picture of yourself by your scale or in your wallet. Or keep a journal entry that you’ve written about your weight loss. Look at the picture or read the journal every time you need the extra motivation. Remember how you felt before, and compare it to how you feel now.

Maintain a positive attitude about your weight loss and consider it a goal not a punishment to keep it off.

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/the-top-10-myths-of-weight-loss

http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/4-keys-to-weight-loss-success

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/keep-your-summer-body-all-winter-long