8 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Weight

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that my shorts seemed tighter than usual. And then a few days ago, the same thing happened with my jeans. I’m generally not a fan of the scale, but I weighed myself because there were so many questions running through my head. Had I gained weight? Why did my clothes not fit the way the used to? Did my clothes shrink in the dryer? It turns out that I did gain a few pounds. No big deal, but where the heck did those pounds come from?

At first, I thought the weight was due to marathon training, but when I started to think about my diet over the past few months, I noticed that my eating habits were a lot more “laid-back” on the weekends. During the week, my eating habits were pretty healthy. I ate lots of fresh produce, whole grains and low-fat protein, but I let loose on the weekends. All I could think about is the fancy multi-course meals, happy hours, barbecues, wedding celebrations … let’s just say, I had a really fun summer. I guess I embraced “eat, drink and be merry” to its fullest!

When I was losing weight, I noticed that the scale would plateau every few weeks. I wouldn’t lose any weight, and special events were likely to blame for those plateaus. Even when I was losing weight, I never deprived myself. I’d enjoy a beer at happy hour or a piece of cake at a wedding. Those splurges were worth it to me, so I just accepted that those special times would stall my weight loss a little bit, but I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Eventually, the weight came off -- and stayed off.

Looking back on my weight loss and maintenance over the past several years, I know that I have the most success when I eat consistently. Not necessarily consistently healthy, but consistently balanced with mostly nutritious foods mixed with some fun ones.

Here’s how I stay consistent with maintaining my weight loss.

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Count Calories

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At least in the beginning. I didn't realize just how many calories I was consuming when I gained weight, so writing down what I ate helped keep me aware of what I was putting in my mouth. I don't count calories anymore, but I track what I eat (and when I exercise) on my blog, Carrots 'N' Cake, which keeps me accountable. More from Health.com: 4 Strategies for Keeping the Weight Off for Good 20 Little Ways to Drop the Pounds and Keep Them Off 25 Shocking Celebrity Weight Changes

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At least in the beginning. I didn't realize just how many calories I was consuming when I gained weight, so writing down what I ate helped keep me aware of what I was putting in my mouth. I don't count calories anymore, but I track what I eat (and when I exercise) on my blog, Carrots 'N' Cake, which keeps me accountable.

More from Health.com:

4 Strategies for Keeping the Weight Off for Good
20 Little Ways to Drop the Pounds and Keep Them Off
25 Shocking Celebrity Weight Changes

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Comments

[babybelle]

01:02 PM on 10/18/2011

I don't count calories. I just eat what I know is healthful and stay away from junk food.
I eat 3 meals a day, no snacks. Grandma was right !
Works for me .
I maintain my weight of 102 pounds.

[Chuck Bluestein]

06:43 PM on 09/16/2011

There is a Huffington Post article from September 12, 2011 (days ago) called The 'Everything In Moderation' Myth. It says: "According to this theory, one problem with counting calories is that you are (wrongly) assuming that all calories are created equal. Eating fewer calories won't do your health any favors if all those calories come from reduced-fat potato chips and Tasti D-Lite.

A study conducted at Harvard School of Public Health focused on which diet and lifestyle factors prevent weight gain in the first place. “We found that the conventional wisdom to focus only on total calories, or even on total fat or sugars, will be less effective than focusing on the quality of the overall diet,” says lead author of the study Darius Mozaffarian, M.D., a cardiologist and epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School in Boston."

People overlook the salt/sodium content of food when trying to lose weight. It was big news when Beyonce lost 20 pounds in 10 days on the lemonade diet. http://bit.ly/mZ18RQ Do the math. Do you think that she burned 70,000 more calories than she consumed in 10 days? No. It was mostly water weight since she consumed no salt. So eat less salt to lose weight.

[sunflower12]

10:19 PM on 09/30/2011

This is good advice, however, not sure how to control the "indirect"sodium consumption in processed food.

[William Sherman]

02:57 PM on 09/13/2011

Once again, counting calories is bunk. I have lost an enormous amount of weight on a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. Meat, vegetables, eggs, fish, nuts, coconut oil (a true miracle food), our bodies evolved to process a hunter gatherer diet.

As long as you avoid starches and sugars, you don't have to starve yourself. You will crave bread and sweets very badly in the beginning, but your body adapts and the cravings will die down. And avoid artificial sweeteners like aspartame and splenda, they are just as fattening and unhealthy as the real thing. If you're really craving soda, look for a stevia-sweetened brand.

[mkthinker]

11:45 AM on 09/14/2011

How many calories are you consuming on the High fat, low carb diet? If you aren't counting that doesn't mean you aren't eating less.

[William Sherman]

12:15 PM on 09/14/2011

No, it's the quality of what you eat, not the amount. If you are eating wholesome, grass-fed beef and vegetables, you can eat to the point of satiation so long as you avoid the white bread and the sugars. With this lifestyle, I'm never hungry, but I do have cravings for sweets and bread, and they get less and less frequent as time goes by.

Look up low-carb, ketosis diets.

[BBQribsNOnapkin]

01:32 PM on 09/13/2011

Just because I'm 600 lbs and writing from a custom, double-wide, WalMart/America edition swiveling office chair DOES NOT MEAN I am not qualified to explain why you are wrong and I am right about weight loss.

One: If you want to lose weight, not eating breakfast is one of the first things a dietician will tell you to do.*

Two: MacDonaldz has a new heart healthy menu that provides delicious, nutritious, "beefy" nutrients directly injected into your bloodstream via power injected beef like foodstuffs delivered to your oral cavity at a high velocity. Eat MacDonaldz to lose weight. Eat MacDonaldz fast to strengthen your biceps, triceps, and forearms. Also your heart.

Three: Do not count calories and DO NOT READ LABELS! God no! As a general rule, it is safe to remove the last number from any given calorie count. Example: a DQP w/Cheeze and large Fry are not 1240 calories, they are 124, which means it is safe to eat MacDonaldz everyday for lunch and dinner.

Four: Eat MacDonaldz.

Five: Other countries aren't as fat as us because they actually take more than 10 minutes to woof down more than half their recommended caloric intake, hand delivered to them in the side of their car in pretty little wrappers for bottom dollar. Think about that...

*I'm fairly confident this one is actually true.

[Eran Peterson]

12:56 PM on 09/13/2011

Wow. Eat healthy and exercise? Do people actually get paid to write these articles?

[Dogma]

12:28 PM on 09/13/2011

-Learn to like dark chocolate.

-Eat plain, organic yogurt with a bit of jam for after-dinner dessert.

-Small-ish dinners (soups, salads, etc.)

-Yoga... even if just sun salutations!

[GCurry]

12:15 PM on 09/13/2011

My wife and I are in our 50s and 60s, so not as active as once were. We used to have more or less common sense guidelines for eating:
- eat to reduce hunger
- eat low on the food chain, ethnic heritage
- avoid processed foods
- sugar is poison; alcohol isn't worth it (anymore)

But a few days ago we found an Android app I'll recommend, which is focusing us on calorie intake and exercise, by the numbers. It's called "Lose it!". There is probably an ipod version also.

[Meggie]

12:12 PM on 09/13/2011

Great tips. Another benefit of fixing your own meals and cutting out excess fat and sugar that is hidden in restaurant meals is that soon you'll notice you don't feel so great after you eat those heavy cream filled mashed potatoes at the restaurant. You'll wind up eating less at the restaurant.

[littleraerae]

12:12 PM on 09/13/2011

Well, at least this article wasn't full of "eat more broccoli 'cause it decreases cancer but wait, don't because it increases cholesterol" type of tips. I hate those. I think we know vegetables are good and candy is bad by now.

Stupid, though. Really. Come up with a better article; this was fluff.

[takecourage]

11:59 AM on 09/13/2011

Eat in moderation. Eat junk food rarely if at all. Get some walking done at least once a day. To and from the car doesn't count.

[luvthyneighbor]

10:25 AM on 09/13/2011

I'm still amazed at how many people just don't know how to eat healthy. I haven't had a soda in at least 20 years, and am astounded by the number of people I see strutting out of Circle K at 8 am with a Big Gulp. Healthy eating and exercise is all about habits; once you get a pattern down and try new things it's gets easy. The it becomes hard to quit because you won't like the way your body feels if you do.

[janedoe31]

10:14 AM on 09/13/2011

1. Have a complete doctor's examination
2. Exercise
3. Eat properly

it's not rocket science...........

[bmora]

09:50 AM on 09/13/2011

There's only one way that actually works over the long-term: 1) Proper exercise.

[Brent Beardslee]

10:06 AM on 09/13/2011

I disagree. Proper, regular exercise is extremely important. However it is not the cure. Weight loss is a rough 65/35 ratio Diet to Exercise. If your diet is poor, no amount of exercise will fix it.

[MontanaHome]

12:02 PM on 09/13/2011

True that. Some folks get lulled into thinking that they can eat whatever they want as along as they exercise. Fanned from a fellow Montanan.

[BBQribsNOnapkin]

01:34 PM on 09/13/2011

No, no, no. I disagree with you. The proper way to maintain a healthy weight is to eat nothing but fast food until you are so fat state insurance programs will pay to have your stomach stapled. Also you must drink a lot of Gatorade because it's got electrolytes and it's what athletes drink...and look at how healthy they are man!

[rigormrtis]

12:10 PM on 09/13/2011

no, diet plays a larger role in weight maintenance than exercise does. Both are important however.

[drsolo]

09:45 AM on 09/13/2011

I swore off eat in or take out restaurants foods (and saved a load of money).
I got rid of all the processed carbohydrates in the house. If it is in the house, it will call to me.
I eat basically the same thing and same amount every day so 1. dont need to work out carbs and calories and 2. it is boring so I dont overeat. I dont look for "new" foods that will thrill my palate. It is better to leave sleeping palates dormant.
Have somebody around that CAN eat the "rest". So if I crave a turtle sundae I have 2 small spoonfuls and DH eats the rest.
I started my new way of eating a year ago by putting all the foods on a plate that I thought I could eat and lose weight. Then as I didnt lose weight I took foods off that plate. I was amazed by how little I needed to eat and still lose weight. And after losing some weight, more things came off the plate.
I now eat veggies, berry fruits, meat and dairy in small quantities. And I dont crave the carbs either. I can pass the dessert section of stores and parties without feeling deprived.

[mazaza]

09:43 AM on 09/13/2011

The place to find motivation to lose weight is http://reddit.com/r/loseit

Amazing what these people do.