How to lose weight and keep it off!

There are many reasons we put weight on, for most of us it’s certainly not as simple as balancing the energy in = energy out equation.  Other factors that come into play include our age, our hormones, our health, our diet – to name just a few.

What I am focusing on today is how you can manage to lose weight and keep it off.  There are many weight loss strategies, lots of different diets, lots of programs offering to help you lose weight.  Some may be really successful in the short term but it’s really important to ensure that the changes you make are sustainable – after all, if you go back to your old ways, it’s highly likely that the weight will pile back on again – makes sense, doesn’t it?  So when comparing weight loss programs it’s important to consider – can I keep up the exercise routine/afford to keep buying the meals/ continue to replace a meal with a shake every single day?  If the answer is no, then this probably isn’t the diet that will enable you to lose weight and keep it off!

Ideally you want to look for a program which teaches you healthy habits, so as you lose the weight you also adjust to new healthy lifestyle, which becomes easier to maintain and so easy for you to maintain a healthy weight.

So what do I mean by healthy habits?  In the Metabolic Balance wellness and weight loss program which I run, clients learn to recognise the food that their body thrives on.  By focusing on eating these foods, their metabolism balances, hormones are balances, weight is released and inflammation decreases.  Overall they feel healthier and happier.  There are also rules around when to eat and learning to recognise how much to eat – yes, this includes being able to stop eating when full!

Another factor to help you lose weight and keep it off, is having the guidance of a qualified nutritionist, so if things are not going to plan, they can determine what changes need to be made to get you back on track again.  The body is a wonderful machine and we all have our own unique set of genes, so it can be a bit of trial and error to see what works best for you.  There is no magic pill or one size fits all when it comes to weight loss or health for that matter!

Understanding your relationship with food is often a big gamechanger for people.  Do you eat for comfort? When stressed/emotional/ bored?  What type of food do you gravitate towards at these times?  Learning to have a healthy relationship with food and understanding when you are truly hungry can really help to shift the excess kilos and manage those unhelpful cravings.

Accountability and support are important parts of the program and crucial in weight loss, consider it like having a cheer squad and support crew.  There are so many temptations, birthday celebrations, lunch with friends, drinks after a long week at work – it’s important to have someone who can guide you and help keep you on track.  Help you know when you can break the rules and ensure that if you fall off the bike then you get back on again.

Everyone thinks they know how to lose weight, perhaps you’ve lost weight successfully before but just important as losing the weight is giving yourself the tools and the strategy to keep the weight off.  Give me a call if you’re interested in hearing more about my Metabolic Balance Wellness and weight loss program.