(BlackDoctor.org) -- Congratulations! You’ve finally reached your target weight. You worked hard, you stayed committed and now you are reaping the benefits of your attractive new body. What next? Now that you’ve reached your target weight, you need to focus on staying there.
In a recent study, researchers analyzed the weight loss strategies of the more than 4,000 members of the National Weight Loss Registry, who lost an average of 73 pounds and kept it off for an average of five years. A little more than half, lost the weight with some help from a commercial weight loss program, doctor, or nutritionist. The other half did it without the use of any of the above-mentioned resources.
In maintaining their weight loss, researchers say the successful losers shared six major strategies:
- They stayed active after they reached their target weight. Men and women who have kept the weight off report a high level of physical activity. The most popular form of exercise is walking, followed by cycling, weight lifting, and aerobics.
- They eat a diet low in calories and fats. Successful losers report consuming an average of 1,381 calories per day, with 24% of those calories from fat.
- They don’t skip breakfast. More than three-fourths of the registry members eat breakfast every day, and only 4% say they never eat breakfast. A typical breakfast is cereal and fruit. Eating breakfast can increase your metabolism, helping your burn more calories during the day. It also helps avoid overeating later in the day.
- They hit the scales. Successful losers report weighing themselves regularly (44% weigh themselves daily and 31% hit the scales once a week). Researchers say, frequently checking your weight allows you to catch small weight gains and take steps to correct them.
- They maintain a consistent eating pattern. Most registry members say they eat the same way on weekdays and weekends. About four in 10 are stricter about dieting during the week than on the weekends and about half are stricter during non-holiday times than on holidays. The researchers did find that people who were consistent about their diet were more likely to keep the weight off.
- They catch “slips” before they can turn into bigger problems. Gaining a couple of pounds here and there was common among registry participants, but those who were able to prevent an extra pound or two from adding up, were more likely to maintain their weight loss successfully over the long term. Only about one in 10 successfully recovered from a weight gain of more than 2 to 4 pounds.
By John Williams, BDO Staff Writer