How to avoid regaining weight after weight loss

Eat smaller portions. After significant weight loss, your smaller body needs fewer calories to function. If you’ve gone back to eating the same amounts of food that you ate before you were dieting, you may need to cut down on your portion size. Once you hit your goal weight, you’re still going to have a lower metabolic rate. As a result, you’ll need to eat significantly less to avoid gaining weight.

Check your protein consumption. When you move off a strict weight loss diet, you may not be getting enough protein. Having a lean protein such as chicken with every meal will help build muscle and you’ll feel full longer. Ideally, you want a diet that is low in fat and high in protein, particularly lean proteins. Make sure you eat breakfast every day, and include a good protein source such as eggs or yogurt in your breakfast.

Start cooking at home. Many diets are based around pre-portioned frozen dinners that you heat up in the microwave. While they are convenient, eating microwaveable and pre-packaged meals can cause you to gain weight. Instead, the majority of your meals should consist of whole foods, including lots of fruits and vegetables that you’ve prepared yourself.

Adjust your eating schedule. When you’ve lost significant weight, you may find that you feel hungry all the time. Eating a smaller meal every two or three hours rather than eating only three big meals a day will keep you from getting too hungry. Remember that losing a significant amount of weight has caused the hormones that tell you when you’re hungry to plummet. Without their help, you’re going to think you’re hungry all the time – even though your body doesn’t need any more fuel. This can make you regain the weight you lost in a hurry.

Avoid using food as a reward. If you were previously on a strict diet that required you to forego many of your favourite treats, rewarding yourself with your favourite sugary snack can be tempting. However, these indulgences can contribute to weight gain.

Be aware of what you eat. When you were on a strict diet, you may have watched what you eat like a hawk. Once you’ve met your goal, though, you may pay less attention, and mindless eating can contribute to weight loss. You might consider keeping a food journal. Writing down what you eat each day keeps you honest, as well as making all of your eating conscious – since you have to write it down.

Do strength training to build muscle. If you were focused on losing weight, you may have neglected strength training because you were worried about building bulk. However, strong and healthy muscles will burn more calories and help you maintain your weight loss. Ideally, you want to dedicate two days per week to your upper body and another two days to your lower body, with days of rest in between.

Culled from WikiHow