OK So You've Reached Your Goal Now What

[Avaya]

do you have to do to maintain it and not lose anymore weight?

Of course, I am not at this point yet but I was thinking; after losing my desired 20-25 lbs, what do I have to do to maintain it?

I don't want to lose anymore weight after I reach my goal so what should I change? Exercise fewer days? Stop doing interval training and just do straight cardio? Count calories?

[caribgirl]

I have noticed that when I weight train a bit more and perform interval cardio (Used The Firm dvds), and stick to a sensible eating program ( protein shakes daily and a combo of protein and carb at each meal), I seem to maintain my weight well. Now when I slack off, I notice a subtantial weight gain.
Additionally, 30 minutes of exercise 4x a week helps me to retain. Retention is the toughest part for me.

[determine3]

do you have to do to maintain it and not lose anymore weight?

Of course, I am not at this point yet but I was thinking; after losing my desired 20-25 lbs, what do I have to do to maintain it?

I don't want to lose anymore weight after I reach my goal so what should I change? Exercise fewer days? Stop doing interval training and just do straight cardio? Count calories?

This is the fun part if you do it right.

If you like your current exercise program, you get to eat more:yep: without changing your workouts (this is the option I always choose). OR, you can exercise less a week and keep everything the same. OR, you can start incorporating fun, regular exercise into your life such as walks, dancing etc. These are some of my suggestions, there are so much more. Remember though, this should be a lifestyle change so make it something enjoyable and sustainable.

[vainღ♥♡jane]

this is what i've always wanted to know. i don't want to be stuck doing the same workout for life to keep my weight the same.

[Avaya]

How to Maintain Your New Healthy Weight

WLR's dietitian Juliette Kellow gives advice and a 5 step plan for maintaining a healthier weight

Maintaining Your New Weight


By WLR (http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/lostart.htm) Dietitian

Juliette Kellow BSc RD (http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/DIET/dietitian.htm)


Q: When you get to your healthy target weight, what’s the best way to maintain it? Should you increase your calorie intake all at once or by so many calories each day?

A: This is a really good question – and congratulations on hitting target, or at least almost being there. After weeks, months or even years of controlling your calorie intake (http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/logout/calorie_intake.htm), knowing what to do when you hit target can be scary but you can’t stick with your dieting calorie allowance forever.

While some successful slimmers prefer to immediately increase their calorie intake, others prefer to do it in steps. In many ways, this is a good idea as it helps you to concentrate on getting your extra calories by gradually increasing the portion sizes (http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories/calorie_needs/portion_size.htm) of the foods you’re already eating rather than suddenly adding in chocolate, crisps, booze and takeaways. I recommend this five-step plan to maintain your new healthier weight.
Five Step Plan


Step 1 Once you reach target, add 250 calories a day to your existing daily calorie intake. This means if you’ve been having 1,250 calories each day, you should now have 1,500 calories a day.

Step 2 After a week, weigh yourself on your usual scales. You’ll probably have lost a little more weight. If so, add another 250 calories to last week’s daily allowance. So, if you were having 1,500 calories a day, now have 1,750 calories daily.

Step 3 After a week, weigh yourself again. If you’ve lost more weight, add an extra 250 calories to your daily intake, for example from 1,750 calories to 2,000 calories each day.

Step 4 After a week, if your weight has stabilised that’s the amount of calories you need each day to keep your new slim shape. If you’ve gained a tiny amount, drop your daily calorie intake by 100 calories, for example, from 2,000 calories to 1,900 calories daily. After a week, weigh yourself again. If your weight has stayed the same, that’s the amount of calories you need each day for weight maintenance. If your weight has gone up or down, juggle your daily calorie intake by 50 calories a day until your weight eventually stabilises.

Step 5 Weigh yourself once a week on your usual scales until you are confident that you’re maintaining your healthy weight.


http://www.weightlossresources.co.uk/DIET/advice/maintain_weight.htm

[Avaya]

http://www.caloriecontrol.org/images/weight_main_calcHeader.gif
Weight Maintenance Calculator for Women. Curious as to how many calories you need to maintain your current weight? Try this calculator to find out.
Height in feet: inches:

(Note: You must enter a number in the inches box. If you are exactly 5 ft. or 6 ft., enter "0.")

Weight in pounds:

Age:

Activity level (choose): Sedentary Lightly Exercise/Activity Moderate Exercise/Activity Heavy Exercise/Activity



Calories per day needed to maintain current weight:
http://www.caloriecontrol.org/images/hrule1.gif
(This calculator is meant to be an estimate only. Actual calories needed to maintain weight may vary based on muscle mass, activity and a variety of other factors such as illness, pregnancy, etc. If you are obese, your actual caloric needs may be less accurate. This is because a small percentage of fat tissue actually burns calories. The remaining amount of fat tissue does not burn calories. Please keep this in mind when using the calculator.)
By consuming these calories on an average daily basis, you should maintain your weight. However, if you are looking to lose weight, here are some tips:
Most health professionals recommend slow weight loss as the safest and most effective approach. A sensible weight-loss program allows you to lose weight gradually -- about one-half to one pound per week. Gradual weight loss promotes long-term loss of body fat, not just water weight that can be quickly regained.
To lose one pound, a person must burn 3,500 calories more than are consumed (500 calories per day over the course of a week). For example, reducing calories by 300 per day and increasing daily activity to burn off an additional 200 calories should result in a weight loss of one pound per week.
Here is an example of how the calculator can help you. If your daily calorie needs were calculated as 2500 calories and you desire to lose weight, you could:
1. Consume 2200 calories. (That's 300 calories less than this example diet), and
2. Burn 200 calories through activity, to result in a 2000-calorie diet! (Be sure to use the Exercise Calculator (http://www.caloriecontrol.org/exercalc.html) to determine the different ways that you can burn 200 calories)!

http://www.caloriecontrol.org/calcalcs.html

[Avaya]

Once you have started losing weight, it is crucial to think of
how to maintain that weight loss in the days ahead.
It may seem hard to believe, but taking the weight off is the easy part.




Maintaining weight loss for good is where the real challenge lies.
People lose lots of weight on diets everyday, but 95% of them
gain it back because they have focused only on the weight loss.




They follow the diet until they get to a particular number
on the scale and then shortly after, they go back to the old lifestyle
that made them overweight in the first place.
Of course, over time the weight comes right back.




Here are the seven reasons the dieters were successful:



1. The dieters accepted failure and kept on trying.


2. The dieters did not deny themselves--they indulged from time to time.


3. They weighed themselves often.


4. They exercised one hour a day.


5. They added little bits of activity into their daily life.


6. They followed a high carb and low fat diet.


7. They ate 5 meals a day.




It is crucial to focus on your health when changing over to a healthy lifestyle.
So many people are in a hurry to lose weight.
They spend their entire lives putting on the weight,
losing the weight temporarily on diets and just want to get rid of it as fast
as possible, not taking in consideration their state of health.




I know you have heard this many times before but if you don't have
your health, you don't have much. Being thin will mean nothing to you
if you compromise your health along the way.




Even if you are losing weight slowly, good for you! The idea here is to take off
the weight and keep it off for good. Even just a couple of pounds
a month adds up over the course of a year. And for those that were
doing everything they could and continuing to gain weight,
just stopping that weight gain is a measure of success.




With these tips, you now know how to maintain weight loss.
Give yourself time to adjust to a new and healthy lifestyle
and enjoy yourself along the way. Your body will be thanking you for it!

For more info, download Maintaining Weight Loss, a free ebook.



http://www.fitnessattitudes.com/maintain.html