As a personal trainer, I meet and get to help many people to lose weight. However, I know some might find it difficult to maintain the weight after they have loss it but it is not that hard once you know how to do it the correct way.

We know that overweight and obesity result from an energy imbalance, but the cause also lies in the result of genes, metabolism, behaviour, environment, culture and socioeconomic status. The lucky ones are genetically protected from gaining too much weight, while others seem destined to become overweight no matter what they do. The majority of people, however, fall somewhere in between.

Shedding a couple of pounds off is always beneficial. A simple 5-10% lighter can improve chronic-disease risk factors such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, and can also help control diabetes. Weight loss can also enhance athletic performance in events—such as distance running—where optimal body weight or a leaner, lighter physique is advantageous in a competition.

The major influence on losing weight is to eat fewer calories than are necessary to maintain the weight you currently have so that body fat stores are mobilized to make up the difference says Carole Conn, PhD, RD, with the Nutrition and Dietetics Program at the University of New Mexico explains that.

People have challenges with maintaining a lower weight due to the metabolic changes that occur with weight loss. When metabolic rate slows, it reduces total energy expenditure and results in fewer calories being needed to sustain energy needs. To meet basic needs, the brain then receives signals from the body—low blood sugar or the shifting levels of various hormones that stimulate eating and tell us when we’ve had enough. “As weight is lost, physiological hunger may rise to replenish lost stores,” adds Conn.

The hard truth is, it takes a lot of commitment, not to mention being physically and mentally-able to lose weight and maintain it. For example, a thorough review of weight loss studies revealed that while people can lose 5%–10% of their weight in the first few months of a diet, within 4 or 5 years up to two-thirds of people regain even more weight than they lost

Successful weight losers who are tracked by National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) find that these individuals who did daily monitoring weight and food intake, maintain a low-calorie and low-fat diet, eating breakfast almost every day, engaging in 1 hour of physical activity daily and limiting television time to 10 hours or fewer per week.

First and foremost, lifestyle choices need to be changed for long-term maintenance.

• No fad, crash or omission-style diet.
• Start with a balanced approach that includes more unprocessed, high-fiber foods.
• Find your motivator like a photo of yourself in tight pants.
• Eat smaller, more frequent meals instead of two or three large meals.
• Organize your kitchen so that healthy foods are visible.

Choose something that suits you to achieve and maintain your desire weight and if you need any help, contact me at sharm@teamfitnessguru.com – I’ll do my best to assist you 🙂

Eat well and healthy.

Yours in fitness,

Sharm, MSc
Personal Trainer