Weight Loss - Phase IX - Weight Loss Maintenance

Written by Sky Taylor, Diet Bites

Diet Article: It's the final frontier when it comes to your weight loss plan goals.

Where weight loss is concerned it's vital to keep in mind that those 'unwanted' pounds were also 'unhealthy' pounds. While it is great to look as great as you feel, how you feel is eons more important when it comes to longevity and your state of health.

By losing those unhealthy pounds you not only increase your odds of a longer, more productive life, you also may have set the stage for a much difference personal performance that might have been played out should you have stayed with your former diet and had continued on your unhealthy eating rampage.

Rather than entertaining diabetes, heart disease, serious blood pressure and cholesterol readings as well as getting certain types of cancer - you may have prevented yourself from getting these diseases.

Your personal presentation is very positive now - rather than the unhappy production that might have played out amid your life as time went by.

At this stage of your weight loss plan, one of the most important questions that you can ask yourself is, "Have I ever been on a diet plan, lost the weight, then regained it?"

If you answer 'yes' then your new goal is "Not to regain ANY of the lost weight". If your answer was 'no' then your goal is "Not to regain ANY of the lost weight". Yeah, it's a two-edged Diet Sword, isn't it?

The trouble with weight gain is that the overwhelming number of dieters believe that they will only have to go on a restricted diet plan - lose the weight and they'll never have to diet again.

Fact is, individuals have to monitor their diet on a daily diet to ensure that too many calories aren't consumed in order to avoid weight gain. The individual who has experienced weight gain issues will indeed be on a diet per say for the remainder of their days because of that 'food addiction' thing.

This is unfortunate - and yes, a pain in continually monitoring what we put into our body.

But the payoff is remaining at our recommended weight, thus achieving a higher quality of life. The post dieter can't expect to ever return to their former daily diet which held too many calories to support their recommended weight. If they wish to continue to fit into those thinner sizes of clothing, or sit comfortably in a public chair or airplane seat, or fit comfortably in an amusement ride - and so forth, they must continue to watch the food and drink inserted into their daily diet.

If we pause and give this thought, everyone is on a daily diet as we need food and drink to survive. Those individuals who are at their recommended weight are either naturally born thin due to their thin genes, or they strictly monitor their weight via activity and daily diet.

Just a few hundred calories can be the difference between weighing 135 pounds and 125 pounds.

If Janet is 5'3" in height, her acceptable weight ranges from 111 pounds on the low end up to 147 pounds on the high end. If she has a small body frame size, her ideal weight range will be from 111 to 124 pounds. If she has a medium body frame size then her ideal weight would range in pounds from 121 to 135. And if she has a large body frame size, then 131 to 147 pounds would put her in her ideal range.

If Janet has a large body frame size and weighs 111 pounds, she would be considered quite thin. On the other hand, if she has a small body frame size and weighs 147 pounds, she will probably look a bit too plump. Ideal weight is based on a number of influencing factors with height and body frame size just part of the mix.

Let's assume that Janet went on a weight loss plan and has lost those unhealthy pounds.

Let's assume that she has a medium sized body frame and is a healthy young adult. She is currently at 130 pounds which is a good compromise given her weight range.

Let's also assume that Janet was about one month into her weight maintenance plan when she stepped onto the scales and they read 140 pounds. She's not overweight or fat by any means at this point. She has enjoyed a healthy breakfast as well as a healthy lunch. She also realizes that the food and drink weight that she consumed thus far on this day is registering on the scales. But even if the food and drink account for five pounds of the weight - she also realizes that she has gained about five pounds. The food and drink possibly weigh much less than five pounds.

As dinner approaches, she has to make a choice. She has a window of opportunity to do something about the weight gain. She can either enjoy a serving of cereal with reduced fat milk or she can skip dinner and do a weigh-in tomorrow morning. Either way, she has an opportunity to lose some of the gained weight as she has not consumed enough calories thus far in her diet today to accommodate those 140 pounds.

She opts to skip dinner and when she weighs the following morning the scales read 137 pounds. She decides that for the rest of the week - until her weight is better under control, that she will eat a serving of cereal and milk for dinner.

In Summary

Even after the weight is off, continue to monitor your weight with a cautious eye. If you see it returning, do something about it before it has time to grow.

Janet was lax in weighing-in, thus the pounds unexpectedly crept-up on her. She was very wise to remedy the situation before it grew out of proportion.

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