Choosing and Maintaining a Weight Loss Plan

Choosing and Maintaining a Weight Loss Plan

Weight has been an issue with me since high school and I have tried different things. Having kids and breastfeeding seemed to keep my weight down but then when I quit breastfeeding I gained weight, about 15 pounds then I gain more from what I would attribute to a slower metabolism. So I have thought a lot about weight loss, and I want to share some more advise with you in deciding what to do to lose weight.

1.    Think about something you can live with for the rest of your life.  There are many weight loss programs. You can purchase pre-made meals, there are shakes and diet pills. There are many fad diets where you are very restricted in what you can and can’t eat. Diets that eliminate or greatly reduce a certain food groups like lo-carb or vegan diets seem to be popular. But what I would like to advocate is something very different from all of these. 

      You need to come up with your own plan because it is necessary that you think about what you can live with for the rest of your life. Every one of our lives is different, some people work, others are stay-at-home parents. Some are required to travel a lot and are constantly eating at restaurants and there are those who enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. This is the reason that it is very difficult to have one diet for everybody. So this process requires a lot of thought and analyzing of your specific situation. I would also suggest maintaining all food groups and to avoid any unreasonable diet (specifically fad diets). Ask yourself what you enjoy eating and then think about how to make it healthy and light. For example, I enjoy soup a lot so I have taken my favorites soups and have made light recipes. I like pasta, but instead of making pasta the main part of the dish, I make veggies the main part, then add some pasta. I have been inclined to do this because of the gage that I use, TRACKBITES. It encourages veggies because most veggies are 0 points. 

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2.    Think about what you will do when you are in a different situation other than your normal lifestyle.

We all have our regular routines but we frequently have to make changes especially when we travel, or go out to eat, or any other activity that is out of the ordinary. We can think ahead and plan for those events. We can check the restaurant’s menu beforehand to decide on a healthy option. We can pack healthy snacks when we travel

3.    Think about what you will do when you inevitably will “fall off the wagon.”

When we make a change and experience success we feel so good about ourselves and the results we see. But, inevitably, we will have setbacks. It is not a matter of “if” rather “when.” So, when we do experience a lapse in our weight loss journey we need to be kind to ourselves and not beat ourselves up. If we see that we have chosen a weight loss plan that is not sustainable then we need to reevaluate and make changes that are more practical for our lifestyle.