How many times have you dieted and lost some weight only to regain in again and end up weighing more than you weighed before you started your diet? It happens all the time and is a common scenario for many dieters. In fact it is so common it is predictable. You may be celebrating right now if you have finally found a diet that works for you and you are dropping pounds of fat at an encouraging rate. Ok, so you know how to take the weight off now, but what you really need to know now is how to prevent weight regain long term.
The key to prevent weight regain long term is not some hidden secret that no one knows about. There is actually a lot of information on the subject on the internet. You can even go to your doctor and ask him how to prevent weight regain long term and he can tell you how. The answer however is not really something that most people want to hear. The truth is there is no magic pill or secret recipe that you can use to keep the weight off once you go off of your diet. The way to prevent your body from gaining back all of the weight you just got it to lose and to keep it off is a continued change in your diet, way of life and plenty of exercise.
Some people have actually learned how to prevent weight regain on a long term basis. These are the people who are serious about it and engage in regular exercise for the rest of their life. These are the ones who refuse to slack off on it. Anyone can go on a fad diet and lose weight without doing any exercise at all. A lot of people love this idea, because it only involves a limited time of self deprivation. Unfortunately, once they go off the diet the weight piles back on and they are right back where they started. A few rounds of this discouragement and they just give up thinking that it is impossible to lose weight and keep it off.
For the serious individual that is driven to keep the weight off and build up their immune system and those who want to enjoy a good healthy life, exercise is a daily habit they develop and love. If you are ready to put this fact of how to prevent weight regain long term, you too will develop a love of exercise.
If you are really out of shape you should begin by going to your doctor get his or her advice on the best kind of exercise they recommend for you personally. Start exercising slowly and learn the correct way to do a particular activity in a way that you will not injure yourself or you will be tempted to quit. Try to find one that you like to do. It should be one that you will not find boring or else you will have a real struggle to keep it up on a daily basis. Studies have been done on the best exercise for maintaining ones weight. The best one that has been found so far is walking. However, walking on a treadmill every day can become very boring for some people. You can help relieve the boredom by using an MP3 player and listening to music while on the treadmill. The best way to walk though is outdoors.
Walking outdoors is never boring and many people love this activity. You should do some sort of exercise, even walking, for at least 20-30 minutes a day. Building that up to one hour a day is even better when you are exercising to prevent long term weight regain. Now that you have learned how to prevent weight regain long term, your exuberance over learning the right diet for you will end up as a real success story and not just a short term weight loss story.
Related information
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- Maintaining weight loss is not as hard it seems
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- Beneficial effects of leptin on weight control in obese people
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Jackie Hogan, MS, RD is a registered dietitian based in Los Angeles. She is a member of the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (CAND-LAD) and the Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine Practice Group and Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Jackie has been featured on Women’s Health, Fitness Magazine, Women’s Fitness, and Men’s Fitness magazine.
