6 Things People Do Who Lose Weight and Keep It Off

Most people don’t have a weight loss problem, they have a “keep it off and not hate my diet” problem.

So… how do you keep the weight off for good?

Today I am going to share with you the 6 most common characteristics of people who have lost weight AND kept it off.

1. Cognitive Restraint.

People who have kept their weight off have embraced the fact that they will always need to have some form of discipline with their food choices.

Shocking, right?!

But this is the most common trait… why? Because most people who diet to lose weight only think about the discipline needed to lose the weight.

They never consider the discipline it’ll require to KEEP it off.

While it’s important to follow an eating strategy that requires minimal willpower and sacrifice to be effective, every diet will require some level of willpower and sacrifice.

You’ll need to decide what you’re willing to sacrifice.

That may mean limiting calories, time-restricted eating, limiting certain macronutrients, limiting addictive foods, portion control, tracking macros or calories, etc. SOMETHING is being altered.

2. Daily Tracking of Food and Bodyweight.

I know this may seem like another obvious one… but it’s often the first thing people STOP doing once they’ve lost the weight (and they wonder why they gain it back!)

Tracking your food intake and your bodyweight keeps you mentally engaged in maintaining your health and progress.

If you’re not measuring, you’re guessing. And that’s a crappy way to ensure success.

The scale is not the enemy – it doesn’t have an agenda. It simply tracks data. And collecting data provides feedback.

If you’re weighing daily, you’re more likely to self-correct faster than people who weigh in weekly or biweekly.

Think about it… if you weigh yourself daily, you’ll quickly realize if the scale is starting to move in a direction and then you can make the small adjustment to get back on track.

3. Regular Exercise.

This is a big deal but for a reason you’re probably not considering.

Over 70% of people who lose weight and kept it off engaged in regular exercise programs.

Aside from the obvious benefit of burning calories and keeping your metabolism high, exercise is a behavior that is anchored to good food choices.

When people stay on track with their fitness routine, they’re more likely to stay on track with structured eating.

Think about it… when you fall off of your workout routine, what else follows? Your diet.

Exercise should be centered around building and maintaining your strength – this will ensure you keep your metabolism high.

The more muscle mass you maintain, the more calories you burn just sitting on the couch.

The important thing is to do something that you enjoy so you’ll work hard at it and perform it regularly.

4. Structured Program

We’re humans, and just having the information isn’t always enough to make a change.

People like structure and we also enjoy having someone to put our trust in.

We tend to second-guess ourselves quite a bit, and people do better when they have some kind of structured program to follow, which takes the guesswork out of their hands.

So stop trying to “wing it”… and follow some sort of framework.

Plan your meals in advance, keep your environment set up for success and adopt a system that works best for your lifestyle.

Successful dieters tended to participate in structured programs more so than those who could not keep the weight off.

The more compliant you are, the better your results. The better your results, the more confident you become… leading you to even MORE compliance.

5. Ability to Focus on the Long Term Goal

People who achieve their goals understand that they have to sacrifice the instant gratification for the big prize.

People who maintain weight loss tend to be able to think about the long term and they don’t let short-term feelings and desires dictate their behavior.

They always take a second to think about their food choices related to their big goals instead of allowing their feelings to control them.

Regardless of how they feel in the short term, they make a conscientious effort to stay mindful of their eating because their goals are most important to them.

6. Social Support

Having people support and encourage you during weight loss and maintenance is huge.

That doesn’t mean the people in your life have to eat like you or make the same choices, but they need to respect and encourage yours.

They should celebrate your small and big milestones… they should support you by making great choices easy to make.

If someone compliments what you’re doing, it makes you more likely to keep doing it… right?

What’s even better is active participation. If you have a friend or loved one doing the same thing you’re doing, it might make you more adherent.

So, if this weight loss thing is intimidating, find a buddy or family member to get active with. Hold each other accountable. Create challenges to push yourselves.

Remember, losing weight is one thing… but keeping it off still requires discipline, structure and conscientious effort.

Elevate can provide the framework for success, the accountability from professional coaches and all of the social support you need.

Come #GetElevated. Schedule your goal discovery session today!

– Nicole Race, Owner