Many people who diet usually end up regaining about 50% of the weight they lost within the first year of losing it. Although the concept is very simple and involves eating healthy, eating a balanced meal, and staying active, it is a lot tougher to actually implement it. The reason? It's because most of our daily choices in food and activities are based on habits that we've unconsciously developed and cultivated over the years. So, one of the best ways to keep off the weight we've lost is to reinforce healthy habits. Here are some healthy habits you can try to keep from gaining back all the pounds you've shed over the past year.
When you stick to a healthy eating routine, you are more likely to avoid snacking in between meals. In most cases, we snack when we've skipped a meal, such as breakfast. When that happens, our choice of snacks tend to be convenient but unhealthy junk food. So eating your meals at the same time each day can help you maintain your weight loss.
Almost every phone nowadays have this feature where it can calculate the number of steps you take each day. So aim for 10,000 steps a day. If you need to go up to the next floor, take the stairs instead of the elevator. Instead of phoning your coworker down the aisle, walk over to them. Need to make a business phone call? Try walking around or standing while calling. Make time during your lunch break to go for a 15-30 minute walk around the block.
Instead of junk food like chips and soda, swap them for something healthier. Fresh fruits and vegetables like strawberries, apples, cherry tomatoes not only are healthy, but taste great!
Sometimes giving yourself the illusion that you are eating a lot more than you really are can affect how much you eat. For example, use a smaller plate, your plate will look packed and you will trick your mind into thinking you're eating a lot when you aren't. Also, if you're feeling hungry, instead of reaching for a snack, reach for your water first! Drink a glass of water and then wait about five minutes to see if you're still hungry. In many cases, we mistaken thirst for hunger.
Unfortunately for many of us, we work in a office setting where we are sitting at least 8 hours a day. However, research has shown that time spent sedentary is linked to excessive weight gain. So break up your sitting time. Try working standing up. Take a few minutes every hour to get up and stretch.
When we are hungry, we tend to stuff our faces and eat quickly. However, eating quickly can cause us to overeat. So slow down. Focus on savoring and enjoying the flavors of the food you are eating. If possible, try to eat sitting at the table and not on the go. When we take time to sit down and eat, we are less likely to eat as quickly.
Do you normally reach for boba milk tea or soda when you're feeling thirsty? Well try swapping those sweet drinks to water or tea. You'll be surprised to know how much calories we consume from sweet drinks alone! Even fresh fruit juices contain a lot of sugar, so try limiting it to only one small glass a day.
We hope that if you try to instill these healthy habits, you can successfully keep off the pounds you've lost!
