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Bear in mind that you should try to keep the weight off and maintain your healthy food choices because your weight loss journey doesn't stop after you've shed the pounds. Don't let your efforts go to waste by reverting to old bad habits. Strive to keep active to ensure that your mind and body are both healthy to have a more enjoyable lifestyle.
Lose the weight, Keep it off!
The final stage of your weight loss journey is keeping the weight off. Maintaining a healthy weight is a lifestyle which you should continue to put in practice even after you have achieved your weight loss target. Here are some tips to help you stay on track:
Continue to make good food choices
- Don't go back to eating unhealthily just because you've successfully lost weight.
- Stay away from food high in fat and sugar.
- Aim to have at least 2 servings of fruits and 2 servings of vegetables in your daily diet as they contain vitamins and fibre.
- Continue to control your portion size at meals.
- Enjoy your healthier diet. Remember, you don't have to give up your favourite high calorie foods. Just remember to balance your calorie intake by eating low calorie meals after eating a high calorie one and to eat smaller amounts less frequently.
Understand your eating habits
- Know what triggers you to indulge in unhealthy snacks and think of coping strategies. For example, if you get cravings for cookies when you are stressed, try going for a walk instead, or pick up a hobby that will keep you away from food.
- Don't buy a lot of snacks to store at home. You might be tempted to overeat and spoil your appetite for main meals.
- Healthy eating takes planning. Plan your meals ahead of time and stick to your plan.
- Make good decisions when eating out and at large social gatherings. Remember to avoid overeating at buffets. Try eating a healthy snack before going out for big meals.
Keep active!
- You don't have to have a vigorous exercise routine. Just aim to get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week to maintain your weight.
- Some people may need to adjust the amount of activity they do each week in order to maintain their weight.
- For some, this means accumulating more than 250 minutes of aerobic activity each week.
- Find activities you enjoy or exercise in groups. Doing fun activities with other people can motivate you to stay active.
- Daily activities can be a form of physical activity. For example, take the stairs more, do household chores or get off at bus stops one or two stops before your destination and walk.
- Exercising regularly reduces tummy fat, strengthens your heart, lungs, bones and muscles.
So Remember...
- Continue to eat healthily even though you've lost weight.
- Don't be tempted to overeat.
- Keep active to keep your mind and body healthy.